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Effectiveness Of Anise As A Coyote Lure, Coren P. Jagnow, Russ Mason Oct 2000

Effectiveness Of Anise As A Coyote Lure, Coren P. Jagnow, Russ Mason

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Odors are frequently used to attract coyotes (Canis latrans) to control devices. Coyote oIfactory perception is vital to effectively manage depredation of Iivestock by coyotes because of the importance of volatile cues to this species. Lures are usually chosen to reflect the biological needs of coyotes as well as relying on food-seeking behaviors to elicit attraction. Anise (Illicum verum) was chosen as the stimulus because of its attractiveness to dogs and its common use as an ingredient in animal foods. Plants comprise a large part of coyotes' diets during warm weather; therefore, a plant odor was chosen to find an …


Efforts To Enhance Stakeholder Communications In North Carolina's Wildlife Damage Control Agent System, Peter T. Bromley, Carl W. Betsill Oct 2000

Efforts To Enhance Stakeholder Communications In North Carolina's Wildlife Damage Control Agent System, Peter T. Bromley, Carl W. Betsill

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

In 1995, North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) established policy and rules for handling of nuisance wildlife by Wildlife Damage Control Agents (WDCA). The policy required a one-day long training session, culminating in an open book, certification examination. The North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service (NCCES) conducted the training and administered the examination. The certification-training program covered principles of wildlife damage management, wildlife laws and regulations, humane handling of animals and euthanasia, human health risks from exposure to wildlife, professional ethics, and sources of technical information. Between October 1995 and March 2000, 7 certification-training sessions were held and 289 WDCA's were …


Survey Of Factors Affecting The Success Of Clemson Beaver Pond Levelers Installed In Mississippi By Wildlife Services, Dale L. Nolte, Seth R. Swafford, Charles A. Sloan Oct 2000

Survey Of Factors Affecting The Success Of Clemson Beaver Pond Levelers Installed In Mississippi By Wildlife Services, Dale L. Nolte, Seth R. Swafford, Charles A. Sloan

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Clemson beaver pond levelers were developed as a tool to enable land managers to manipulate water flow past beaver (Castor canadensis) dams. Wildlife Services has installed several of these devices in collaboration with landowners. We conducted a survey to determine if we could identify factors that impacted whether the devices were meeting landowner objectives. Fifty percent of the 40 levelers surveyed were still operating and regarded as successful. Factors considered in the survey included management objectives, time since the leveler was installed, watershed characteristics, physical attributes of the stream and of the beaver dam where the leveler was installed, and …


History And Future Of Wildlife Damage Management Conference, Daniel J. Decker Oct 2000

History And Future Of Wildlife Damage Management Conference, Daniel J. Decker

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

The Eastern Wildlife Damage Management (EWDM) Conference was developed (1st conference held in 1983) to focus on people-wildlife interaction issues occurring in the eastern U.S. Developed as a Renewable Resources Extension Act activity, the purpose of the conference was to improve wildlife resource management and increase outputs of agricultural and forestry commodities. A primary planning issue for the 1st EWDM Conference was whether to represent the conference focus as wildlife damage "control" or "management." Control was selected initially, but the title evolved since then to be replaced by "management," reflecting the central role of wildlife conflict mitigation in wildlife management. …


A Comparison Of Grass Covers And Meadow Vole Populations In North Carolina, William T. Sullivan, John G. Vandenbergh Oct 2000

A Comparison Of Grass Covers And Meadow Vole Populations In North Carolina, William T. Sullivan, John G. Vandenbergh

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Meadow vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus) populations were monitored in an experimental field for three years by mark and recapture in western North Carolina. The field was planted with 3 different species of grasses: Ky 31 fescue (Festuca arundinacea L.), blue grass (Paa protensis L.), and creeping red fescue (Festuca rubra L.). Voles were free to range from grass to grass due to adjacent plots in the design. Vole populations were highest in Ky 31 and blue grass, and lowest in creeping red fescue. Meadow voles strongly preferred Ky 31 fescue, a grass with high moisture content and a growth pattern compatible …


Evaluating Norway Rat Response To Attractant And Repellent Odors To Improve Rodenticide Baiting Effectiveness, Stephen A. Shumake, A. A. Hakim Oct 2000

Evaluating Norway Rat Response To Attractant And Repellent Odors To Improve Rodenticide Baiting Effectiveness, Stephen A. Shumake, A. A. Hakim

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Control of rodent infestations using acute-rodenticide baiting is frequently fraught with difficulties involving bait-shyness and neophobic effects. To simulate some of the parameters encountered in baiting situations, pre-weighed quantities of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standard challenge bait mixture were used as a highly palatable bait base to induce feeding without the need for food deprivation in Wistar-strain laboratory albino rats. Individual animals were tested for attractant effects of 3 odors (rat urine, preputial gland extract, and carbon disulfide) and a natural repellent odor (coyote urine) in an observation area constructed of clear plastic panels containing a central alley and 2 …


