Yo, Dudley...
I am still wrestling with the mounting pole, but am leaning toward use of treated 4 x 4's. What type of predator guard are you using on the pole? I have used the circular sheet metal cones with good results on smaller bird feeders. My reading on WD nesting boxes reveals use of a 36" dia. min. sheet metal cone. Dang, that's huge!. Not only is it big and gawdy, it's probably a real shaker and hummer in the wind (wintness DD1's post on page 1).
I am now thinking about the 12" dia x 48" galv. stove pipe with a cap at the top. Have you seen these? I wonder if it would still stop a coon? IIRC, the correct installation allows the pipe to rock freely on the pole, supported under the cap at the top by large spikes.
I wonder if it would bang around and make a bunch of noise in the wind?
