Life Sciences Commons^™

Minimizing Black Bear Problems At New York State Public Campgrounds, John O'Pezio, Stephen H. Clarke, Gary B. Will

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

The black bear's omnivorous foraging behavior has been both beneficial and detrimental to its coexistence with modern humans. The ability to feed on a variety of animal and vegetable matter, alive or dead, has been advantageous to the black bear's survival as its range has diminished. Although black bears have an innate aversion to people, many have learned to tolerate humans to acquire easily obtainable high energy concentrated artificial foods. Human carelessness in the storage and disposal of foods within or near bear habit at has resulted in conflicts between campers and wild bears. Forest Preserve public campgrounds create a …

An Evaluation Of Trapping Efforts To Capture Bobcats, Coyotes, And Red Fox, John A. Litvaitis, Mark O'Donoghue, Mathew Miller, James A. Sherburne

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Wildlife biologists are often involved in efforts to capture free-ranging felids and canids. The objective of these efforts is usually to remove individuals causing unwanted or excessive predation, or to obtain study animals. The most common method used to capture carnivores includes some type of leg-hold trap. Numerous references provide information on the technique of leg-hold trapping (Taylor 1971, Musgrove and Blair 1979); however few reports include an evaluation of these methods.

Evaluation Of Induced Sterility For Beaver (Castor Canadensis) Management Problems, J. J. Kennelly, P. J. Lyons

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

The concept of controlling animal damage problems by reducing fecundity of offending species through induced sterility first was proposed by Knipling (1955) for insect control and was applied successfully by that author (Knipling 1959) for eradication of the screw-worm fly. The potential application to vertebrate pest problems was recognized immediately by David (1961) and, subsequently, by many other workers for a variety of pests (e.g. Balser 1964; Kennelly et al. 1970: Murton et al. 1972; McDonald 1980; Potvin et al. 1982) including beaver (Arner 1964; Blanchard 1964; Nevers 1968; Hill 1977). Unfortunately, the method remains today largely unavailable for routine …

Influence Of Deer Damage On Farmers' Perceptions Of Deer Population Trends: Important Implications For Managers, Daniel J. Decker, George F. Mattfeld, Tommy L. Brown

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Farmers' attitudes toward deer, their perceptions of deer depredations and their preferences for future deer population levels have been extensively studied in New York (Brown and Decker 1979; Brown et al. 1977a,1977b, 1978a,1978b, 1979,1980; Decker and Brown 1982; Decker et al. 1981a, 1981b). These studies have contributed to deer-population-management decisions that give consideration to farming interests. Nevertheless, farmers cannot be expected to support deer management efforts on their behalf if they do not understand the population changes such management is designed to achieve. Consequently, wildlife managers need to know whether or not the effects of such efforts are recognized. A …

Keeping Unwanted Gulls Away - A Progress Report, Victor E. F. Solmon, Hans Blokpoel, W. John Richardson, George W. J. Laidlaw

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Nearly 50 years ago, wires were strung over fish ponds to discourage fish-eating birds from taking fish destined for other uses (McAtee and Piper 1936). Twenty years ago, overwiring of open ditches began on airports to keep ducks from using them and causing hazards to aircraft (Solman 1973). Both techniques used coarse wires spaced closely enough to form a physical barrier to prevent ducks and herons from landing on or taking off from the water.

A Characterization Of Woodpecker Damage To Houses In East Tennessee, Dan Evans, James L. Byford, Robert H. Wainberg

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Each year homeowners report damage and/or annoyance from woodpecker excavation and drumming activities on houses. Among the species that may be involved are the yellow-shafted flicker (Colaptes auratus), pileated woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus), red-bellied woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus), red-headed woodpecker (M. erythrocephalus), red-cockaded woodpecker (Picoides borealis), hairy woodpecker (P. uillosus), and downy woodpecker (P. pubescens) (Carlton 1975).