Gis Use In Oral Rabies Vaccine Programs, Patricia R. Bright, Elizabeth Schmidt, Francois Elvinger, Michelle M. Weisbarth, R. F. Bulley, Cynthia L. Mills Oct 2000

Gis Use In Oral Rabies Vaccine Programs, Patricia R. Bright, Elizabeth Schmidt, Francois Elvinger, Michelle M. Weisbarth, R. F. Bulley, Cynthia L. Mills

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Frequent human and domestic animal exposures to rabid wildlife have raised the public's awareness, leading to an increase in the number of wildlife submissions for rabies testing as well as an increase in the number of people requiring post exposure prophylaxis treatment. During 1998 and 1999, the Health and Human Services Department of a densely populated urban/suburban county in Virginia received a total of 955 animal submissions for rabies testing. Wildlife accounted for 714 of the submissions. Seventy-nine of the submitted wildlife were found dead, 445 were killed or euthanized for testing (190 unknown). Of the wildlife submissions,152 (21%) were …


Rejex-It Bird Repellents - Mode Of Action, Peter F. Vogt Oct 2000

Rejex-It Bird Repellents - Mode Of Action, Peter F. Vogt

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Rejex-it® bird repellents are used to repel birds and reduce bird predation. Rejex- it® represents a long-needed, logical alternative to inhumane bird control methods such as poisoning and shooting. Its effectiveness as a nuisance bird repellant is based on a common, naturally-occurring, component of food that has been designated by the FDA as a "generally recognized as safe" food and fragrance additive. Methyl Anthranilate (MA), the active ingredient in Rejex-it® Bird Repellents, acts as a sensory repellent by irritating the bird's taste buds, skin, and trigeminal chemoreceptors in the beaks, gizzards, eyes, and mucous membranes. Irritation occurs as a result …


Field Evaluation Of A Visual Barrier To Discourage Gull Nesting, Patricia A. Pochop, John L. Cummings, Richard M. Engeman Oct 2000

Field Evaluation Of A Visual Barrier To Discourage Gull Nesting, Patricia A. Pochop, John L. Cummings, Richard M. Engeman

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Expanding gull populations along the Columbia River have been implicated in depredations to threatened and endangered migrating salmon smolt, depredations to agriculture crops, bird-aircraft strike hazards, nuisance problems, and potential threats to public health. In an effort to develop management methods for controlling gull populations, we tested a visual barrier to discourage gulls from nesting on an island in the Columbia River. The barrier material is a woven black polypropylene fabric that we utilized to take advantage of the gulls' innate predator avoidance mechanisms, by removing their line of sight to approaching terrestrial predators while providing no protection from aerial …


Investigations Of Methods To Reduce Damage By Voles, Gary W. Witmer, A. A. Hakim, Brian W. Moser Oct 2000

Investigations Of Methods To Reduce Damage By Voles, Gary W. Witmer, A. A. Hakim, Brian W. Moser

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Voles (Microtus spp.), small burrowing rodents, range over much of North America. Populations cycle and achieve peak densities every 3-5 years. This can result in severe damage to various resources: orchards, forest plantings, alfalfa and other crops, ornamentals, lawns, and gardens. A variety of methods are used to reduce vole damage, but there is still a need for new, cost effective, and environmentally benign approaches. We investigated numerous candidate repellents and barriers with indoor vole colonies in soil-filled tanks. Several compounds (blood meal, capsaicin, castor oil, coyote urine, quebracho, and thiram) showed promise as repellents, but only at high concentrations. …


Capsaicin-Treated Seed As A Squirrel Deterrent At Birdfeeders, Paul D. Curtis, Elizabeth D. Rowland, Gwen B. Curtis, Joseph A. Dunn Oct 2000

Capsaicin-Treated Seed As A Squirrel Deterrent At Birdfeeders, Paul D. Curtis, Elizabeth D. Rowland, Gwen B. Curtis, Joseph A. Dunn

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Eastern gray squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) are considered to be a pest by many bird-lovers because they take significant quantities of seed from birdfeeders. None of the available methods of protecting birdseed against squirrels is completely effective. We assessed the efficacy of treating birdseed with capsaicin oleoresin as a means of deterring squirrels. Consumption of treated and untreated whole, black-oil sunflower seed was compared by carrying out one-choice feeding trials at 3 sites near Ithaca, New York, from 11 May to 24 June 1999. The heat strength of the treated seed was 40,000 Scoville Heat Units (SHUs) (2,424 ppm) on the …


