Keeping mice and chipmunks out of the stacks

Anyone have any tricks to keep critters out of the stacks? I've been moving this years wood into the shed and as usual I've found a few mouse nests and earlier in the year when I moved what was left over from last year into the new shed there were some chipmunk nests with a good bit feces to go along with it. The nests honestly don't bother me but these guys make a mess around them, I expect I just have to deal but thought I would see if anyone had some magic trick to deal with them.

On a side note I'm still working on getting as far ahead as I would like to be and a good bit of the black birch I'm moving was cut after May 15th and was reading 18% on my meter. Top covered in the field with good air circulation and a dry year worked it's magic. This was stacked three rows deep and my samples were pulled from the middle row. I checked a small round, about 3" that was small enough we din't bother splitting it was reading 23%. Once again shows that if you want wood to dry you need to get it split. The red oak that ended up in the same pile was reading 32% so that'll have to wait a bit longer.

 

Our local spca has a feral cat program. You can get one of those and be free and clear.

 

...nuff said

 

They only thing I get around here is Rabbits under the wood stacks. Once a year I have a rabbit shoot to thin them out.

 

The at our house is we are on a small lot (7500 sqft) and the neighbors do have a cat that spends most of her time outside but she hasn't really dented the chipmunk population. At my dad's where we cut and dry the wood coyotes would make short work of the cats. I've considered taking the air rifle out and thinning things out but I think that might make some of our neighbors nervous as well...

 

Are the critters causing a problem?

 

Snakes, mice, queen yellow jackets overwintering. Got the vermin. I hate it when I bring wood in and it warms up and one of those yellow jacket queens starts flying around. So far no mice have come in with the wood. I have feral cats around but still find quite a few mice nests. So, don't have any great ideas. I guess a small price to pay for the pleasure of wood hoarding!

 

They make a mess, I'm usually not too picky about a little dirt but some of the accumulated chipmunk crap in the wood that got moved into the shed was pretty nasty.

 

Glad I don't deal with chipmunks. Sounds like they are real troublemakers.

 

The chipmunk population around here had a habit of burrowing under the pole barn slab, and chewing through things. Got a couple in the crawl.
I taught 'em all how to take a nap, and haven't seen any in a month or more.
Man, they really like to sleep once you learn 'em how.
They seem to really like rat traps with peanut butter. Helps 'em nap gooder.
Must be the PB.

 

Have you tried yelling "Alvin" at the top of your lungs?

 

We had a JRT that didn't do much with mice, but went after snakes and wouldn't stop shakin' 'em.

 

Not much problem with mice, chipmunks, etc. here. Must be the black snakes.
Always fun going to your stacks and finding a bunch of old snake skin layin' around.

 

Here is how I keep critters out of my stacks.



An air rifle works good on chipmunks.

 

I too use an pellet rifle for the little rodents. Feral cats don't do a thing with the mice as far as I can see. (security cameras) I watched one walk right past a mouse and didn't even bat an eye, just kept on going. Heck, I think I saw a couple of the feral cats sitting there playing poker with a few mice one night on my deck!

I think the black snakes (rat snakes) do a better job than feral cats. I know I have quite a few rat snakes in my stacks! And when I see them elsewhere, I'll usually leave them be, but if they're in the road, I'll move them off to the side and make sure they go in the right direction (towards my house or stacks) BTW, a rat snake does have those fang type things, and they know how to use them. They are harmless to you and I, but it will hurt a bit. Don't ask how I know!

A pellet rifle also helps birds to not build a nest on my porch, especially house sparrows. (they chit on everything) So when I see them, I'll just shoot em and be done with it.

 

Use peanut butter in rat traps tacked to a tree. Squirrels just love peanut butter! And love napping after even gooder!

 

I have my wood stacks next to my wife's garden. Last year we had a big problem with mice building nests in the wood and eating everything in the garden. I placed 3 or 4 of those black plastic mice poison stations in different locations. I stack on wood pallets so it's really easy to find a spot. I regularly check and add poison as needed. Works like a charm.

 

I've never found (signs of ) mice/chipmunks living in the wood stacks, just find piles of eaten/stashed acorns now and then. A snake skin once.

I've walked out my front door and seen the neighbor's cat watching a chipmunk in pounce mode, and then looked up in the tree above it to see a huge hawk watching the cat. So here I was watching a hawk, watching a cat, watching a chipmunk.

 

I'll send my wife over, she shot all of the chipmunks here this summer.