Making a Stump Den

I cut down a large tree earlier this summer that was hollow in the middle. It was a big hollow stump and I had an idea. I trimmed off the top at a slant (dust kicked up from the chainsaw is in the first picture), and then cut a narrow hole in the base for an animal to use as an entrance. I then shoveled out dirt and rotten wood from the hollow, cleaning it out through the new den entrance. I then marked, cut, and attached a thin plywood top, and painted it black for weather protection. Two logs were placed on each side of the entrance, forming an entrance pipe, which I roofed over with another stump, cut wood, and slabs of oak bark.  I then placed a small log perpendicular to the entrance, and covered the entire setup with branches cut from the tops of a wind-fall tree. I made sure the brush pile partially hid the entrance to give any inhabitant extra odds of moving in and out without attracting attention. I will bait the entrance and pipe a few times to let my forest denizens know it’s there, and then it’s a “wait and see” game.

I am at the absolute top of this knoll, and it’s very rocky under an inch or two of soil.  Though there are fox, raccoons, and possums around, they are denning about 300 feet lower in elevation, where old groundhog holes can be found. Will this artificial den attract an inhabitant? We’ll see, but I’d sure use it.