Do you marmot proof your car?

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mtree
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Re: Do you marmot proof your car?

Post by mtree »

I've never had a problem with marmots. Such an easy animal to keep away.
I just toss a bunch of flowers, nuts, and fresh salted grass along with w few eggs under a couple nearby cars. Works every time.
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IHikeLikeAGirl
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Re: Do you marmot proof your car?

Post by IHikeLikeAGirl »

HikerGuy wrote: Thu May 11, 2023 3:20 pm
IHikeLikeAGirl wrote: Thu May 11, 2023 1:14 pm I've also used Coyote or Fox urine and Critter Ritter. So far, no issues, but my fellow camping buddies complain that I use too much. The Coyote/Fox Urine smells to high heaven, especially when used to excess. :wink:
PRO TIP: Don't get coyote urine on your hands. Good god, never again.
I will indeed, remember this tip. :-)
Somewhat of a Prick wrote: Thu May 11, 2023 3:40 pm Long thread so this might have been covered, but any thoughts on buying a really heavy duty large tarp and then just driving your car into the middle of it and then wrapping up your car? Seems like a quick and easy solution.
I've seen this used, but talked to the guy who used it (rwinters) and he said access to the car was more difficult, but maybe he has figured that out since.
mtree wrote: Thu May 11, 2023 3:53 pm I've never had a problem with marmots. Such an easy animal to keep away.
I just toss a bunch of flowers, nuts, and fresh salted grass along with w few eggs under a couple nearby cars. Works every time.
:lol: :lol: :lol:
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Briere
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Re: Do you marmot proof your car?

Post by Briere »

IHikeLikeAGirl wrote: Thu May 11, 2023 1:14 pm Much of this was probably covered to death, but I just decided to throw in my personal experience.

I've used chicken wire and I sleep in my car. I was at the Maroon Bells parking lot one night and the occupants of the cars, on either side of me, were up all night chasing off a porcupine or something. The critters did not touch my car, but I was kept up ALL NIGHT with my neighbors constant battles....

Chicken wire isn't that huge of a pain, once you get the hang of it (10-15 min setup, and that's me doing it alone).

As for access to and from the vehicle, I usually bulge the wire out near one door that I will use and grab a few rocks to put around the base of the bulge. I also use 2 small garden stakes or a straight stick and weave it into a few of the holes, to give the bulge a bit more stability. I leave the sticks in place in the wire, when I role it up and then they are already there for the next trip.

It doesn't take as long as it sounds. I've seen d_baker, rwinters, and a few others spend (what seems like) hours getting an SUV perfectly level at a TH. :-D

I've also used Coyote or Fox urine and Critter Ritter. So far, no issues, but my fellow camping buddies complain that I use too much. The Coyote/Fox Urine smells to high heaven, especially when used to excess. :wink:
How do you prevent chicken wire from scratching your vehicle like crazy though? That's what is pushing me to just buy a device like in the comments above.
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E_A_Marcus_949
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Re: Do you marmot proof your car?

Post by E_A_Marcus_949 »

Briere wrote: Thu May 11, 2023 7:33 pm
How do you prevent chicken wire from scratching your vehicle like crazy though? That's what is pushing me to just buy a device like in the comments above.
I use the snow fencing - you'll see a pic of it a few pages back. It's soft plastic instead of chicken wire, which is why I went that route. That being said, I did buy chicken wire before realizing this potential scratching issue. I also like the flexibility of the snow fencing instead.
Edit: halfway down page 5
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Re: Do you marmot proof your car?

Post by IHikeLikeAGirl »

Briere wrote: Thu May 11, 2023 7:33 pm
IHikeLikeAGirl wrote: Thu May 11, 2023 1:14 pm Much of this was probably covered to death, but I just decided to throw in my personal experience.

I've used chicken wire and I sleep in my car. I was at the Maroon Bells parking lot one night and the occupants of the cars, on either side of me, were up all night chasing off a porcupine or something. The critters did not touch my car, but I was kept up ALL NIGHT with my neighbors constant battles....

Chicken wire isn't that huge of a pain, once you get the hang of it (10-15 min setup, and that's me doing it alone).

As for access to and from the vehicle, I usually bulge the wire out near one door that I will use and grab a few rocks to put around the base of the bulge. I also use 2 small garden stakes or a straight stick and weave it into a few of the holes, to give the bulge a bit more stability. I leave the sticks in place in the wire, when I role it up and then they are already there for the next trip.