Comprehensive Management Of Commensal Bats, Stephen C. Frantz, Brian R. Laniewicz Oct 2000

Comprehensive Management Of Commensal Bats, Stephen C. Frantz, Brian R. Laniewicz

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

This paper reviews the basic concepts behind a comprehensive management approach to managing commensal species, and then considers how this approach is applied to bats that live within and about the built environment. Management activities should take into consideration the whole environment in which the target species is active, including the periodic changes that occur within that environment. Comprehensive management includes a clear understanding of: the biology, behavior and ecology of the species to be managed; the environment in which that species is active (especially harborage location); and the appropriate intervention methods used to manage such species. Interventions fall under …


Suburban Goose Management: Insights From New York State, Bryan L. Swift Oct 2000

Suburban Goose Management: Insights From New York State, Bryan L. Swift

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) conducted studies in suburban Rockland County, New York during 1993-2000 to help local officials develop strategies to alleviate conflicts associated with local-nesting or "resident" Canada geese (Branta canadensis). Annual counts indicated a relatively stable population of approximately 2,500-3,000 resident geese in the county, far fewer than anecdotal reports suggested. Counts tended to increase in towns where there was little or no goose management, whereas numbers declined in towns with active goose management efforts (i.e., egg-addling, capture and removal, or use of border collies). Egg-addling programs did not result in immediate reduction of …


Evaluation Of Moderate And Low-Powered Lasers For Dispersing Double-Crested Cormorants From Their Night Roosts, James F. Glahn, Greg Ellis, Paul Fioranelli, Brian S. Dorr Oct 2000

Evaluation Of Moderate And Low-Powered Lasers For Dispersing Double-Crested Cormorants From Their Night Roosts, James F. Glahn, Greg Ellis, Paul Fioranelli, Brian S. Dorr

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

The double-crested cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) is the primary avian predator on the southern catfish industry, estimated to cause $5 million in damage per year. To date, the most effective strategy for alleviating cormorant depredations in areas of intensive catfish production is coordinated dispersal of cormorant night roosts with pyrotechnics. Many of these night roosts are located in waterfowl refuges or wetland habitat leased for waterfowl hunting. Thus, there is an increasing concern about the effects of cormorant harassment efforts on waterfowl and other wildlife inhabiting these sites in cypress-swamp habitat. To address the need for a roost harassment device that …


A History Of Wildlife Damage Management: Twelve Lessons For Today, Robert M. Timm Oct 2000

A History Of Wildlife Damage Management: Twelve Lessons For Today, Robert M. Timm

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

The history of wildlife damage management in the United States, beginning with the roots of the federal Biological Survey, is examined. Selected lessons are drawn from history and applied to today's situation, in the hope that they will be useful to those who guide this profession in the 21st Century.


Variation Of White-Tailed Deer Home Ranges In Fragmented Urban Habitats Around Chicago, Illinois, Brian P. Piccolo, Karmen M. Hollis, Richard E. Warner, Timothy R. Van Deelen, Dwayne R. Etter, Chris Anchor Oct 2000

Variation Of White-Tailed Deer Home Ranges In Fragmented Urban Habitats Around Chicago, Illinois, Brian P. Piccolo, Karmen M. Hollis, Richard E. Warner, Timothy R. Van Deelen, Dwayne R. Etter, Chris Anchor

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Behavior of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) has been studied extensively in refuges and agricultural regions, although little research has focused on deer in urban environments. Dramatic urbanization and development fragments habitat available for wildlife species and deer densities often exceed ecosystem carrying capacity in remnant natural areas. This may impact deer social behavior and spatial home range patterns. We radio-marked 21 female white-tailed deer in the Des Plaines and Palos Forest Preserves near Chicago, Illinois to study spatial use of deer relative to conditions in urban forest preserves. Telemetry locations were collected once per week and included both day and …


Behavioral Observations And Physiological Implications For White-Tailed Deer Treated With Two Different Immunocontraceptives, Gary J. Killian, Lowell A. Miller Oct 2000

Behavioral Observations And Physiological Implications For White-Tailed Deer Treated With Two Different Immunocontraceptives, Gary J. Killian, Lowell A. Miller

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

The results of a 6-year behavioral study of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus Viginianus) treated with two immunocontraceptive vaccines, porcine zona pellucida (PZP) and gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) are summarized. Does were immunized late summer and early fall. In November, does were exposed to bucks and observations were made 2-3 times daily for one half hour through the end of February. Does were considered to be in estrus when they were the object of intensive sexual interest by the buck. Compared to controls, PZP-treated does had a significantly lower fawning rate and an increase in the average number of estrous cycles observed …


The Use Of Border Collies In Avian And Wildlife Control Programs, Nicholas B. Carter Oct 2000

