Wildlife Management in Your Yard

David Drake

Extension Wildlife Specialist

UW-Madison Dept. of Forest and Wildlife Ecology

• Correct species identification critical

• Develop a wildlife damage management plan

• Conduct a cost:benefit analysis

Wildlife Damage Management –

Keys to Success

Wildlife Damage Management –

Keys to Success

• Integrated approach

– randomness

– diversity

Wildlife Damage Management –

Keys to Success

• Integrated approach

– Do nothing

– Non-lethal

– Lethal

Non-Lethal Management

• Exclusion

• Harassment (noise, visual, or both)

• Repellents (taste and area)

• Trap and relocate

• Habitat modification

• Cultural modification

Lethal Management

• Shooting

• Body-gripping traps

• Trap and euthanize

• Toxicants

• Be proactive and persistent

• Be tolerant of others’ opinions and attitudes

• Tailor management approach

Wildlife Damage Management –

Keys to Success

Regulations and Laws

• Federal

• State

• Local

Wildlife Damage Resources

• USDA - APHIS – WS

www.aphis.usda.gov/wildlife_damage/

• WI Dept. of Natural Resources

www.dnr.state.wi.us

• U. of Wisconsin Extension Wildlife

wildlifedamage.uwex.edu

• Wildlife Control Operators

Yellow Pages or local extension office

● Prevention and Control of Wildlife Damage Scott Hygnstrom, Robert Timm, & Gary Larson, editors (www.icwdm.org) ● Mammal Tracks and Signs Mark Elbroch ● Bird Tracks and Signs Mark Elbroch

Wildlife Damage Resources

Identifying Deer Damage

• Browse damage

• Buck rub

• Trampled or flattened vegetation

• Look for tracks and droppings

Hunting

• Most efficient and cost-effective control method

• Important to harvest the proper ratio bucks:does

• Can generate additional income from leasing land

– Liability insurance

– Leasing agreement

Legalities of Deer Control

• Seasons and bag limits set by WI DNR

• Depredation permits available

Fencing

• Portable, temporary, and permanent

• Inexpensive ($0.12/ft) to expensive ($8.00/ft)

• Low to high maintenance

Repellents

• Contact vs. area

• Intended to reduce-not eliminate-wildlife damage

• Intended primarily for ornamentals, garden, etc…

– Majority not labeled for food crops

Repellents

• Variable effectiveness

– (wildlife density, precipitation, new growth)

• Costly ($17.00-$200.00/gallon)

• Requires much vigilance

Deer-resistant Plants

• Variable success

• Use as a general guide

• What grows in immediate area?

Identifying Rabbit Damage

• Vegetation cleanly snipped at 45o angle

• Woody vegetation may be girdled

• Bark may be gnawed

• Look for round sawdust-like droppings

Rabbit Damage Prevention and Control

• Exclusion

– Fencing

• 2 foot high non-plastic material

• 1 inch or smaller mesh

– Tree guards

• Hardware cloth

• 0.25-0.75 inch mesh

• Place 1 to 2 inches away from tree

Rabbit Damage Prevention and Control

• Habitat modification

– Remove cover

– Manage habitat for predators

• Repellents

– Contact (Thiram-based) or area (mothball)

– Variable effectiveness

– Can be costly

– Much vigilance required

Rabbit Damage Prevention and Control

• Trapping

– Home-made or commercial live traps

• Shooting

– Seasons set by WI DNR

Identifying Vole Damage

• Girdling and gnawing of woody vegetation

• Meadow vole builds surface runways

– 1 to 2 inches in diameter

– Vegetation in tunnel clipped short

– Feces and grass clipping found in runways

Vole Damage Prevention and Control

• Exclusion

– Hardware cloth cylinders protect seedlings

– 0.25 inch mesh or smaller

– Burry bottom of cylinder 6 inches deep

• Habitat modification

– Eliminate weeds and heavy ground cover

– Mow grassy areas regularly

– Clear mulch away from trees

Vole Damage Prevention and Control

• Repellents

– Meadow voles

• Thiram or capsaicin

• Toxicants (hand-placed)

– Zinc phosphide

• Hazardous to ground-feeding birds

– Anti-coagulants

• Slow acting (5 to 15 days)

• Trapping

Identifying Chipmunk Damage

• Burrows

• Eats seeds, bulbs, seedlings

Chipmunk Damage Prevention and Control

• Exclusion

- ¼-inch hardware cloth

• Habitat modification

- avoid certain landscaping features

- placement of bird feeders

Chipmunk Damage Prevention and Control

• Repellents

- Napthalene

- Taste repellents

• Fumigants

- Aluminum phosphide

- Carbon monoxide

Mole Ecology

• Habitat

– Eastern mole

• Open fields, lawns, gardens, sometimes woods

• Well-drained loose soils

– Star-nosed mole

• Wet woods, fields, swamps

Identifying Mole Damage

• Eastern mole

– Surface and deep tunnels

• Star-nosed mole

– Burrows in muck, with 2 to 2.5 inch openings into streams, ponds, and lakes

– Openings surrounded by dirt mounds

Mole Damage Prevention and Control

• Exclusion

– Not very practical

– Use sheet metal, wood, brick

– Burry fences at least 12 inches deep

– Bend bottom of fence outward at 90 degree angle

Mole Damage Prevention and Control

• Habitat modification

– Pack soil

– Reduce soil moisture content

– Reduce food source (IPM, insecticides, etc…)

• Toxicants

– Chlorophacinone

Mole Damage Prevention and Control

• Fumigants

– Aluminum phosphide

– Gas cartridges

• Trapping

– Very successful and practical

– Scissor-jawed, harpoon, or choker loop traps

– Live trapping is possible

Identifying Skunk Damage

• Holes in turf and gardens

• May burrow under porches

• Ag. damage

• Odor, tracks, droppings

Skunk Damage Prevention and Control

• Exclusion

- use non-wood/plastic material

- bury fencing 2-feet deep

• Habitat modification

Skunk Damage Prevention and Control

• Repellents

- napthalene

- ammonia-soaked rags

• Fumigants

- aluminum phosphate

- carbon monoxide

Skunk Damage Prevention and Control

• Trapping

• Shooting

Identifying Bat Damage

• Presence

• Rub marks

• Noise

• Droppings and urine

Misc. Bat Information

• Laws and regulations

• Disease concerns

– Rabies

– Histoplasmosis

Bat Management

• Exclusion

Bat Management

• Repellents

– Moth balls

– Floodlights

– Strong air currents

– Sticky substances

Bat Management

• Trapping

• Alternative roost sites