Wildlife Damage Prevention and Control Strategies

Transcription

1 Wildlife Damage Prevention and Control Strategies Rutgers Cooperative Extension Rutgers University s Snyder Farm-Center for Wildlife Damage Control

2 Keys to Success Identify species causing damage Develop a wildlife damage management plan Estimate annual economic loss

3 Keys to Success Integrated approach randomness diversity Each situation is unique

4 Deer Ecology Habitat Mixed woods, fields brushy areas Home range 0.5 to 3 square miles Food habits Browse, forbs, fruits, nuts, crops, landscaping plants

5 Identifying Deer Damage Browse damage Buck rub Trampled or flattened vegetation Look for tracks and droppings

6 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

7 Legalities of Deer Control Seasons and bag limits set by NJDFW Community-based deer management Depredation permits available

8 Fencing Control or preventative method Portable, temporary, and permanent Inexpensive ($0.12/ft) to expensive ($8.00/ft) Low to high maintenance

9 Repellents Contact vs. area Intended to reduce-not eliminate-wildlife damage Intended primarily for ornamentals, garden, etc Majority not labeled for food crops

10 Repellents Variable effectiveness (wildlife density, precipitation, new growth) Costly ($17.00-$200.00/gallon) Requires much vigilance

11 Deer-resistant Plants Variable success Use as a general guide What grows in immediate area?

12 Goose Ecology Habitat Lakes, ponds, bays, fields, parks, yards Home range Migratory or resident Food habits Submergent vegetation, grass, crops

13 Identifying Goose Damage Grazing damage Fecal load Water contamination Physical presence Look for tracks, feathers, and droppings

14 Goose Control Hunting Depredation permits

15 Legalities of Goose Control Resident and migratory Canada geese Seasons and bag limits set by USFWS Depredation permits available

16 Exclusion Techniques Fencing around water can prevent geese from landing on water and walking on land $ per 500 feet Overhead grids (mylar tape, fishing line, wire) can deter geese from landing on water or fields $8.00-$ per 500 feet Netting can protect high value crops $0.09-$0.14 per square foot

17 Frightening Devices Pyrotechniques (propane cannons, bangers, screamers) $70.00-$600.00

18 Frightening Devices Balloons and kites (mylar, eye-scare, avikite, silhouettes) $4.00-$180.00

19 Frightening Devices Visual deterrents (flagging, owls, dead goose decoys, scare crows) $4.00-$100.00

20 Frightening Devices Miscellaneous (strobe lights, distress calls, audio deterrents, dogs) $30.00-$

21 Repellents Taste vs. visual Applied to vegetation and water Liquid or aerosol $7.00-$ per gallon

22 Groundhog Ecology Habitat Woods, meadows, fields, landscaped areas Home range acres Food habits Grasses, vegetables, landscaping, crops

23 Identifying Groundhog Damage Browse damage Circular to semi-circular pattern Typically eat vegetation to ground level Gnaw or claw woody vegetation Burrowing damage 1 to 1.5 foot diameter hole Mound of dirt near entrance Physical presence Look for burrow

24 Legalities of Ground Hog Control May kill ground hogs any time damage occurs Legal to use Shotguns 10 ga. Or smaller Bow Centerfire/rimfire rifle Muzzleloading rifles/shotguns

25 Ground Hog Control Shooting Fumigants (carbon monoxide, aluminum phosphide) Gas cartridges present a potential fire hazard Aluminum phosphide is a registered use pesticide Aluminum phosphide for outdoor use on noncropland/orchards

26 Ground Hog Control Woven wire fencing Should be at least 3 feet high and buried inches deep Bend bottom and top of fence outward Electric fencing Trapping Only live traps legal in NJ $58.00-$86.00 per trap

27 Rabbit Ecology Habitat Brushy areas, old fields, woods, landscaped areas Home range 1 to 14 acres (5 acres average) Food habits Grasses, flowers, forbs, fruits, berries, vegetables, woody vegetation

28 Identifying Rabbit Damage Vegetation cleanly snipped at 45 o angle Woody vegetation may be girdled Bark may be gnawed Look for round sawdust-like droppings

29 Rabbit Damage Prevention and Control Exclusion Fencing 2 foot high non-plastic material 1 inch or smaller mesh Tree guards Hardware cloth inch mesh Place 1 to 2 inches away from tree

