Be nice to predators 2/7/2012. Wildlife Damage Prevention and Control Strategies. Keys to Success. Keys to Success. Deer Ecology

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1 Wildlife Damage Prevention and Control Strategies Be nice to predators Rutgers Cooperative Extension Bill Hlubik Professor, Agricultural and Resource Management Agent Keys to Success Keys to Success Identify species causing damage Develop a wildlife damage management plan Estimate annual economic loss Integrated approach randomness diversity Each situation is unique Deer Ecology SOME AREAS OF NEW JERSEY SUPPORT DEER DENSITIES OF OVER 100 DEER PER SQUARE MILE Mixed woods, fields brushy areas 0.5 to 3 square miles Browse, forbs, fruits, nuts, crops, landscaping plants 1

2 WHITE-TAILED DEER HAVE BECOME COMMON IN NEW JERSEY AND OFTEN COME INTO CONTACT WITH PEOPLE DEER MANAGEMENT ZONE MAP Identifying Deer Damage Fencing Browse damage Buck rub Trampled or flattened vegetation Look for tracks and droppings Control or preventative method Portable, temporary, and permanent Inexpensive ($0.12/ft) to expensive ($8.00/ft) Low to high maintenance FENCING TYPES BARRIER NETTING 2

3 DETERRENT PROPANE CANNON / ZON GUN REPELLENTS TASTE ODOR SOUND Repellents Contact vs. area Intended to reduce-not eliminate-wildlife damage Intended primarily for ornamentals, garden, etc Majority not labeled for food crops Repellents Deer-resistant Plants Variable effectiveness (wildlife density, precipitation, new growth) Costly ($17.00-$200.00/gallon) Requires much vigilance Variable success Use as a general guide What grows in immediate area? 3

4 REGULATION CONTROLLING PERMIT TO KILL WILD DEER Goose Ecology Lakes, ponds, bays, fields, parks, yards Migratory or resident Submergent vegetation, grass, crops Identifying Goose Damage Exclusion Techniques Grazing damage Fecal load Water contamination Physical presence Look for tracks, feathers, and droppings 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 4

5 Frightening Devices Frightening Devices Pyrotechniques (propane cannons, bangers, screamers) $70.00-$ Balloons and kites (mylar, eye-scare, avikite, silhouettes) $4.00-$ Frightening Devices Frightening Devices Visual deterrents (flagging, owls, dead goose decoys, scare crows) $4.00-$ Miscellaneous (strobe lights, distress calls, audio deterrents, dogs) $30.00-$ Repellents Taste vs. visual Applied to vegetation and water Liquid or aerosol $7.00-$ per gallon 5

6 Groundhog Ecology Woods, meadows, fields, landscaped areas acres Grasses, vegetables, landscaping, crops 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 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 Rabbit Ecology Brushy areas, old fields, woods, landscaped areas 1 to 14 acres (5 acres average) Grasses, flowers, forbs, fruits, berries, vegetables, woody vegetation 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 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 6

7 Rabbit Damage Prevention and Control modification Remove cover Manage habitat for predators Rabbit Damage Prevention and Control Trapping Home-made or commercial live traps Repellents Contact (Thiram-based) or area (mothball) Variable effectiveness Can be costly Much vigilance required Shooting Seasons set by NJDFW Squirrel Ecology Identifying Squirrel Damage Chew bark and nip twigs on woody ornamentals Hardwood/mixed forests with nut trees 1 to 3 acres Fruits, nuts, buds, berries, seeds, flowers, cones 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 Squirrel Damage Prevention and Control 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) modification Trim limbs 6 to 8 feet away from buildings Provide alternative food sources Repellents Moth balls, Ro-pel, capsaicin, polybutenes Trapping 7

8 Mole Ecology Mole Ecology Eastern mole Open fields, lawns, gardens, sometimes woods Well-drained loose soils Star-nosed mole Wet woods, fields, swamps 0.5 to 2 acres Eastern mole Worms, grubs, and insects Star-nosed mole Worms, grubs, insects (terrestrial and aquatic) 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 Bury fences at least 12 inches deep Bend bottom of fence outward at 90 degree angle Mole Damage Prevention and Control modification Pack soil Reduce soil moisture content Reduce food source (IPM, insecticides, etc ) Mole Damage Prevention and Control Trapping Live trapping is possible 8

9 Vole Ecology Vole Ecology Meadow vole Wet meadows, grasslands Pine vole Deciduous and coniferous forests, abandoned field, orchards 0.25 acres Grasses, forbs, seeds, tubers, bulbs, flowers, bark, vegetables, crops (root, leafy, grain) 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 Vole Damage Prevention and Control Exclusion Hardware cloth cylinders protect seedlings 0.25 inch mesh or smaller Bury bottom of cylinder 6 inches deep 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 Trapping Bat Ecology Near bodies of water Nursing colonies in summer found in hot, dry attics Hibernates in caves and mines in winter May migrate up to 400 miles Insects (midges, mayflies, mosquitoes, moths, etc ) 9

10 Black Bear Ecology Mixed hardwood forests, dense swaps, forested wetlands 2 to 60 square miles Berries, nuts, tubers, wood fiber, insects, small mammals, eggs, carrion, ag crops, livestock, beehives, garbage When do you need to take action? 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 10

11 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 Black Bear Damage Prevention and Control 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) modification Place livestock pens, beehives, and crops at least 50 yards from protective cover Frightening Lights, loud noises, dogs Repellents Capsaicin spray Emergency Numbers Reporting and information Permits for trapping 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

12 Additional Sources of Information Prevention and Control of Wildlife Damage Cooperative Extension University of Nebraska Great Plains Agricultural Council USDA-APHIS-Animal Damage Control Questions??????? 12