Structural Bird Control - An Overview, Charles W. Areson

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Structural pest bird control is probably the most environmentally sensitive area of all pest control. The potential hazards associated with bird control are far greater and far more open to public scrutiny than in any other type of pest control. One error in judgment may bring the wrath of an entire community on you, as well as involve you with legal repercussions from both federal and state agencies. Hazards to non-target species are always a threat when using any type of program with toxics, and potential secondary hazards to protected and endangered species must always be considered. There is no …

Rodenticide Selection And Bait Composition To Minimize Potential Primary Hazard To Nontarget Species When Baiting Field Rodents, Rex E. Marsh

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

A wide variety of methods is used to reduce potential hazards to non target species when baiting out-of-doors for rodents. The principles involved in making rodent baits highly selective hinge on the biology, particularly the feeding habits and food preferences of the target species. The differences or uniqueness of both the at-risk nontarget animals and the target animals should be assessed and then capitalized upon where possible in terms of susceptibility to toxicant, kind, size and shape of bait, etc. Generally only a few nontarget species are at risk in any particular situation, and the degree of this risk also …

Wildlife Damage Control And Wildlife Management, Dale A. Jones, Hugh C. Black

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

It is a distinct pleasure and privilege to help kick off this conference. But, first, we want to commend the Co-chairmen, Jim Caslick, Dan Decker, and John Kelley, and the Conference Committee involved in putting this excellent and timely program together.

Wildlife Damage Control: A Current Perspective, Jack H. Berryman

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

I attach special importance to this responsibility and appreciate the opportunity to deliver these keynote comments. We are here to discuss a very important and always controversial subject. The first Eastern Wildlife Damage Control Conference provides a unique opportunity for all of us to constructively influence the future direction as well as the professional and public perception of this important wildlife management activity.

Welcome To Conference Participants, Herbert E. Doig

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

It is a pleasure for me to welcome participants of the First Eastern Wildlife Damage Control Conference and I bring you greetings and best wishes for a successful conference from Governor Mario Cuomo and commissioner of Environmental Conservation Henry Williams. It is appropriate that the first conference on this important subject in the East be heId in New York since we typify a variety of interactions between people and wildlife that are characteristic of the region.

Population Status Of Blackbirds And Starlings In North America, 1966-81, Richard A. Dolbeer, Robert A. Stehn

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

In the early 1800s, the Passenger Pigeon (Ectopistes migratorius) was the most abundant bird in North America (and perhaps the world) with a population size of at least 3 billion (Schorger 1955). With the clearing of the forests in the East and Great Lakes Region, food supplies and cover were depleted and the Pigeon population declined rapidly. Undoubtedly, large scale market hunting accelerated the inevitable decline. The population was extinct in the wild in 1900 and the last individual died in captivity in 1914.

Reanalysis Of Farmer Willingness To Tolerate Deer Damage In Western New York, D. J. Decker, N. Sanyal, T. L. Brown, R. A. Smolka Jr., N. A. Connelly

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Crop depredation by white-tailed deer (Odocoileus uirginianus) has been examined and discussed by wildlife managers since at least the early 1930's (Leopold 1933:283). As with most aspects of game management in those early years, managers' efforts focused on the biological parameters of depredation and control. In the 1960's a few researchers began examining the social implications of deer management and found farmers to be surprisingly tolerant of most deer damage (McDowell and Benson 1960, McNeil 1962:81, Flyger and Thoerig 1962:48). Because of changing agricultural, habitat, and deer population conditions, studies of farmer tolerance of deer damage were initiated …

Animal Damage Control In Eastern United States, Donald A. Spencer

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

This report is an overview of ongoing animal damage control programs in the 31 Eastern States, made possible by scores of individuals and the organizations they represent. The response to requests for data was excellent. For example, all 31 State Wildlife Agencies contributed information on their programs. As was to be expected, the organizations contacted do not use the same format in discharging their responsibilities nor in the records they keep. Thus precisely recorded figures have to march side by side with "educated estimates", but at least the estimates were made by personnel intimately acquainted with a particular project. As …

Will Mammalian Pheromones Be Useful In Wildlife Damage Control?, Dietland Müller-Schwarze

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Rodents, lagomorphs and cervids are the most important herbivorous mammals that cause economic damage in North America. Farmers, foresters, trappers and gardeners have since time immemorial used various concoctions to attract wild mammals or repel them from certain sites or crops. The chemical industry has often used food odors in their animal control products. Currently no pheromone is being used in wildlife damage control.

