A weird find while hunting

[beardbuster]

I cam across this weird find bird hunting about six weeks ago. I took a picture and couldn't see any kind of tracks around it. The cavity was completely full of sticks and placed in between the ribs. I would think to go to this effort there would be some kind of evidence as to what was doing it. My brother came across it during the deer hunt and sent me a picture and there was more piled on it. He didn't know I had seen it and I kind of forgot about it. They were back out there bird hunting yesterday and there was way more on it. This one has me a little perplexed with how many more sticks, rocks, and dirt clogs have accumulated on it in six weeks. It's in the high desert and to get that many sage brush sticks would take some serious effort. We will see if we can get any pics. It's on private property and not anywhere that's easily accessible.

 

[Elktrack]

I cam across this weird find bird hunting about six weeks ago. I took a picture and couldn't see any kind of tracks around it. The cavity was completely full of sticks and placed in between the ribs. I would think to go to this effort there would be some kind of evidence as to what was doing it. My brother came across it during the deer hunt and sent me a picture and there was more piled on it. He didn't know I had seen it and I kind of forgot about it. They were back out there bird hunting yesterday and there was way more on it. This one has me a little perplexed with how many more sticks, rocks, and dirt clogs have accumulated on it in six weeks. We will see if we can get any pics. It's on private property and not anywhere that's easily accessible.

That’s crazy!
Looks a lot like a pack rat nest. Hellifino

 

[BrentD]

Awesome. It is a Neotoma midden. What species, I don't know, because I don't know where you are, but it is a packrats midden. One of the cooler things in nature, actually.

 

[David58]

Awesome. It is a Neotoma midden. What species, I don't know, because I don't know where you are, but it is a packrats midden. One of the cooler things in nature, actually.

Unless they are building in your woodpile, using the neighbor's dog's droppings as part of the construction material.

David
NM

 

[BrentD]

Unless they are building in your woodpile, using the neighbor's dog's droppings as part of the construction material.

David
NM

ay, no biggie. Just nature doing its thing. Always interesting to see what they come up with. Lots of interesting things happen around middens of most any species. Neotoma have a special reputation for the history that is recorded in some of theirs.

 

[beardbuster]

Awesome. It is a Neotoma midden. What species, I don't know, because I don't know where you are, but it is a packrats midden. One of the cooler things in nature, actually.

Northern Utah, I believe you are correct after googling it . I haven't ever seen anything like it.

 

[BrentD]

Oh, you have. You just didn't notice it. Start looking around cliffs, boulder piles, abandoned cars and buildings, or just about any structure, in this case a dead slow elk...

Those in caves can be 25,000 yrs old - and we brag about human structures that are a few measly hundred years old...

 

[beardbuster]

Oh, you have. You just didn't notice it. Start looking around cliffs, boulder piles, abandoned cars and buildings, or just about any structure, in this case a dead slow elk...

Those in caves can be 25,000 yrs old - and we brag about human structures that are a few measly hundred years old...

That's impressive, there are some large sticks in there and even some pretty rocks.

 

[BrentD]

That's impressive, there are some large sticks in there and even some pretty rocks.

And maybe a couple shiny rifle cartridges or a wrist watch if you left one unguarded overnight at your campsite. They collect all sorts of stuff. Esp. bones (to the delight of paleontologists).

I have seen these midden in the crotches of saguaro cati in AZ, in crotches of locust trees in Kansas, in barns in Oklahoma, under the hoods of cars and trucks that have stood still too long, and all kinds of places, but mostly around any sort of rock formation.

The really old ones develop varnishes of pee and poop with pollen and other interesting things embedded. From that you can tell a lot about the climate and biota of the surrounding area going back to the day of cave bears and ground sloths.

I have a couple of hypotheses about how these animals may shape the surrounding ecosystem, but have not been able to validate them with preliminary data.

Rattlesnakes love to hunt around them, so keep an eye out for them as well.

Cool animals.

 

[brockel]

Good spot for a bobcat set

 

[Hilljackoutlaw]

I saw one today at one my work sites. Pretty cool I opened hunttalk to this thread. Should of took a pic.

 

[Djfan]

Not bigfoot?

 

[colo_junk]

Game cam?

 

[beardbuster]

Game cam?

Just put one up. It will be interesting to see what we get.

 

[Sask hunter]

That’s pretty neat

 

[ismith]

I cam across this weird find bird hunting about six weeks ago. I took a picture and couldn't see any kind of tracks around it. The cavity was completely full of sticks and placed in between the ribs. I would think to go to this effort there would be some kind of evidence as to what was doing it. My brother came across it during the deer hunt and sent me a picture and there was more piled on it. He didn't know I had seen it and I kind of forgot about it. They were back out there bird hunting yesterday and there was way more on it. This one has me a little perplexed with how many more sticks, rocks, and dirt clogs have accumulated on it in six weeks. It's in the high desert and to get that many sage brush sticks would take some serious effort. We will see if we can get any pics. It's on private property and not anywhere that's easily accessible.

How far from Skinwalker Ranch?

 

[beardbuster]

How far from Skinwalker Ranch?

Haha, but really?

 

[grizzly63]

Damn, the things you learn here! I'm impressed.