Can coons climb metal T-Posts?

[WTNUT]

Amid Covid -19, I am spending every day at the farm. Yesterday, I competed a long over due project. To prevent coons from eating 90 percent of my apples again this year, I took flat coil stock and fabricated metal cylinders similar to stove pipe and then hung them from the first row of laterals like another member had recommended years ago.

Now the issue, I have about 20 M-7 trees that have to be staked. I use three metal T-posts and support the tree with 14 gauge fence wire run through tubing.

I am wondering if the coons can climb the T-Posts, hang from the wire and get to the trees. The only think I know to do is to either put flat coil stock around the posts or slide 2.5 inch PVC over them. I am not eager to fab any more coil stock having made 150 of the tubes this week, so if you think the coons can climb T-posts I think I will try the PVC.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[H20fwler]

Coons can damn near climb glass. A coon will go up a T post like it’s a ladder. They climb about any fence to and round pipe.
Spouting around a post seems to discourage them some and slow them down.

 

[SwampCat]

Coons can climb a smooth corn feeder leg like it was made for them. They will climb it just as well with 3 strips of carpet tacks on each leg. I agree - a t post is a coon ladder

 

[j-bird]

Only way I have found to keep coons from climbing stuff.....shoot them!

 

[Tree Spud]

Amid Covid -19, I am spending every day at the farm. Yesterday, I competed a long over due project. To prevent coons from eating 90 percent of my apples again this year, I took flat coil stock and fabricated metal cylinders similar to stove pipe and then hung them from the first row of laterals like another member had recommended years ago.

Now the issue, I have about 20 M-7 trees that have to be staked. I use three metal T-posts and support the tree with 14 gauge fence wire run through tubing.

I am wondering if the coons can climb the T-Posts, hang from the wire and get to the trees. The only think I know to do is to either put flat coil stock around the posts or slide 2.5 inch PVC over them. I am not eager to fab any more coil stock having made 150 of the tubes this week, so if you think the coons can climb T-posts I think I will try the PVC.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

They will violate you no matter what ... just like squirrels on birdfeeders ... no matter the defense they have all day long ...

 

[Headdigger]

Habanero infused Crisco will not stop them either.

 

[buckdeer1]

put vaseline on conduit after you slide over t-post

 

[Tamarack]

I think I deleted them but some yrs ago I had pictures of a coon climbing one of the wood duck poles, reaches in and grabs an egg, climbs back down. Water was a good 3 ft at that one too. I now have baffles on the poles and grease a bit of each when I can. Haven't seen a coon since.

 

[silver_yummies]

Might I recommend a little concoction of fly bait granules and Coca Cola??

 

[OakSeeds]

I had a bad experience last year with, I believe, raccoons. Japanese beetles love the tender young leaves at the top of new growth of chestnut trees (like tender leaves of oaks also).
When beetles appeared around the latter part of June, I sprayed a small grove of chestnuts (7) twice and got busy with other projects. Of 7 trees, the central leaders of 4 were largely destroyed. I finally figured out that coons had scaled the trees and broken the central leaders, and other main branches, in their efforts to feed on beetles. Interestingly enough, the unmolested trees had cages that were not flush to the ground and secured by at least 1-2 T-posts. I suspect they could have damaged these trees also; however, they were too busy slurping up beetles off the tender leaves on the top of main limbs of others (probably a fat sow). They had simply crawled under the elevated fencing on the damaged trees. Come the 15th of June, I be in the attack mode. First 2 photos show damagesd trees, second pair show trees that were not damaged, even though they had elevated cages. Watch your chestnuts for coons my friends !

Come the 15th of June, I be in the attack mode. Watch your chestnuts for coons my friends!

 

[TreeDaddy]

Speaking of......

