clipprjim
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Apples gone overnight

I have a drawf apple tree, I planted 4 years ago. Last monday at 5 in the afternoon I was looking at all the apples on my tree, about a bushel full. Some had pecks from birds others bites from squirrels, and some fallen on the ground, all in all a pretty good crop, most were ok. Tuesday morning I went to my garden, every single apple was gone, they were not ripe. I live in a rural area, every apple, half eaten, rotten, pecked every apple was gone from the ground and tree. Nothing was disturbed on the tree. If it was humans, why would they take rotten apples and half eaten ones? This is a mystery to me, I have a tendicy to blame the raccoons, I'm curious if any one on the forum has experienced this, or has a theory, I've ruled out humans. Thanks Jim

PaulF
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Deer eat what they can reach and raccoons climb and get everything else. My peaches get the same treatment.

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Deer.

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applestar
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Deer, huh? :evil: That would be devastating. :cry:

Apparently deer come up to the split rail fence at the back of next door neighbor's property where both of our fence line backs up to small woods with an exercise path through it. They have a tiny clearing in the back, and they like to put out winter feed for them. But we have a few yards of brush then the path, so I planted a dense hedge and encourage greenbrier and brambles to grow along the fence to discourage prowlers that might think to jump the fence. (I also toss any poison ivy growing in my yard over the fence :twisted: ) I strung a deer fence all along the back in an attempt to foil groundHOGS, too. So I've never seen deer in my garden.

clipprjim
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I live on an island on the Calif delta, we have no deer. Coyotes, raccoons, skunks, possoms, turkeys, maybe a mountain lion on neighboring islands. I'm thinking, two adult and two or three small raccoons. They still had a while until mature, we have a lot of raccoons and skunks.

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applestar
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Hm. It seems to me deer would have been easier. Raccoons are notoriously difficult to keep out.

I have more trouble with groundHOGS and chipmunks when it comes to my apples, closely followed by squirrels. GroundHOGS will climb the tree and try to run off with the best fruit. But all of these tend to leave evidence and sampled fruits. I wish they would eat the ones with wormy prize inside and leave me the perfect ones.... :?

tomc
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My vote is on two things in short sequence. Fruit drop followed by deer graze. Even sour-green apples have a heap of sugars in them. They will draw deer like a search-light...

New England apple orchards are rife with tales of deer who has eaten so many dropped and slightly fermented apples, that the deer sloshed as they staggered away.

ButterflyLady29
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OP said there are no deer there.

My vote is the stupid squirrels. They've done that exact thing to my peach trees. Little thieves don't know what sharing is, they just ruin the whole harvest.

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rainbowgardener
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But I don't think squirrels would/ could just disappear a bushel of apples? :? I think squirrels would take bites of them, maybe carry a few off to their nests, but leave a lot of chewed on apples behind.

If the apples are just totally gone and there are no deer, nothing else you named would likely disappear all the apples and not leave a mess behind. Raccoons are very messy and break branches on trees, leave remains behind.

That seems (unfortunately) to leave human beings. If someone wanted apples for juicing/ pressing etc, they wouldn't mind about bird pecks, etc.

JONA
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Our local family of squirrels are highly skilled in the art of scrumping.
From quite early in the season they take apples off the trees, carry them back to their favourite tree...take one bite...drop them..and then go back for.another..
Reminds me of when I was a boy!! And I had a jumper to stuff them up!

ButterflyLady29
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That's what they do with peaches. Grab and run. Take a few bites, drop, go back for more. I lost a bushel of not yet ripe peaches off my peach tree in 2 days because of the squirrels. Yes, I know it was squirrels. I wasted a lot of bb's taking pot shots at them. The bb's just bounced off and never really hurt the squirrels. I had to change my tactics but the squirrels still won.

They devoured my crop of almonds one year. Just a couple days and the whole crop was gone.

cgbarbeau
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Grey Grey squirrels will steal a whole crop and bury them. Grey squirrels are territorial and one terrible pest to get rid of. Chicken wire won’t keep them out, they can chew through it. They are fantastic climbers, jumpers and survivors. They are too smart for rat traps. Don’t bother with poison, they generally avoid it or are immune. If you somehow poison them, they will die inside your attic and stink. ButterflyLady29 Get the bb’s with the pointy barbs, if you can hit them. Gallons of chili blended peppers in the holes will make them move for a while. They will eat garlic, onions, any seeds you plant and they wait for fruits to ripen. Squirrels kill birds and other small animals for territory.
If it was deer, the apple tree would be missing leaves. All the leaves up to about seven feet high cleaned off.
If it was raccoons – they make muddy mess and tracks, they like some water to fool around in

ButterflyLady29
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Oh I've shot squirrels. When I've had up to 20 in the yard at one time having a pumpkin party then the 2 or 3 I shoot don't make much of a difference.

Just an FYI, putting their little heads on pikes really doesn't scare off their buddies.

Season starts the 1st of September. I've got to get my bait station set up.

JONA
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ButterflyLady29 wrote:Oh I've shot squirrels. When I've had up to 20 in the yard at one time having a pumpkin party then the 2 or 3 I shoot don't make much of a difference.

Just an FYI, putting their little heads on pikes really doesn't scare off their buddies.

Season starts the 1st of September. I've got to get my bait station set up.
Know what you mean here BL.
There were two sitting on the end of a trailer in the farmyard, each one chewing happily on a strawberry from the glasshouse. I got my 22. and hit number one. He fell off the end and lay on the trailer floor.
I expected the other to disappear double quick.
But no. Number two stopped eating, peered down at his mate lying lifeless on the floor below him, and then returned to his strawberry without a care in the world. I almost felt a pang of guilt as I sent him on his way.

ButterflyLady29
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I had a bunch that knew the sound of the bb gun being pumped. Then they learned the sound of the window opening. I'm going to fool them this time. There is a super quiet fragmenting .22 round that really is no louder than a bb being shot. I bought a whole brick of them. I hope it gets me through this season.

Squirrel stuffing for Thanksgiving and squirrel stew for Christmas dinner! Yep, that's my plan. Plenty of canning jars on hand and room in the freezer!



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