Any ideas what this is?

[ERD50]

On second thought, I'm pretty sure it's deer.

+1 That was my thought too .

I was surprised to find that deer produced such tiny ahem..... 'scats'.

I'm going to go w/ Deer poop. This description seems to match your photo:

" .... Whitetail deer pellets are approximately 0.75” in length and mule deer droppings are typically a bit larger measuring 0.875” in length. ... "

No way are they deer droppings. The deck screws were pointed out as reference. A deck screw head is less than 3/8th diameter (0.375"), less than half the size of the above link on deer poop. The objects in the OP are maybe the size of the deck screw head, some smaller.

https://www.americanfastener.com/drywall-and-deck-screws/

I vote heavily against deer poop.

-ERD50

 

[Lakedog]

Could be from a fawn as the pellet size is often much smaller (than from an adult).

https://www.fieldandstream.com/hunting/what-does-deer-poop-look-like/

 

[ERD50]

Could be from a fawn as the pellet size is often much smaller (than from an adult).

https://www.fieldandstream.com/hunting/what-does-deer-poop-look-like/

But the pics in OP don't look like that. The fawn deer poop is still roundish, those in the OP are pointy and appear to have a crease along their length.

I'll be surprised if OP doesn't report they are hard/whitish inside when cut open. Deer poop is soft, and will be the same color throughout.

-ERD50

 

[Jerry1]

It’s not deer poop. I live in an area inundated with deer. Here’s a picture of five of them hanging out in our back yard. There’s been a few times it’s been more. Trust me, I’ve seen more than my share of deer poop.

 

[street]

I'm not sure if you have grey fox or raccoon in your area. My guess is one of those animals that have eaten a small berry (choke cherry) or some small seeds (has a pit) and this is how it will look. Not a normal scat look from these animals but when eating a berry with a seed it will look like what you have shown.

Also, not sure what kind of small berry/fruit you have in your area either.

I have a lot of wild choke cherry trees and raccoon eat them late summer and this is what there scat looks like here.

 

[Aerides]

I'm not sure if you have grey fox or raccoon in your area.

Probably not a raccoon. They like to poop in water, and given the water right near by they would have gone in there.

 

[MissMolly]

Well, it's not poop. It's some sort of fruit/berry. But it's fruit/berry I have never seen and it doesn't explain how there came to be a pile of them on my deck. What animal, short of a monkey, could gather up these fruits/berries and put them in a pile on my deck? (Hint: we don't have wild monkeys in Kentucky). I cut them open and there is a single small round seed/pit in each one. These fruits/berries have not been chewed. They are intact and individual. So still a mystery to me.

 

[ERD50]

Well, it's not poop. It's some sort of fruit/berry. But it's fruit/berry I have never seen and it doesn't explain how there came to be a pile of them on my deck. What animal, short of a monkey, could gather up these fruits/berries and put them in a pile on my deck? (Hint: we don't have wild monkeys in Kentucky). I cut them open and there is a single small round seed/pit in each one. These fruits/berries have not been chewed. They are intact and individual. So still a mystery to me.

Do search for vinca and periwinkle seeds and pods. Sure looks like what you have.

-ERD50

 

[ERD50]

Well, it's not poop. .... I cut them open and there is a single small round seed/pit in each one. ....

See this pic of periwinkle/vinca seed/pod. In the background you see the small round seed from the empty shells that came out of the pod.

https://threepsandq.com/tag/vinca/

-ERD50

 

[MissMolly]

We live on 1+ acre. This pile is pretty much in the center of that acre. If a mouse or chipmunk or squirrel piled these up they would have to do it one by one and travel a long distance since these fruits/berries are not in our yard (and there were a lot of these). And to what purpose? I could understand if they were piled in a dark corner somewhere but this is out in the open. An animal trying to store these for winter would hide them where others could not find them. And it happened at night so that pretty much leaves squirrels and chipmunks out of the possibilites. Raccoons, skunks, possums and rabbits don't store up food for winter. I like to make sense of my little world in my yard and this just doesn't make any sense to me.

 

[MissMolly]

See this pic of periwinkle/vinca seed/pod. In the background you see the small round seed from the empty shells that came out of the pod.

https://threepsandq.com/tag/vinca/

-ERD50

But they aren't pods. They are individual fruits/berries that contain the seed/pit.

 

[braumeister]

Sasquatch trail mix. Fell out of his pocket when he reached in for a handful.

 

[Fermion]

Sasquatch trail mix. Fell out of his pocket when he reached in for a handful.

+1

Get a game camera so you can catch Sasquatch's image. Make sure it is low resolution though.

 

[braumeister]

Also a good idea to smear a little Vaseline on the lens, just to be sure.

