What kind of critter does this

[Tinbucket]

A stump I had been putting salt block on was found with bark and half the wood stripped off on one side leaving vertical claw marks.
The stump is maple and sound wood.
The grand Kids found some squirrels, one up next to the house, with the front half of head and shoulders bitten off and apparently eaten.
Just the rear half or so left.

What critter fits the bill?

[Rob228]

Porcupine?

[RaySendero]

Bagger or skunk

[Blindstitch]

Location would help. Maples grow in a lot of places.

[Tinbucket]

south middle tn

[FrankenMauser]

Chupacabra.





I would suspect a skunk, badger, mink, ferret, etc.
Spacing of the claw marks should give a rough idea of the size of the animal.

[NHSHOOTER]

Fisher "cat"

[mete]

Fishers have been increasing in numbers !

[RaySendero]

Black Bear

[redrick]

My guess would be a bobcat .

[Snyper]

Those things weren't necessarily done by the same animal.
I've seen house cats that would eat squirrels from the head down.

[T. O'Heir]

Lots of beasties leave claw marks. Marks territory just like urine.
Lots of beasties will eat tree rats too. Porcupines, badgers and Pepe, generally, do not do either. A tree rat will eat other tree rats though. Probably not by biting the thing in half though.
Likely a cat. Could be Puss Puss from across the street or a bob cat.

[rickyrick]

Pictures of the animal will help

JK, pictures of the damage may help.

Find a cheap game camera, you'd be surprised on what creeps around the yard at night.

[Model12Win]

Buddy you got a squatch on your hands.

[rickyrick]

Some children under 4 years of age have been known to cause such damage and worse..

Sorry, couldn't help it, I'll stop now.

[lockedcj7]

Where at in south middle TN? I grew up in Winchester.

[buck460XVR]

You might be looking at two different animals. For the chewing of the wood from the salt lick, I'd guess porcupine or squirrel......both love to chew on salt treated wood. Due to it's attraction to those species, the lick may be a favorite hunting spot of those predators that prey on those species.

Domestic housecats are notorious for eating just the head off prey they catch outside because the are not that hungry and they tend to leave them close to the house they live in or around. Many times they leave them on the porch. Wild predators, those more wary of humans, more than likely, would have dragged the animal farther into the bush.

Salt licks, like any bait will draw more than one variety of animal and predators associated with them. Put out a bird feeder and not only will you attract songbirds, but the hawks and local housecats and feral cats that prey on them. Put out corn for deer in a new area and hogs, squirrels and turkeys will show up and soon every predator in the area will have a new favorite hunting sport.

[mete]

Salt lick ? Well here I've seen many times, squirrels licking maple trees ! But just for the sugar at this time of year !

[Sure Shot Mc Gee]

Owl eats from head to tail as do hawks. (Squirrels are easy quarry for airborne predators.) Claw marks on a stump? The only animal that can claw up a solid stump is bear. But I've never seen a bear crave salt but they will tear a stump apart as well as the ground around a stump searching for grubs or honey bee hive.

[buck460XVR]

Porkies chew bark off in a way that resembles claw marks. Old time loggers knew all too well how much Porkies liked salt as they would chew on wooden a handles to get the salt that came off the logger's hands. Same goes for outhouse seats and floor, but the salt isn't coming from anyone's hands. Anyone who has ever left a plywood tree stand out over winter has seen the damage done to the plywood by squirrels and Porkies trying to get to the salts used in the gluing process. I've seen and repaired damage done to treated wood decks by squirrels, unfortunately for those animals, the treated wood contains poison besides the salt used as preservative.

[Okieflash]

Some amazing and truly funny comments!

[458winshooter]

+1 for a bobcat

[Old Stony]

What you are taking for claw marks could well actually be tooth marks. I have seen beaver and porcupine damage and their teeth can make some long grooved marks similar to scratchy looking stuff. You could possibly be looking at two different animals doing damage to little critters and stumps. Possibly a feral cat in the vicinity...as well as a porcupine?

[mete]

Buck460 remarks are correct .That photo is far more like tooth marks than claw marks ! Beavers and porkies eat the inner bark of trees [people can too ]

Last night for the first time I saw deer licking sap from a tree just like I've seen squirrels do.

[Itsa Bughunt]

I've never seen a cat/squirrel scrap where the cat didn't get the worst of it. Squirrels are strong little buggers and the claws will rip you a new one.