What animal did this?

Looks like either a squirrel or if you are close to water, a beaver.

My first thought is a squirrel.

Squirrel makes sense we do get them running along the fence... it’s just so strange we’ve had squirrels around forever and this has never happened

Pileated woodpecker looking for insects will do it in a heartbeat. They look for soft rotting wood. Picture attached is what they can do in a heartbeat to a piece of wood.

Hi Vanesha, hope this link helps you out,

http://www.247wildlife.com/squirrelchew.htm

Hi Vanesha. I believe that damage was made by a Wood Pecker. Here's why: Wood Peckers love to chew on rotted wood. They also sound like a drill when chewing. And lastly, they can buzz right thru mulch leaving behind nothing but their damage. Good luck Vanesha. I hope you are well.

It is the work of a woodpecker, the drilling sound is the tip off. They have it all figured out and there are very few ways (practically nothing) to stop them when they start, the noise can drive the homeowner to distraction, They are an endangered species, so they are protected. Here's what one homeowner did with some results, why it made the "news" is beyond me:

https://video.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?fr=yhs-vz-vz&hsimp=yhs-vz&hspart=vz&p=wood+pecker+damage+and+sounds#id=2&vid=7285281dcbf60ccf6a64929f41e66f82&action=view

Hello there,

Take this as a blessing, It has highlighted you have possible rising damp and need to get it looked at by an expert, or the very least have the timbers replaced before they collapse!

Drilling sound is usually a woodpecker.

Woodpecker gets my vote. That is so sad. If you have a co op or old fashioned hardware store, check with them for advice on how to prevent further damage. Definitely need to replace damaged boards.

According to this article, it would be unusual if a woodpecker did the damage at night. Woodpeckers are known as “diurnal” creatures. This means that woodpeckers are awake during the daytime, asleep during the nighttime and do not peck at night. Similar to humans, the sleep/wake cycle of a woodpecker follows the pattern of light. Maybe the damage was caused by a squirrel or possibly a raccoon?

I’m going to guess a raccoon trying to get food. I think you could get a spray to put on it to deter them use wood fill to fix that then sand and paint.

My bet is a squirrel

I had that problem with squirrels on the eaves of my house, they got up there and clawed their way thru the wood

Squirrels are not nocturnal. You're in Texas as am I. I am thinking more of a Norway rat hunting for a home near a current or future food source as winter approaches. They love to create habitats for their families in rotting wood, if the door ways wood was rotting, it was a likely point of entry to the house and all the spices of rat life. Normally they travel in packs of 10 or more. If you heard something like drilling they do emit a low humming when they are hard at work which through walls could sound like a drill. Go to the hardware store and grab a few rat bait stations (under $40) and put them out along the edge of your home. Should do it... Then get that door jab fixed. You should be fine.

It looks like termite damage. Could the noise have been from a different location?

squirrel or termites