Only Thing I have Found to Protect Fruit

SwampCat

5 year old buck +
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I had four peachtrees, one nectarine, three apple, three crababble, and two pears that produced fruit this year. Outside of one peachtree in the yard, every other piece of fruit was eaten by the coons and possums with the exception of the above apple tree. I tried metal duct work around the trunks, full tree nets, ten traps around one tree and nothing worked - except in the above pic. I intend on expanding the hot wire protection next year. I dont know if this being new to them they just havent figured it out - or if it really works. The white plastic is just a herbicide spray guard.
 
Lol, I have to chuckle a little at that pic. Only one of us would conglomerate something like that.
 
Lol, I have to chuckle a little at that pic. Only one of us would conglomerate something like that.
You do what you have to do when you lose EVERY piece of fruit off every tree. It gets personal😉
 
Looks like an east texas meth lab

bill
Just wait until I have that contraption around all the trees and wires running everywhere
 
I just checked my apple trees, all my apples are gone, except on 2 trees. I assume squirrels are getting them. I have about 15 trees that were lightly loaded, about 6 that were loaded heavy, and some that had off years this year. I can only see apples on 2 of the trees now. I am about to go ballistic on squirrels.
 
Birds and deer are getting my apples. I'm so disappointed. My new shotgun should be in the mail tomorrowand then I will water a Holy war against the thrushes and magpies.
 
I just had cam video of a raccoon heading for my one golden hornet that has a bunch of crabs on it..found the window screen ripped off the trunk..it’s getting to the personal level…don’t think they got to the fruit yet though but I will be setting some kind of trap if that starts…
 
I just had cam video of a raccoon heading for my one golden hornet that has a bunch of crabs on it..found the window screen ripped off the trunk..it’s getting to the personal level…don’t think they got to the fruit yet though but I will be setting some kind of trap if that starts…
I've got a Golden Hornet that's growing great and very productive. What do you think about the fruit? Are the eating them? I was disappointed that nothing seems to eat them, but as I think of it fruit in general is new to critters on my place so maybe they just haven't developed a taste yet.
 
Removed 13 coons from under one Honeycrisp over the past couple of weeks. They target my sweeter apple trees first this time of year.

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Most of my coons are very trap shy. Had a granny smith and an arkansas black side by side, full of apples. The coons and possums ate all the apples a month ago - still three months from getting ripe. Nothing sweet about them. I had two live traps and eight dog proof traps within 25 ft of the trees and caught one coon and a possum. I do trap them pretty hard so they are pretty trap shy.
 
Time to start using legholds!
 
I use Minnesota offset jaw leg hold traps. They are excellent.
 
I use Minnesota offset jaw leg hold traps. They are excellent.
I trap a good bit, but cant catch them all. My dog also helps - in a recent seven day stretch, he killed six possums and a coon - and he can only get 30 yards from the house
 
I was at my small place in Jackson a couple weeks ago and all of the fruit is gone. On a good note, all of my chestnuts are loaded for the first time.
 
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Does the flashing I see above that’s on the trunks not work at all? I just put it on all of my trees due to a raccoon problem, and now you guys are making me anxious!
 
Does the flashing I see above that’s on the trunks not work at all? I just put it on all of my trees due to a raccoon problem, and now you guys are making me anxious!
I used hvac duct three feet long on some of my trees and the critters still got the fruit. I am not sure they didnt climb up on the shoulders of another to get around it😎
 
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