Nobody seems to eat mine. I have a lot of squirrels. They are happier with the hickory nuts and whatever else must grow here. I don't know if they eat maple seeds, but their nests are in the maple trees.
Sometimes I buy a big bag of unsalted peanuts in the shell and watch the blue jays and squirrels carry them off. Maybe a pile of peanuts would keep them out of your rhizomes?