 

[ERD50]

But they aren't pods. They are individual fruits/berries that contain the seed/pit.

Right, the pods (the long pea-pod looking things) are still on the plant most likely. Your pic is of the seed 'husk', then you say you find a small seed inside that 'husk'.

The little seeds are what I think are in my pic, to the upper right in the background.

I suspect your seed husks are just windblown there. Wind currents can form patterns that aren't obvious, and the seed husks could collect there.

Are there any flowering plants anywhere near there?

-ERD50

 

[ERD50]

Sasquatch trail mix. Fell out of his pocket when he reached in for a handful.

I hear they are very fond of periwinkle seeds, a Sasquatch delicacy!


-ERD50

 

[ERD50]

Also a good idea to smear a little Vaseline on the lens, just to be sure.

I read a comment recently that is sure is 'odd' that with so many people carrying phones with them now, with high quality cameras, and taking them with them on hikes, picnics, fishing in the backwoods, etc and everywhere they go, that the Bigfoot sightings haven't increased dramatically in recent years! Very odd!

Good old thread-drift!

-ERD50

 

[MissMolly]

Right, the pods (the long pea-pod looking things) are still on the plant most likely. Your pic is of the seed 'husk', then you say you find a small seed inside that 'husk'.



The little seeds are what I think are in my pic, to the upper right in the background.



I suspect your seed husks are just windblown there. Wind currents can form patterns that aren't obvious, and the seed husks could collect there.



Are there any flowering plants anywhere near there?



-ERD50

They are fleshy squishy fruits. They are not husks. The only thing still blooming here are some begonias. They don’t have fruits. The only thing in our yard that has any kind of fruit on it is a crabapple tree. Its apples are small, round, and red, not black, long and skinny.

 

[Sunset]

This is an interesting mystery !!

 

[ERD50]

They are fleshy squishy fruits. They are not husks. ....

I'm calling them 'husks, because you said " I cut them open and there is a single small round seed/pit in each one.". Whatever you call it, the 'stuff' surrounding the smaller seed.

... The only thing still blooming here are some begonias. ...

Don't limit yourself to what is blooming now. If it is still blooming, it probably hasn't produced seeds yet. Those usually form after the bloom dries up.

... The only thing in our yard that has any kind of fruit on it is a crabapple tree. Its apples are small, round, and red, not black, long and skinny.

Also, don't limit yourself to things with 'fruits'. These could jest be seeds from a plant, even a plant w/o obvious blossoms. I never really noticed flowers on our boxwoods, they are small and not 'showy', but they produce similar seeds.

-ERD50

 

[arbeadub]

My guess is possum scat full of wild grape skins and seeds. They tend to deposit their leavings on high spots like tree stumps but your deck was good enough.

 

[MissMolly]

I'm calling them 'husks, because you said " I cut them open and there is a single small round seed/pit in each one.". Whatever you call it, the 'stuff' surrounding the smaller seed.









Don't limit yourself to what is blooming now. If it is still blooming, it probably hasn't produced seeds yet. Those usually form after the bloom dries up.









Also, don't limit yourself to things with 'fruits'. These could jest be seeds from a plant, even a plant w/o obvious blossoms. I never really noticed flowers on our boxwoods, they are small and not 'showy', but they produce similar seeds.



-ERD50

I agree. I’m trying to stretch my mind to all possibilities. After living here for 28+ years and being an avid gardener I’m intimately familiar with what is in my yard and how it behaves from year to year. This just has me stumped. What is it? What put it there? Why there? Animals do things for a purpose. I can discern no reasonable purpose.

 

[aja8888]

This thread is worthy of a poll.

Also, are there any rednecks in the area? It is kentucky......(redneck chew droppings)?

 

[dixonge]

Well, it's not poop. It's some sort of fruit/berry. But it's fruit/berry I have never seen and it doesn't explain how there came to be a pile of them on my deck. What animal, short of a monkey, could gather up these fruits/berries and put them in a pile on my deck? (Hint: we don't have wild monkeys in Kentucky). I cut them open and there is a single small round seed/pit in each one. These fruits/berries have not been chewed. They are intact and individual. So still a mystery to me.

d

Well there goes my poop ID...

No way are they deer droppings. The deck screws were pointed out as reference. A deck screw head is less than 3/8th diameter (0.375"), less than half the size of the above link on deer poop. The objects in the OP are maybe the size of the deck screw head, some smaller.

https://www.americanfastener.com/drywall-and-deck-screws/

I vote heavily against deer poop.

-ERD50

Good catch. Plus OP says definitely fruit, not poop.

 

[braumeister]

Well, it's not poop. It's some sort of fruit/berry.

Have you tried tasting them?