It doesn't take as long as it sounds. I've seen d_baker, rwinters, and a few others spend (what seems like) hours getting an SUV perfectly level at a TH. :-D

I've also used Coyote or Fox urine and Critter Ritter. So far, no issues, but my fellow camping buddies complain that I use too much. The Coyote/Fox Urine smells to high heaven, especially when used to excess. :wink:
How do you prevent chicken wire from scratching your vehicle like crazy though? That's what is pushing me to just buy a device like in the comments above.
Agreed, getting scratches could be an issue, but it wasn't for me (probably due to the car I had). Had a Jeep LIberty, at the time, and the chicken wire seemed to hit the car on the bumper, and the plastic-ish trim parts (i.e. wheel well, trim). Also, I didn't have it touching the car where it would have hit the body paint.

As you stated, I would go with either the other fencing options or the device listed. - Good luck! :)
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Briere
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Re: Do you marmot proof your car?

Post by Briere »

E_A_Marcus_949 wrote: Fri May 12, 2023 1:07 pm
Briere wrote: Thu May 11, 2023 7:33 pm
How do you prevent chicken wire from scratching your vehicle like crazy though? That's what is pushing me to just buy a device like in the comments above.
I use the snow fencing - you'll see a pic of it a few pages back. It's soft plastic instead of chicken wire, which is why I went that route. That being said, I did buy chicken wire before realizing this potential scratching issue. I also like the flexibility of the snow fencing instead.
Edit: halfway down page 5
I will likely go that route. The reviews for the device seem ok but it feels like I am buying snake oil and would never be certain it was working. It is so much easier to use though...
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Re: Do you marmot proof your car?

Post by JQDivide »

Somewhat of a Prick wrote: Thu May 11, 2023 3:40 pm Long thread so this might have been covered, but any thoughts on buying a really heavy duty large tarp and then just driving your car into the middle of it and then wrapping up your car? Seems like a quick and easy solution.
Somewhere in Cali...
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Re: Do you marmot proof your car?

Post by JQDivide »

Ironic....
Did all this fence setup recently... camped outside CB a couple weeks ago. We didn't set up the fence. Woke to marmots chewing on the Burb. :lol: ](*,)
Cut the door areas away so we can get in and out while camping.
Will need some tent stakes to keep it down tight.

Have had my fuel pump wires chewed by a porcupine. Had to get it towed out of the forest.
Have had four total incidents of chewers.

Also bought some Tomcat Animal Repellent. Will try both.
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Briere
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Re: Do you marmot proof your car?

Post by Briere »

JQDivide wrote: Wed May 31, 2023 11:52 am Ironic....
Did all this fence setup recently... camped outside CB a couple weeks ago. We didn't set up the fence. Woke to marmots chewing on the Burb. :lol: ](*,)
Cut the door areas away so we can get in and out while camping.
Will need some tent stakes to keep it down tight.

Have had my fuel pump wires chewed by a porcupine. Had to get it towed out of the forest.
Have had four total incidents of chewers.

Also bought some Tomcat Animal Repellent. Will try both.
Dang, that must have sucked. The photos aren’t of your vehicle, just your plan correct?

4 incidents; but hopefully none with the fence??
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Re: Do you marmot proof your car?

Post by XterraRob »

On a serious note, has anyone had luck with making a heavy ring of Cayenne Pepper around their vehicle? I used that stuff to keep squirrels and chipmunks out of my garden in the past and was really effective.
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Re: Do you marmot proof your car?

Post by JQDivide »

Briere wrote: Wed May 31, 2023 12:05 pm
Dang, that must have sucked. The photos aren’t of your vehicle, just your plan correct?

4 incidents; but hopefully none with the fence??
Yep, that's my Burb.
No incidents with the fencing. Though, obviously, I missed a good opportunity to try it out.
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Re: Do you marmot proof your car?

Post by sfreytag »

XterraRob wrote: Wed May 31, 2023 11:46 am Drive a lifted truck, problem solved. \:D/
Hahaha all kidding aside this works. Went up to the Silver Creek TH in 2020 and sleep in the parking lot. Marmots didn't touch my lifted Ram 2500 but the guy next to me in a stock Tundra had the marmots chewing on his truck around 1 am. I talked to him on the saddle between Redcloud and Sunshine the next day. He had to bang trekking poles to scare them off and when that failed he ended up moving to the other side of the parking lot to get away from them.
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