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Question about droppings..........................

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Question about droppings..........................

Old 01-07-2002, 05:36 PM
  #1  
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Location: DeFuniak Springs FL USA
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Default Question about droppings..........................

I will attempt to be as delicate with this question as I can but I'm dumbfouded on this one.
I have an 18 foot ladder stand against a pine tree, at the edge of an oak ridge, and in heavy tall brush. There is a year round wildlife feeding station about 50 feet from my stand (legal in Florida, on private property).
Now I have been in the woods for over half a centry and have observed a lot of things. BUT. The day before yesterday less than 6' from the feeding station and next to a 4" dia. tree I found a very fresh dung pile (droppings, scat, whatever you want to call it). Not quite like any buck droppings I have observed. And not doe pellets.
Oh brother. How do I describe this. About half the diameter in size to a buck. Several pieces in a pile about large enough to cover a coffee can lid. It was black and contained small seeds like you find in farm animal feed. Yesterday morning after a rain I took another look and the black portion is gone leaving a pile of seeds. This evening I check the feeder on my way out of the woods AND right over the recent pile is another fresh pile.
I know this may sound goofy but I would like to know what animal left its card. One old timer says it sounds like a bear, another says maybe a goat got loose from the place next door. Anyone have any idea what animal it is? Is there a web-site that may have a dropping display? I loaned out my wildlife ID book so researching going slowly.
Any help would be greatly appreciated. I don't want to be on my stand if this is ALIEN calling cards. LOL. Thanks, Steve.
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Old 01-07-2002, 08:10 PM
  #2  
Nontypical Buck
 
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Location: Fairbanks, Alaska
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Default RE: Question about droppings..........................

I would voucher a guess on a goat. If they are in the area, it is a high probability that one or more could be roaming. The goats we had would release pebble sized droppings, but I don't recall seeing seeds in them. That of course would be affected by the immediate diet.
No chance you could get your hands on a game cam, is there?
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Old 01-10-2002, 02:06 AM
  #3  
 
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Location: , Alaska USA
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Default RE: Question about droppings..........................

Mossy:
This sounds like a whodunit mystery

From my understanding of your description, I would guess bear. Being truly omnivorous, the consistency and composition of bear scat is particularly diverse, and heavily influenced by what they eat (as apposed to most specialty (i.e. vegetarian) animals, who only have a few phases of scat).

The item in your story that makes me think bear above all else, is the way the main substance of the scat dissolved in the rain.

Bear is the only animal that I know of, who's bowels can be so loose (especially when eating certain high plant diets) that they can literally dissolve over night, leaving only the indigestibles behind.

I've not only seen what you described, but I've also seen bear scat so thin, that it looked like someone had sprung a leak in their automatic transmission, and the fluid had leaked out in great volume, and run down the trail (blue berries)!

Of course I may end up eating my hat on this one (now that would make a funny looking scat ), if there is no chance of bears existing in your area.

Just to be safe, could you further elucidate on the exact shape of the contributing members of the dung pile? Keep in mind that some of us poor Alaskan slobs have never hunted white tail <img src=icon_smile_blush.gif border=0 align=middle>

ABW's idea of a game cam, would defiantly solve the mystery. But before you snap that shot, maybe we should start a betting pool amongst all the contributors to this posting

<img src=icon_smile_tongue.gif border=0 align=middle> If You Ain't Hunted Alaska, You're Still Just Practicing <img src=icon_smile_tongue.gif border=0 align=middle>
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Old 01-10-2002, 02:30 AM
  #4  
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Default RE: Question about droppings..........................

Except for sounding like it is slightly too large, it sounds like a raccoon to me. Definately does`nt sound like a deer. Maybe a black bear. Do like arcticbowman suggests, get a picture, there are alot of people on this board that really know their s$#t.<img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle>
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Old 01-10-2002, 05:13 PM
  #5  
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Default RE: Question about droppings..........................

it sounds like a raccoon to me]

100%REDNECK
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Old 01-10-2002, 07:02 PM
  #6  
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Default RE: Question about droppings..........................

O.K. Boy this is the first time I've had talk about ------!
The first pile. If it had been laid out straight I would say it would be about 20 to 24 inches in length and about 3/4 to 1 inch in diameter. The color was black and appeared to be covered in sesame seeds and a few small red berries.
After the rain there remained a pile of undigested sesame looking seeds and a very few red berries. I have been attempting to identify the seed content.
The second pile two days later would be an estimated 12 to 14 inches in length with the same description as above.
I did make a &quot;track pad&quot; (cleared away leaves and smoothed the ground in a few places around the feeder in hopes of finding incriminating tracks.
Oh yeah. Here in northwest Florida we have quite a few black bear. But they are rarely seen unless you spend a lot of time in the woods or on the river.
Thanks fellas.
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Old 01-10-2002, 08:02 PM
  #7  
 
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Default RE: Question about droppings..........................

Were the segments ovoid in shape, ropy, or what? What was the shap of the actual segments?
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Old 01-10-2002, 11:27 PM
  #8  
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Default RE: Question about droppings..........................

Now your taxing my old memory system. LOL. Lets see. Seemed I was confused at the first sighting because of 4 to 8 inch segments with blunt/flat ends and only the end piece was tapered. Of coarse this could be from a rather high expulsion point causing a long segment to break during the drop, and/or by movement of the expultor. The major bulk was in a definite pile with one tapered end then another expulsion to the side but on top of the first. Like, in one job but two tries. The issue was round and if I remember correctly quite smooth. After being disolved by rain and then drying some the black portion appears somewhat powdery. I would expect some sort of vegetation indication to go with the seeds but noticed none.
You can bet I'm taking a camera tomorrow. I sure hope my grandkids don't find this discussion. I'd never live this down. LOL. Steve.
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Old 01-10-2002, 11:37 PM
  #9  
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: , Alaska USA
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Default RE: Question about droppings..........................

Mossy:
Hhhhmmmm, now I don't know for sure. It sounds more like your describing an ungulate than a bear, but I'm not too clear on shape and texture. Was it smooth or rough?

If you manage to snap a shot of the &quot;stuff&quot;, and could post it, that would make it much more clear!

<img src=icon_smile_tongue.gif border=0 align=middle> If You Ain't Hunted Alaska, You're Still Just Practicing <img src=icon_smile_tongue.gif border=0 align=middle>
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Old 01-11-2002, 03:44 AM
  #10  
 
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Location: chiefland Florida USA
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Default RE: Question about droppings..........................

BIG FOOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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