Wildlife Damage Management
Dr. Dwayne Elmore was our speaker for the July meeting. Dr. Elmore, an Extension Wildlife Specialist at OSU received some of his training at the Berryman Institute & Utah State University. The Berryman Institute is a think tank for wildlife damage management. The USDA is concerned with wildlife damage that affects agricultural products. The county extension system fills the void of urban wildlife damage management.
There are two aspects to wildlife damage. First is the damage type. This includes human health & safety; property damage; environmental degradation & nuisance. The second aspect is damage management. This includes factors such as separation, modification & removal.
Whitetail deer were the first species we learned about. They can do a great deal of landscape damage. These deer have a very broad diet. Vehicle collisions account for $22 billion annually in damage in the US. They also carry ticks which are responsible for several diseases which humans can acquire. Finally they can just cause a nuisance if your dogs bark at them all night.
There are several techniques for controlling deer. Some work & some don’t. Exclusion doesn’t work very well. Deer can jump pretty high. Electric fences can work for some areas; however you have to “bait” the deer to the fence first. Normally the deer would just jump over the fence. If you attach foil streamers covered in peanut butter to the electric fence the deer will get shocked & wouldn’t go near that type of fence ever again. Habitat modification is also a useful strategy. You can use plants that deer just naturally don’t like or give them their own patch of poison ivy. Apparently they love that! Repellents are usually costly & they are only effective on small areas. You can also try frightening them. Deer don’t like dogs, however if once they realize the dogs can’t get out of their enclosures to chase them they don’t really bother them. In this case can “invisible fence” which keeps your dogs in, but also allows the deer to cross into the dogs’ territory works well.
Canada geese were our second species of interest. Geese damage your landscape by overgrazing the turf. They also leave LARGE quantities of fecal matter & they can be very aggressive. Fran Riggs has some experience with this latter aspect. There are a few control methods; however none seem to be foolproof. Exclusion works only on a small scale as they will just fly over any fence. There is only one period in the summer when they can’t fly. You can use cultural modification. Plants they find unpalatable & unkempt lawns will detour them. I’m big into the unkempt thing. Frightening them is only effective for a short time, unless your “frightener” is a dog. Apparently some golf courses now keep packs of dogs trained just to run off geese! There are no repellants/toxicants that really work. An important note here is the difference between “resident” & “migratory” geese. The migratory geese are more of an agricultural problem. They are also protected by the migratory Bird Treaty. These birds are managed by the USDA Wildlife Service. Historically resident geese didn’t occur in Oklahoma. They are now a much bigger problem. They are managed by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. Hunting can be a very effective tool in controlling both.
We now move onto species that usually don’t show up at your place in large numbers. Woodpeckers are the first here. There are two types of woodpecker damage – tree and home. The tree damage is caused primarily by yellow bellied sapsuckers. These guys always appear to me to be having a bad hair day. They drill holes in trees such as maples so insects are attracted to the oozing sap. Home damage can be caused by the territorial drumming of all woodpeckers during the spring. They can also damage wooden siding looking for insects to eat. Frightening is mostly ineffective for these guys. They can tell the difference between real & fake owls & snakes. There are no repellents. Exclusion works pretty well just be sure you aren’t damaging your tree. Habitat modification is the best course. All kinds of woodpeckers like suet. You can put up drumming boards in place of them drumming on your walls. They like things that make loud noises. Plant species such as oaks instead of maples. Don’t have any exposed wood on your house.
Amaridillos are up next. They dig burrows & to look for food mostly insects & grubs. They are primarily a summer problem & more of an aesthetic problem. Repellents don’t work & soil insecticides are just bad ecologically. Exclusion works for small areas. Reducing irrigation of your lawn will help. It’s easier to dig in moist soil. Trapping is very effective, however then the question is what to do with the critter. If you do trap one or even handle a dead one be sure to wear gloves as they can carry leprosy.
Gophers are more of a problem depending on soil type. They prefer a lighter soil. They make large fan shaped mounds. They consume plant material. Exclusion in the form of underground barriers can work in small areas. Toxicants can be used underground, but these have the potential of killing non-target species. Trapping is the preferred removal method. You must set two traps back to back in the tunnel for this to work. My main problem with gophers is the large pit my dogs make when they are trying to dig them out. I don’t think they have ever caught one. On the other hand I had a cat that would wait patiently by the mound all day & grab one when he stuck his head out.
According to Dr. Elmore moles are not really damaging. They eat insects & aerate the soil. They prefer fine textured soils. I however am pretty sure moles are what tunnel by the hostas & ferns in my shade garden. The plants then die due to air around the roots or they just fall too deep in the tunnel. Eariler this summer I watched as a gopher or mole pulled a stalk of rag weed into the ground. It reminded me of a Bugs Bunny cartoon.
Squirrels are our next critter. I bet Harry could write a book on this topic. Squirrels consume bird feed & pecans among other things. They also like to live in your attic. Exclusion works well. You do need to make sure the squirrel is out before closing up the hole otherwise you have a whole different problem to deal with. Tree or pole guards can be used to keep them out of your pecans or off your bird feeders. Be aware they can jump very far & apparently have nothing better to do than figure out how to circumvent your latest preventative measure. Frightening isn’t very effective. My dogs mostly bark at the squirrels when they realize we are watching.
Last but not least are house sparrows & starlings. You can kill both of them as they are introduced species. They take over other (more desirable) birds’ nests or houses. They also eat the seeds you put out for the birds you really want hanging around. Habitat modification is the preferred method of dealing with them. Modify bird nest boxes, eliminate food sources & eliminate cavities for nesting. Of course some of these things eliminate the birds you want. Walt Riggs reports that sparrows will not eat black oil sunflower & safflower seeds.
To end the program Dr. Elmore showed us some traps & how to set them.
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