what's eating this sign ?

[Chip]

the bottom of the sign is about 5' off the ground, porcupine had eaten the ends of all the floor boards in the lean-to in the area. That's for the salt from people sitting there I guess. I don't know what they'd be getting from a painted sign.

 

[Jay H]

I've heard that porcupines like certain resins and glues that are present in some pressed boards and mfgred plywood...

Found this online:

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/5061732.html

Of course, anything sodium or salt based would be a problem...

Jay

 

[una_dogger]

Porkies!?

 

[michael]

I don't know what they'd be getting from a painted sign.

I have an AT trail register (with wood stain) on Nesuntabunt Mt that is fast becoming the food of choice for the locals...prolly on account of those sweaty thru hikers!

 

[peakn]

squirrels?

Looks like the bottom of my old garage door. We eventually decided it was the flying squirrels that we observed making a fast escape when the door went up.

 

[marty]

It looks like it might have the same bite radius as Hannibal Lechter .

 

[SAR-EMT40]

I have a bat box with the same type of damage. I always assumed that it was squirrels. Why they are chewing on it I have no idea.

Keith

 

[Mark Schaefer]

I agree it is porcupines. The New York DEC formerly used painted metal discs to mark trails. In porcupine areas the paint got gnawed off. At first I doubted the alleged culprit until I saw a porcupine in the act. As Jay mentioned it is probably a paint ingredient more than residual salt from the human that put the sign up.

The DEC later switched to plastic discs. The painted letters still get gnawed off, but at least the plastic discs retain their color.

 

[Artex]

Or maybe some father was hiking with his two kids. This father is recently divorced and he runs across this really cute woman on the trail and starts talking to her. The kids begin chipping away at the sign as an act of rebellion because they don't want their father to start dating again. The father sees this and starts yelling at the kids, and the woman excuses herself, much to the father's dismay. He then decides not to buy the kids ice cream on the way home.

Or, it could be porcupines.