When leaving treats and food for wildlife why not make an interactive game out of it for them? Many animals are intelligent and have a naturally curious nature. Making a Tether-Treats for Wildlife Game provides treats and entertainment for wildlife. They first have to figure out how to get to the treats and then how to keep the treats from escaping their grasp when the tethered treats move! This game can be used in any neighborhood with squirrels and birds or in a more rural location. I decided to place mine on our family ranch in east Texas since there is a wide variety of wildlife that potentially may engage in the Tether-Treats for Wildlife Game.

Step 1: Tether-Treats Materials List

Gather the items used to create the Tether-Treats for Wildlife Game:

2"X2"X60" long furring strip
Large screw in eye hook
2 medium length bungee cords
Treat container to hold the treats that can be held securely by the bungee cord hooks. The bowling pins from a child's toy bowling set seemed to be the right size and easily cut to hold treats and the bungee cord hooks.
Peanuts in shells, cracked corn, bird seed, dry cereal, or any other treat you choose to use. A mixture works well since the cracked corn falls out more easily (when shaken) than the peanuts in shells so the animals may have to work a little harder to remove the peanuts from the container.

To begin the process of screwing in the large eye hook at the top of the furring strip it may be necessary to use a drill with a large drill bit in order to make it easier to screw the eye hook in all the way into the wood.

A vise was used to crimp the bungee cord hooks closed tightly so that they did not come off of the hook when animals pull on them.

Step 2: Find the Ideal Location for Your Tether-Treats for Wildlife Game and Set It Up.

The large eye hook screw with the bungee cords and toy bowling ball treat containers was removed in order to use a hammer to pound the furring strip wooden pole structure into the ground. A shovel was used to start a hole to place the structure into. Pat the dirt back around the wood to hold it securely in place. A step ladder or ladder may be necessary in order to pound the wooden furring strip at the right angle to hammer the wood more deeply and securely into the ground.

Re-screw the large eye hook with the bungee cords attached back onto the furring strip wooden structure.

Fill your containers with food - peanuts in shells, cracked corn, deer corn, cereal, etc...

To know for sure who comes to play your game (if you can't watch all the time) set up a game camera close by so that you will know who/what is playing your game and eating your treats.