Protecting sap buckets from dogs

[SilverLeaf]

The Good News: another of my neighbors gave me permission to tap his trees. Should add 40 taps to my total if I go for 'em all. :D

The Bad News: He's got a big ol' mutt with behavioral problems (who roams free around his farmsite), with a reputation for destroying anything he can get his incisors on. :cry: Short of hanging my buckets 10 feet up the tree, is there any trick that will work to keep my buckets safe? I was thinking of strapping my buckets (all 4-gal plastic pails) to the tree with a bungee, and then just making sure to tap high enough so the dog couldn't bite the bungee. At least then if the dog jumps up and nudges the bucket it won't fall off.

Think that will work? Anyone have any other tips/tricks for this situation?

[40to1]

Hmmmm....
The problem with the bungee/bucket fix is that it might take you forever to empty buckets (and then reattach the bungees, etc). And since it's your neighbor's dog, you have to tread carefully.

Last August the squirrels were eating my pumpkins, so I painted the ripening pumpkins with RedHot/Tabasco sauce or whatever red pepper sauce I could get my hands on. It worked.
Perhaps you could brush on some hot sauce along the bottom edge of each plastic bucket. One sniff and lick and the dog should get the message. You may have reapply after every rain or snow shower. Just be really careful how you handle the buckets, and never stack them - or you'll have the strangest tasting syrup in North America.

Good luck....

[spud]

They sell sweaters for dogs. If you buy one that says NEW YORK YANKEES and put it on the dog someone in your area will shoot it in no time. Hey you do live in Mass don't you. Need i say more.:lol:

Mike

[morningstarfarm]

the bungees will work nicely..I do it to all of mine..just pull the 2 ends together, clip, and pull bucket...never have one blow over or tip because the snow melts...as for keeping kujo away...buy a box of mothballs and sprinkle a couple right by the bucket...they cant stand the smell of them :o...also works on skunks under your deck....

[stoweski]

They sell sweaters for dogs. If you buy one that says NEW YORK YANKEES and put it on the dog someone in your area will shoot it in no time. Hey you do live in Mass don't you. Need i say more.:lol:

Mike

Cruel... BUT AWESOME!!! :lol:

Keith
(A Red Sox fan unfortunately living in NY)

[SilverLeaf]

They sell sweaters for dogs. If you buy one that says NEW YORK YANKEES and put it on the dog someone in your area will shoot it in no time. Hey you do live in Mass don't you. Need i say more.:lol:

Mike

Actually, I'm not in MA, but no diff - Yankee hatred is pretty universal.

Although, in my neck of the woods, a Green Bay Packers sweater would probably do the trick even better.... Sorry wisconsin!

[SilverLeaf]

the bungees will work nicely..I do it to all of mine..just pull the 2 ends together, clip, and pull bucket

Just curious - do you find that extra step to be a big pain in the kiester? Looks like you've got quite a few buckets. I would think, as mentioned above, that in the course of a day it might add some time to the process. But maybe it's not as big a deal as it might seem?

[morningstarfarm]

I have about 100 buckets out and its not a big deal at all...takes maybe an extra second per bucket...and beats the daylights out of having 5 gals of sap on the ground on a warm day because the snow melted. I put a bungee around tree and hook both hooks on the handle...to remove unhook both hooks from bucket and hook them together...swap out bucket and hook the 2 hooks to the new handle...no fuss no muss and no spilled sap:D

[3rdgen.maple]

Is this dog like 6 feet tall or something? Just tap the tree higher out of the dogs reach. Wont hurt a thing. No bungees to buy or deal with. I have had years when the snow was so deep when we tapped some buckets were above eye level.

[thenewguy]

a gallon jug of prestone antifreeze in a waterbowl will do the trick...

[SilverLeaf]

Is this dog like 6 feet tall or something? Just tap the tree higher out of the dogs reach.

It's a good sized dog - I've no doubt he could grab anything within 5 feet of the ground. And probably jump up another foot or two above that to nudge the buckets if they weren't secured tight against the tree....

[TF Maple]

Actually, I'm not in MA, but no diff - Yankee hatred is pretty universal.

Although, in my neck of the woods, a Green Bay Packers sweater would probably do the trick even better.... Sorry wisconsin!

I think this is where I'm supposed to chime in and say "who made it to the playoffs?" But I don't want to start a war.

For the dog issue, we put test taps out to see if the sap is running, maybe put test buckets out to see if the dog actually has any desire to mess with them. If he does mess with them then you could test deterrents like hot pepper sauce.

[michiganfarmer2]

Hmmmm....
The problem with the bungee/bucket fix is that it might take you forever to empty buckets (and then reattach the bungees, etc). And since it's your neighbor's dog, you have to tread carefully.

Last August the squirrels were eating my pumpkins, so I painted the ripening pumpkins with RedHot/Tabasco sauce or whatever red pepper sauce I could get my hands on. It worked.
Perhaps you could brush on some hot sauce along the bottom edge of each plastic bucket. One sniff and lick and the dog should get the message. You may have reapply after every rain or snow shower. Just be really careful how you handle the buckets, and never stack them - or you'll have the strangest tasting syrup in North America.

Good luck....I should do that to my branch lines

[SilverLeaf]

Thanks, all, for the advice. I think I'm going to give the bungees a whirl. If i don't like them I can always switch to tabasco next year....

[SilverLeaf]

I think this is where I'm supposed to chime in and say "who made it to the playoffs?" But I don't want to start a war.


Admittedly, last year was the year for Minnesota football fans to gloat over our neighbors to the east. This year, well, let's just say that a purple #4 Favre jersey on that dog would probably have had the same aforementioned result...!

[ADKMAPLE]

Yankees are #1, Red Sox s_ck....anywyas, the dog problem, interesting. before I did anything I would go attach one to a tree with a bungee right now and leave it there. Dont actually tap the tree of course. see what the dog does. eventually the dog will just be used to the bucket and leave it alone. Where were the Red Sox this year anyways..oh yeah, at the bottom where they should be:lol:

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

a gallon jug of prestone antifreeze in a waterbowl will do the trick...

Guy is nice enough to let him tap his trees, he would be a real friend to kill his dog??????

[802maple]

Tie a attack poodle to the tree, they usually scare off the biggest of dogs