30 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

31 Rabbit Damage Prevention and Control Trapping Home-made or commercial live traps Shooting Seasons set by NJDFW

32 Squirrel Ecology Habitat Hardwood/mixed forests with nut trees Home range 1 to 3 acres Food habits Fruits, nuts, buds, berries, seeds, flowers, cones

33 Identifying Squirrel Damage Chew bark and nip twigs on woody ornamentals Eat planted seeds, fruits, or grains Eat bird seed from feeders Dig holes in yard Enter buildings and nest in attics Look for tracks, physical presence, food signs

34 Squirrel Damage Prevention and Control Exclusion Metal collars around trees, poles, etc 2 foot wide 6 feet above ground PVC pipe over wires Close openings to buildings 0.5 inch wire mesh 1 way doors on squirrel excluders Custom mesh fencing with electric wire(s)

35 Squirrel Damage Prevention and Control Habitat modification Trim limbs 6 to 8 feet away from buildings Provide alternative food sources Repellents Moth balls, Ro-pel, capsaicin, polybutenes Trapping Shooting Seasons set by NJDFW

36 Mole Ecology Habitat Eastern mole Open fields, lawns, gardens, sometimes woods Well-drained loose soils Star-nosed mole Wet woods, fields, swamps

37 Mole Ecology Home range 0.5 to 2 acres Food habits Eastern mole Worms, grubs, and insects Star-nosed mole Worms, grubs, insects (terrestrial and aquatic)

38 Eastern mole Identifying Mole Damage 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

39 Mole Damage Prevention and Control Exclusion Not very practical Use sheet metal, wood, brick Bury fences at least 12 inches deep Bend bottom of fence outward at 90 degree angle

40 Mole Damage Prevention and Control Habitat modification Pack soil Reduce soil moisture content Reduce food source (IPM, insecticides, etc ) Toxicants Chlorophacinone

41 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

42 Vole Ecology Habitat Meadow vole Wet meadows, grasslands Pine vole Deciduous and coniferous forests, abandoned field, orchards

43 Vole Ecology Home range 0.25 acres Food habits Grasses, forbs, seeds, tubers, bulbs, flowers, bark, vegetables, crops (root, leafy, grain)

44 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 Pine vole builds underground tunnels

45 Vole Damage Prevention and Control Exclusion Hardware cloth cylinders protect seedlings 0.25 inch mesh or smaller Bury bottom of cylinder 6 inches deep Habitat modification Eliminate weeds and heavy ground cover Mow grassy areas regularly Clear mulch away from trees

46 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

47 Black Bear Ecology Habitat Mixed hardwood forests, dense swaps, forested wetlands Home range 2 to 60 square miles Food habits Berries, nuts, tubers, wood fiber, insects, small mammals, eggs, carrion, ag crops, livestock, beehives, garbage

48 Identifying Black Bear Damage Broken trees and limbs (especially in orchards) Chewed or clawed bark, sometimes hanging in strips Large, localized areas of trampled crops Broken beehives Livestock predation Deep tooth marks on neck Possible claw marks on the shoulders and sides

49 Identifying Black Bear Damage Scat 2 to 6 inch segments May contain insects, grass, leaf litter, berries, wood, and hair Tracks 5 toes and claws, and large heel pad Track can be up to 6 to 7 inches long and 4 inches wide

50 Black Bear Damage Prevention and Control Exclusion Portable electric fences Permanent welded-wire fence Bear-proofing buildings and containers Elevated platforms (15 to 20 feet above ground)

51 Black Bear Damage Prevention and Control Habitat modification Place livestock pens, beehives, and crops at least 50 yards from protective cover Frightening Lights, loud noises, dogs Repellents Capsaicin spray

52 Black Bear Damage Prevention and Control Trapping Culvert traps Contact NJDFW Shooting Depredation permits Contact NJDFW Public education

53 Additional Sources of Information Rutgers Cooperative Research and Extension Refer to the blue pages of your local phone book New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife Wildlife Control Unit: USDA-APHIS-Wildlife Services US Fish and Wildlife Service: Migratory Bird Permits

54 Additional Sources of Information Prevention and Control of Wildlife Damage Cooperative Extension University of Nebraska Great Plains Agricultural Council USDA-APHIS-Animal Damage Control