Comparison Of 8 Physical Barriers Used For Protecting Douglas-Fir Seedlings From Deer Browse, David R. Deyoe, Wieger Schaap

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

The success or failure of forest regeneration efforts in western Oregon and Washington often depends on adequate control of animal damage to young seedlings. Cutover and partially stocked forest lands provide excellent habitat for animals that clip or browse young seedlings. Black and Dimock (1969) estimated that animals were responsible for roughly one out of five reforestation failures. The Cooperative Animal Damage study of coniferous plantations in Oregon and Washington (1963-1975) found that animals damaged an average of 30 percent of all unprotected Douglas-fir seedlings each year on the 165 plots studied (Black et al. 1979). Browsing by deer and …

An Evaluation Of A Method For Reducing White-Tailed Deer Depredations On Soybeans In Western Tennessee, Gary Tanner, Ralph W. Dimmick

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

The development of the Land-Between-The-Lakes Wildlife and Recreation Area (LBL) in western Tennessee and Kentucky by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) has greatly increased the deer population level on that area. Tenant farmers on LBL report increasing crop losses due to deer depredations, and the area's wildlife managers are unable to maintain food plots for quail and other wildlife species because of deer damage.

New Directions In Deer Damage Management In Wisconsin, Scott R. Craven

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

The question of responsibility for wildlife damage is a difficult one to answer, especially for damage caused by white-tailed deer. Some states have chosen, or been forced by political pressures, to assume the responsibility for wildlife damage, with or without some responsibility on the part of the agricultural producer who is sustaining the damage. According to a 1980 survey by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, only 10 states were bound by law to make payments for damage done by game species. Only Wisconsin included a nongame species (sandhill cranes) in their payment program. Other states offer abatement assistance, while …

Deer Damage Control In Pennsylvania Agriculture, W. L. Palmer, R. G. Wingard, J. L. George

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Deer damage to crops has been and continues to be a serious problem for many Pennsylvania farmers. In 1978 wildlife scientists at Penn State began a 4-year study on deer damage to Pennsylvania agriculture. The research project was funded by the PA Department of Agriculture. The objectives were to determine the extent and distribution of the damage, and to evaluate methods of damage control.

Managing Coyote Damage Problems With Nonlethal Techniques: Recent Advances In Research, Samuel B. Linhart

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

In 1972 President Nixon issued Executive Order 11643 prohibiting further federal use of toxicants for controlling predators; EPA subsequently withdrew all chemical registrations for this purpose. These actions stimulated research efforts to develop alternate nonlethal means of reducing livestock losses to coyotes and other predators. Some of these studies, focused primarily on barrier fencing, guarding dogs, chemical repellents and aversive agents, "frightening" devices, and modification of leg-hold traps, have resulted in new ways to alleviate the problem.

The Use Of Eurasian Dogs To Protect Sheep From Predators In North America: A Summary Of Research At The U.S. Sheep Experiment Station, Jeffrey S. Green, Roger A. Woodruff

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

The authors thank the sheep producers who cooperated in the study. R. Harman, R. VanHorn, S. Ecret, K. Havelock, J. Geiser, W. Bowers, G. Pendleton, D. Johnson, and C. Schwartz helped with the care and evaluation of the dogs.

In the search for methods to reduce coyote (Canis latrans) predation on sheep, livestock guarding dogs have been found to be a relatively successful technique in a variety of conditions including open rangeland (Green and Woodruff in press) and fenced pastures (Linhart et al. 1979, McGrew and Bakesley 1982, Pfeifer and Goos 1982, Green et al. In Press a). …

Use Of Electric Fencing To Prevent Deer Browsing In Allegheny Hardwood Forests, Ronnie Brenneman

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

In many areas of Pennsylvania, even-aged management of Allegheny hardwood forests is being impacted by excessive browsing of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), which makes it difficult to secure adequate natural seedling and sprout regeneration for successful reforestation (Marquis and Brenneman 1981). Marquis (1981) estimated the average value of timber production lost due to deer browsing in northern Pennsylvania at $1,075 per acre, about half the total stand value. Chemical repellents, individual seedling protectors, area fencing and other techniques have been used to attempt to protect forest regeneration; most are either ineffective in preventing deer browsing or economically unfeasable.