I do know the little bastards will trash tree tubes in search of wasps

all the more reason to use cages.....

bill

 

[MRBB]

in my experience with coons, they can climb about anything if they have enough reason to
cages don't stop them here either
electric fencing will deter them the most but it has to be in a lot of layers/rows to prevent them from getting past things
and even then, the smarter oen's will dig holes under it and get in yet!
there one pretty determined animal at times
but like most things, they prefer the easier meals, IMO
not sure if anyone seen this pic before, but I'll post it again

 

[H20fwler]

in my experience with coons, they can climb about anything if they have enough reason to
cages don't stop them here either
electric fencing will deter them the most but it has to be in a lot of layers/rows to prevent them from getting past things
and even then, the smarter oen's will dig holes under it and get in yet!
there one pretty determined animal at times
but like most things, they prefer the easier meals, IMO
not sure if anyone seen this pic before, but I'll post it again

That coon is straight up Tom Cruise Mission Impossible mode!

 

[OakSeeds]

MRBB ... you got that one absolutely right . I mounted some wood duck houses on trees in 6' of water in coves of a backwater lake several years ago, each with a protective barrier. Motored up one day to replace nesting material and discovered a coon had almost ripped the bottom hinge off a side door in order to den in the box. I used a boat oar to beat that sucker's hip black, blue and grey ... to no avail. Unfortuunately for him, he exited (dropped out) the next day lamenting the praises of a 22 short.

 

[ksgobbler]

If there is food at the top a coon could climb a greased lightning bolt.

 

[Native Hunter]

Good to see you back on the forum WTNUT.

A one legged coon has a hard time climbing one but with a little practice he can get er done.

 

[MRBB]

yeah coons like many critters, can be highly motivated by food
squirrels are pretty impressive in what they can climb and do

I have a a window on a back porch at a hunting property, its 10 ft off the ground, closest tree to it is about 15+ ft away
the roof over hangs over the window a good 2 ft, and window is about 3 ft down from roof
window is a older crank out, that angles out from building
and every yr I have a squirrel that finds a way to get into that window, by chewing thru a steel mesh screen(I keep bird seeds on the porch)
I have YET to figure out how in the world it gets TO the window,
last summer I replaced that screen 4 different times, after patching the HOLE it made twice each!
at one point I added 3 layers of screen and sucker still ate a hole in he exact same spot
must have carbide teeth LOL
I live trapped and move about 15 squirrels last summer too, trying to catch the ONE that is guilty of this,!
and not sure if I got him

on word of advice on anyone that traps and relocates squirrels, I would food color the tails on them, to see how far away I HAD to take them before letting them go
and unless I go more than 5 miles, the suckers come back>

SO< take em at least 7 , better safe than sorry!

I Know bears here get trapped and moved over a 100 miles and come back in a week or
yes some longer, but they all have come back to date
but bears never cause me any issue's I'm glad to have them here!
small critters are the trouble makers for me, mice, squirrels ,chipmunks, they get inside places and eat wires!
rather deal with bears than the other things!

 

[WTNUT]

Good to see you back on the forum WTNUT.

A one legged coon has a hard time climbing one but with a little practice he can get er done.

Good to see you too! I sold a couple of businesses last year and changed jobs so 2019 was a whirlwind of activity.

As for the coons, what I have done has to help. I tend to agree with everyone in that they will climb nearly everything. There is no way I could kill all of them or even enough to make an impact, I have been down that road before and it didn’t work.

All the guards are up and the T-post set with PVC over them T-posts. After I make my 15 year old daughter paint the PVC (can’t stand the white look), I am going to coat with grease or something even slicker if I can think of something that will not wash away.

Thanks for all the responses.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[MRBB]

Good to see you too! I sold a couple of businesses last year and changed jobs so 2019 was a whirlwind of activity.

As for the coons, what I have done has to help. I tend to agree with everyone in that they will climb nearly everything. There is no way I could kill all of them or even enough to make an impact, I have been down that road before and it didn’t work.

All the guards are up and the T-post set with PVC over them T-posts. After I make my 15 year old daughter paint the PVC (can’t stand the white look), I am going to coat with grease or something even slicker if I can think of something that will not wash away.

Thanks for all the responses.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

something else you could try, would be to cut the PVC pipe into 1 inch sections and pile them on to 4-5 ft tall,
be lots of added work, but it might cause them more problems with the little sections spinning and moving
or bee interesting to try at least one and see if it works any better than one solid tube!