You’re going to think I’m nuts.

[Jamie Rullestad]

It has suddenly become paper dry here in Iowa, and no matter how careful you may be, stuff is going to die if you dig.

What the heck, things are dying if you DON’T dig around here lately. Which is why I’ve focused on my acreage here lately. I’m new to the hobby, I live on a farm acreage that I own, I know some of the history, and I should, eventually, find something of interest here. And I don’t care if I kill a little grass.

That doesn’t mean that I don’t try to use good practices here, and I’ve done my best to at least replace plugs as neatly as possible and pack them in well, or at least as well as I can. I try to make sure hinges on my plugs are intact, but frankly, I’m digging in powder. Well, it’ll grow back.

My wife took me aback, however, after mowing the lawn with our smallish 48” zero turn mower. She gave me hell on not replacing my plugs. That frustrated me. I always replace them. Every, single time. But after walking around with her, the plugs were most certainly NOT where the should have been.

What the heck. I’m a rookie. I’m learning. Maybe I screwed up. So I put them back in the holes and called it a day. But I’ll be damned if the next morning, more plugs were pulled out of the holes that I dug. Plugs that I know were there the evening before.

All this, leading up to a simple question. What the heck is happening?

 

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[Ocean7]

animals can tell where you dug and investigate looking for food or maybe some lost acorns. Could be groundhogs, squirrels, skunks, muskrats, etc. Perhaps they think some other animal buried something to eat later. I've seen this on a bunch of holes dug by a buddy close to a river. Either that or the 'Jackass crew' is pranking you.

 

[KSDirtfisher77]

It has suddenly become paper dry here in Iowa, and no matter how careful you may be, stuff is going to die if you dig.

What the heck, things are dying if you DON’T dig around here lately. Which is why I’ve focused on my acreage here lately. I’m new to the hobby, I live on a farm acreage that I own, I know some of the history, and I should, eventually, find something of interest here. And I don’t care if I kill a little grass.

That doesn’t mean that I don’t try to use good practices here, and I’ve done my best to at least replace plugs as neatly as possible and pack them in well, or at least as well as I can. I try to make sure hinges on my plugs are intact, but frankly, I’m digging in powder. Well, it’ll grow back.

My wife took me aback, however, after mowing the lawn with our smallish 48” zero turn mower. She gave me hell on not replacing my plugs. That frustrated me. I always replace them. Every, single time. But after walking around with her, the plugs were most certainly NOT where the should have been.

What the heck. I’m a rookie. I’m learning. Maybe I screwed up. So I put them back in the holes and called it a day. But I’ll be damned if the next morning, more plugs were pulled out of the holes that I dug. Plugs that I know were there the evening before.

All this, leading up to a simple question. What the heck is happening?

Lol maybe it's a spirit trying to tell you to keep digging? Maybe it's a spirit trying to tell you to stop?🤣😂🤣

 

[KSDirtfisher77]

Put up some trail cams.

 

[DizzyDigger]

animals can tell where you dug and investigate looking for food or maybe some lost acorns. Could be groundhogs, squirrels, skunks, muskrats, etc. Perhaps they think some other animal buried something to eat later.

Agreed.

Every time you disturb the dirt, especially if you create a hole, whatever
critters that pass by there are going to check it out. Digging a hole and
bedding a trap in front of it is a common technique for fox and coyote
trappers.

 

[DigToChina]

Just like O7 and Dizzy say. I had discussed in a post a couple years ago that when I was night hunting a park I’d come back the next night to plugs all over. It was the foxes, however, when I switched to morning hunting, that stopped. I’m purely guessing that the heat of the day and time dissipated the attraction of the dug dirt 🤷🏻‍♂️

Maybe a switch to early day hunting would help you too?

 

[releventchair]

You stimulate scent by cutting a plug.

Varied critters investigate. Squirrel , skunk ect..

IF you have enough moisture to still allow flexible roots , a hinge type plug can help. Where one side is not cut and you rock the plug towards it to open.

One park I hunted a lot thier equipment can pull a plug when mowing.
I went to bigger plugs and no problem. I know that is contrary to being discreet as possible. But a well replaced , tamped and blended plug stays.
I've seen dried plugs laying loose from others plugs before mowing. With squirrels top suspects. Another park had skunks for sure. Often leaving a fan shaped / inverted V pile or at least thin layer of soil where they paddled to dig.

Do plug holes collect grubs /worms like mole tunnels made for such can?
Maybe. If so it would increase the scent and appeal to foragers.

 

[Jamie Rullestad]

You stimulate scent by cutting a plug.

Varied critters investigate. Squirrel , skunk ect..

IF you have enough moisture to still allow flexible roots , a hinge type plug can help. Where one side is not cut and you rock the plug towards it to open.