Deer Control Using 5 Strand Vertical Fence, Darel Smith

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Many fences have been tried over the years with various amounts of deer control. The 5 strand vertical fence is working very well and is cost effective. Small areas, 5 acres or less are $.60 ft. to $.33 ft. on larger areas 100 acres or more for materials. Costs may vary from site to site.

Shrew Damage And Control: A Review, Robert H. Schmidt

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Shrews (Insectivora:Soricidae) occasionally come into conflict with human interests. This review covers the general biology of shrews, situations in which shrews can be considered pests (as defined by Howard 1962), and control methods.

Introducing Livestock Guarding Dogs To Sheep And Goat Producers, Raymond Coppinger, Jay Lorenz, Lorna Coppinger

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Dogs that protect sheep and goats from predators were relatively unknown as a method of reducing predation in the United States until recently. An estimated several dozen individuals were using guarding dogs with flocks (Newbold 1974), but only a few government officials or industry leaders were aware that the technique might have merit for the long-standing coyote problem. North American ranchers relied mainly on removal of predators, but removal provides only temporary relief and poses ethical questions as well. In strong contrast, on Old World sheep and goat pastures, the method of choice for protecting stock from Canis, Ursus …

Black Bear Depredation On Bee Yards In Florida, David S. Maehr

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

The development of procedures for dealing with nuisance black bears in Florida has followed many years of antagonism between beekeepers and the State's wildlife agency as well as an intensive effort to mitigate the problem. With an apparently decreasing black bear population and increasing public sentiment for the bear, the pressure to develop acceptable management guidelines has become great. This paper summarizes the Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission's efforts in documenting and mitigating the bear-beekeeper problem in Florida.

Control Of Beaver Damage, James E. Miller

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Beaver activity often conflicts with human's interests when damage occurs. It also has significant impact on the ecology of an area modified extensively by constant flooding. This often makes control of these animals somewhat different than for some other vertebrate species which cause serious damage. However, even though in biological terms beaver control may seem rather simple, in reality other factors including social, economic, and political pressures often dictate our actions more than dealing with the biological parameters of the species.

Predicting Deer Damage On The Basis Of Metabolic Needs, Aaron N. Moen

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Damage to agricultural crops by deer has become a serious problem in recent years as deer populations have increased to high levels in many areas. Damage to orchards may be especially serious. Little attention has been given, however, to the basic animal-range relationships that underlie the extent of the damage. Deer "damaging" an orchard are fulfilling a metabolic need for nutrients; apple trees are an expedient food source in the winter and early spring when deer populations are concentrated.

The 1080 Toxic Collar: Economics Of Field Use In Texas, Jerry H. Scrivner

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Although numerous studies have evaluated the effectiveness of various methods of predator damage control, relatively few have discussed the economics of techniques used to reduce predation on livestock (deCalesta 1983, Green et al. 1980, Gum et al. 1978, U.S. Department of Interior 1978); probably because of difficulties obtaining reliable data (Connolly 1982). Such information, however, is important since eliminating expenses of relatively inefficient control practices would allow ranchers to reduce total production costs, thereby increasing net returns (Scrivner and Conner 1983), whereas for state and federal animal damage control agencies, better documentation of the economics of various control techniques promotes …

Beaver Management In The Southeastern United States: A Review And Update, David K. Woodward

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Beaver populations in primitive times have been estimated at 60 million animals distributed across the North American continent where adequate food and water existed (Seton 1900). History books document well the exploitation of this resource by trappers in the settling of the new world. The search for beaver was so efficient that by the beginning of the twentieth century only small numbers of animals remained in remote areas. During the early 1900's however, beaver populations began to increase for a variety of reasons. Foremost among these were trapping restrictions, but the absence of natural predators, reversion of abandoned farms to …