Mystery deepens!!

[grizzled47]

Hi guys,
Well, we put another bucket of apples out in our wood last night, and spread soft garden soil all around it..(see pic!) and we also placed a few loose samples on the ground approximately 15 yards away. The idea of the soil was to ensure that whatever was eating the freebies would leave us some tell-tale tracks! We also put a potato in the bucket to see if it too would be eaten, along with some green tomatoes!
Anyway, we have just been out to check, and guess what? Yeah, all the apples have been scoffed again!!! The single potato was left it the bucket, along with the tomatoes! The apples on the ground have also gone!!
But the most amazing thing is that we can't distinguish any tracks!!??? There are a couple of faint indentations, but it's impossible to say what they are, or if they are tracks at all!!
This is driving us crazy! We don't know what to do next!! Can any of you advise us how to find out what is eating the apples? We can't sit out all night, and don't have a trail cam. We are thinking of getting a camera, so advice on these would be appreciated also. We asked in Walmart down here yesterday, but they never heard of them!
Sorry to keep boring you with this saga, but we want to get to the bottom of it! The only evidence so far is the scat...(pic incuded again) The tomato is just a little larger than a golf ball!
Help!!!!
The set-up!!
Scat from last apple raid!
Grizzled.

[franklinm]

Well Grizz I would think that your not seeing track`s is you probably have some hard groung , also the feeder has solf pads , in other words what I am saying , look`s like you might have is a bear coming to dine .
That sure look`s hog scat if it was down here. and hog and bear are close to the same .

[grizzled47]

Hi Franklinm,
Thanks for that, but even with hard ground (not really) we put the soft garden soil all around the pale as you can see in the pic. Surely there would have been tracks in that?
Grizzled

[darkhollowarcher]

Grizzled
Great pictures on your other post (keep them comeing) as for your nighttime visitor i believe you will have to invest in a trail cam to solve the mystery. Bob

[The Pistoleer]

Looks like raccoon scat to me. They really like apples around here. They probably don't like tomatoes or potatoes.

Pete

[big dog]

I agree with Pete-I have hunted and trapped racoon's for years and that look's like coon poop to me-keep us posted
big dog

[grizzled47]

Hi Pete and big dog,
Thanks for your views. There are racoons on the property, but I didn't think they would be able to scoff a whole pale full of apples in a sitting?? Is this likely? It has happened twice now with a two night period of inactivity in between. The scat was laced with apple! It might explain the absence of good tracks!!??
Grizzled

[decee]

That's Sasquatch scat for sure

[big dog]

Coon's are big eaters- but it could be a bear-let us know what you find out
big dog

[GaryL]

That's Sasquatch scat for sure

Right on ya figured it out fer sure

Coons not coon whole dang batch of'em like I get out in my back 40. I have seen 6 or so at a time eating my super duper corn pile

[The Pistoleer]

A family of coons can clean out a bucket in a hurry. Keep us posted but I'm taking bets its coons. Raccoons that is

Pete

[huntman]

Hi Franklinm,
Thanks for that, but even with hard ground (not really) we put the soft garden soil all around the pale as you can see in the pic. Surely there would have been tracks in that?
Grizzled

Try wetting the soil before dark that will defenatly leave tracks behind

[wabi]

From my experience a 15# racoon can eat about 150# of corn a night. (or else they call in their friends & family to help )
Not sure what you're dealing with from the info provided, but it sure sounds like a mob of ferocious racoons

[Boltshooter]

Wolverine maybe?

[Hoss]

no tracks.. food gone...= Giraffe