One park I hunted a lot thier equipment can pull a plug when mowing.
I went to bigger plugs and no problem. I know that is contrary to being discreet as possible. But a well replaced , tamped and blended plug stays.
I've seen dried plugs laying loose from others plugs before mowing. With squirrels top suspects. Another park had skunks for sure. Often leaving a fan shaped / inverted V pile or at least thin layer of soil where they paddled to dig.

Do plug holes collect grubs /worms like mole tunnels made for such can?
Maybe. If so it would increase the scent and appeal to foragers.

Here, currently, big plug or small, it just doesn’t seem to matter. It’s so dry that the hinge just crumbles, cracks, tears, or just plain breaks.

Ive tried slanting my shovel as I cut the plug, I’ve tried a straight down 90 degree cut, wide hinge, narrow hinge, and nothing much changes, I’m able to keep the hinges intact about 4 times out of 10, and the varmints tear them out anyway.

Very frustrating. And my lawn mowing wife is getting a little ticked. We don’t have a great lawn out here, but driving those high speed zero turns over an open hole can be a spine jarring experience.

 

[releventchair]

Here, currently, big plug or small, it just doesn’t seem to matter. It’s so dry that the hinge just crumbles, cracks, tears, or just plain breaks.

Ive tried slanting my shovel as I cut the plug, I’ve tried a straight down 90 degree cut, wide hinge, narrow hinge, and nothing much changes, I’m able to keep the hinges intact about 4 times out of 10, and the varmints tear them out anyway.

Very frustrating. And my lawn mowing wife is getting a little ticked. We don’t have a great lawn out here, but driving those high speed zero turns over an open hole can be a spine jarring experience.

Ahh. Bone dry.
Gonna be dusty divots then.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Raccoons with do that.

 

[cudamark]

Try just cutting a small slit instead. I've done that in areas where cutting a plug is prohibited.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Try just cutting a small slit instead. I've done that in areas where cutting a plug is prohibited.

that is what I noirmally do when I land hunt, I cut a slit probe and recover the item, I put the soil in a towel then return it into the ground and pinch the slit back together. No plugs to die.

 

[Back-of-the-boat]

All kinds of animals will smell the fresh dirt and pull your plugs I have even had crows watch me and then pull my plugs.

 

[DizzyDigger]

Raccoons with do that.

Yep..they sure do. Got a bunch of those holes in my front yard right
now. Little beasties will dig 'em when looking for worms/bugs to eat.
Seeing that I've got a beautiful lawn of about 50% moss, it really doesn't
bother me all that much.

On the plus side, here it is July and I've seen a total of one (1) Carpenter
ant this year. I think the coons consider them like M&M's...

 

[Earl Bates]

It has suddenly become paper dry here in Iowa, and no matter how careful you may be, stuff is going to die if you dig.

What the heck, things are dying if you DON’T dig around here lately. Which is why I’ve focused on my acreage here lately. I’m new to the hobby, I live on a farm acreage that I own, I know some of the history, and I should, eventually, find something of interest here. And I don’t care if I kill a little grass.

That doesn’t mean that I don’t try to use good practices here, and I’ve done my best to at least replace plugs as neatly as possible and pack them in well, or at least as well as I can. I try to make sure hinges on my plugs are intact, but frankly, I’m digging in powder. Well, it’ll grow back.

My wife took me aback, however, after mowing the lawn with our smallish 48” zero turn mower. She gave me hell on not replacing my plugs. That frustrated me. I always replace them. Every, single time. But after walking around with her, the plugs were most certainly NOT where the should have been.

What the heck. I’m a rookie. I’m learning. Maybe I screwed up. So I put them back in the holes and called it a day. But I’ll be damned if the next morning, more plugs were pulled out of the holes that I dug. Plugs that I know were there the evening before.

All this, leading up to a simple question. What the heck is happening?

Wait till she goes to bed then go ut at night its not like you need much light to metal detect.

 

[crashbandicoot]

I,ve been dodging this all week,so here goes! "I think you,re nuts"!

 

[bc5391]

None on my wives past or present everrrrrrr cut my grass, you are a lucky man

 

[Neshannock Jim]

A mower can 'suck' the plugs up also.

 

[Chilli]

animals can tell where you dug and investigate looking for food or maybe some lost acorns. Could be groundhogs, squirrels, skunks, muskrats, etc. Perhaps they think some other animal buried something to eat later. I've seen this on a bunch of holes dug by a buddy close to a river. Either that or the 'Jackass crew' is pranking you.

Absolutely. Here in Oz i can go detecting, dig, fill em in. Then a week later see my hole excavated! I used to think "huh"!
I learnt that many animals see and smell then check it out and dig it out.
I need zero convincing they do it now.
Many of our scrounging birds do it and some of our marsupials do too.

 

[Gare]

The DEEPER you cut a plug the BETTER CHANCE the plug has for survival