squirrels stash 50 pounds of pine cones under car hood in northern michigan

A pair of Michigan residents couldn’t believe their eyes when they opened the hood of a car to reveal more than 50 pounds of pine cones that had been stored by an unknown culprit, presumably one with four legs and a bushy tail.

Gaylord resident Kellen Moore arrived at the Iron Pig Smokehouse for work with a shocked look on his face. Noticing his odd expression, Gabe Awrey, a friend and manager at the restaurant, asked what was up.

“Being the good friends that we are, he asked me if I had received some snapchat videos that he had just sent me,” Awrey said. “They didn’t come through, so he pulled up the video on his phone. I was instantly in disbelief, saying something along the lines of ‘When was this? A few weeks ago?'”

Moore had previously found the pine cones when he checked under the hood because his air conditioning was making an odd noise when he turned it on. The phone video wasn’t enough for Awrey, though. He had to see it in person.

Together, the friends walked to the parking lot where Moore’s recently-purchased Dodge Journey was parked, opened the hood and discovered the engine bay packed with pine cones. It took them about 45 minutes to clear out the debris.

“Heat from the engine also made them expand, so some were harder than others,” Awrey said. “He bought this car used about a month and a half ago and there were none then.” They both agree that squirrels are responsible for the stockpile.

“This stuff happens a lot up here,” Awrey said. “It happens to everyone eventually. But not on this scale. At the worst you find some acorns in your air filter or what not. Everyone who has seen this can’t believe it. It’s the perfect set up for a squirrel though. Nice and insulated, lots of food with the pine cones. Pretty practical until your nest drives away.”

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“the squirrel in my yard really knows his way around the neighborhood.”

-bob saget

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credits: mlive.com, gabe awrey