What did this damage?

Cabin Neighbor has a 6×6 retaining wall that’s beginning to decay and black ants have taken residence. Something dug in and went after them last night. It was able to poke through about an inch of pretty hard wood to get to the cavity and opened up a big hole by pulling the wood away in longer strips and threw them 5-6 feet from the hole. Whatever it was wanted the ants. Wouldn’t think a smaller animal would scatter the debris so far. Perhaps small bear? Do woodchucks eat insects? He’s had burrowing issues with them before. Hopefully the pics work.

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I don’t believe a woodchuck could do that.
Any footprints around that you can identify?
Looks like something from the weasel family.

No real footprints, and no claw marks aside from the hole itself. There was one other spot where it tried to make a hole and it was a single hole (almost like a woodpecker), not multiple claw marks like a bear might make. But those big wood shavings getting thrown far from the hole suggest a larger animal. Maybe a mink?

Pileated woodpecker ?

I got a buddy that had an old stump right off his deck. That big woodpecker would come everyday and scatter wood chips everywhere.

wkw wrote:

Pileated woodpecker ?

This would be my first guess.

Possum?

Pileated woodpecker.

Pileated porcupine

LabDaddy1 wrote:

Pileated porcupine

Good Lord that sounds like trouble!

My money is on the Pileated Woodpecker. Watching when they really find something in a tree and it’s amazing how the chips can fly!

100% a bird. I’ve seen them put baseball sized holes in wood siding.

Never underestimate a pecker head.

Green sunfish.

Pileated woodpecker. Never underestimate a horny or hungry one. They can wreck a tree trying to make a nest. In this case I’d bet on the hungry.

“Buddy, when you’re dead, you’re a dead Pecker Head”

Squatch.

Matt Moen wrote:

Green sunfish.

Keeping it alive, I love it.

Just don’t overstep your boundaries and call it a snook.