The Use Of Border Collies In Avian And Wildlife Control Programs, Nicholas B. Carter

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Airports attract large numbers of wildlife primarily because they offer immense tracts of foraging and nesting habitats free from the threat of predation. Border collies can serve as an effective means of wildlife control in these environments by introducing a predator into the ecosystem. Many wildlife dispersal methods seek to imitate predators or the effect of predators and become increasingly ineffective as wildlife habituate to the stimuli. However, border collies are true predators, representing an actual, not perceived, threat to wildlife thereby eliminating the problems of habituation. Six airports and military bases have initiated use of border collies at their …


Turkey Damage Survey: A Wildlife Success Story Becoming Another Wildlife Damage Problem, James E. Miller, Brain C. Tefft, Robert E. Eriksen, Mike Gregonis Oct 2000

Turkey Damage Survey: A Wildlife Success Story Becoming Another Wildlife Damage Problem, James E. Miller, Brain C. Tefft, Robert E. Eriksen, Mike Gregonis

Wildlife Damage Management Conference Proceedings

Wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) populations have been restored and enhanced through introductions and reintroductions in 49 of the 50 states to huntable populations within the last 30 years. Populations are presently estimated to exceed 4 million birds within the United States. In many states, wild turkey habitat includes woodlots interspersed with agricultural lands, and some of the highest known population densities of wild turkeys are found in such areas. This paper will report on existing research, examining perceived versus actual damage caused by wild turkeys. It will also provide information based on a recent survey of biologists from the State …


Seven Years Of White-Tailed Deer Immunocontraceptive Research At Penn State University: A Comparison Of Two Vaccines , Lowell A. Miller, Gary J. Killian Oct 2000

Seven Years Of White-Tailed Deer Immunocontraceptive Research At Penn State University: A Comparison Of Two Vaccines , Lowell A. Miller, Gary J. Killian

Wildlife Damage Management Conference Proceedings

PZP and GnRH immunocontraceptive vaccines were each tested in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). Vaccination with PZP produced reversible infertility lasting 1 to 4 years. The first two years of active immunization resulted in an 89% reduction in fawning. Reduction in fawning for the 7-year study containing 4 years of no boosting was 72%. PZP immunization resulted in multi-estrus behavior, with contracepted deer returning to estrus up to 7 times. A five year study of GnRH immunization was conducted in both male and female deer. Treatment of does led to reduced fawning rates, reduced estrus behavior and reduced concentrations of progesterone. …


Evaluation Of Moderate And Low-Powered Lasers For Dispersing Double-Crested Cormorants From Their Night Roosts, James F. Glahn, Greg Ellis, Paul Fioranelli, Brian S. Dorr Oct 2000

Evaluation Of Moderate And Low-Powered Lasers For Dispersing Double-Crested Cormorants From Their Night Roosts, James F. Glahn, Greg Ellis, Paul Fioranelli, Brian S. Dorr

Wildlife Damage Management Conference Proceedings

The double-crested cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) is the primary avian predator on the southern catfish industry, estimated to cause $5 million in damage per year. To date, the most effective strategy for alleviating cormorant depredations in areas of intensive catfish production is coordinated dispersal of cormorant night roosts with pyrotechnics. Many of these night roosts are located in waterfowl refuges or wetland habitat leased for waterfowl hunting. Thus, there is an increasing concern about the effects of cormorant harassment efforts on waterfowl and other wildlife inhabiting these sites in cypress-swamp habitat. To address the need for a roost harassment device that …


What Will The Disease Issues Of The Future Be?, Robert G. Mclean Oct 2000

What Will The Disease Issues Of The Future Be?, Robert G. Mclean

Wildlife Damage Management Conference Proceedings

The major categories of diseases of the future involving wildlife are zoonotic diseases of public health importance, domestic animal diseases of economic importance, and wildlife diseases and health of wildlife importance. The existing patterns of these diseases include exotic, introduced diseases (West Nile virus - WNV), emerging diseases (Lyme disease), re-emerging diseases (animal rabies), and continuing diseases (leptospirosis). Some significant emerging public health diseases are WNV, hantavirus, Lyme disease, hemorrhagic E. coli 0157:H7, and antibiotic resistant bacteria. Emerging domestic animal diseases also include WNV, E. coli 0157:H7, salmonella enterica, and spongiform encephalopathies. Whereas, emerging wildlife diseases are WNV, particularly in …


The Use Of Border Collies In Avian And Wildlife Control Programs, Nicholas B. Carter Oct 2000

The Use Of Border Collies In Avian And Wildlife Control Programs, Nicholas B. Carter

Wildlife Damage Management Conference Proceedings

Airports attract large numbers of wildlife primarily because they offer immense tracts of foraging and nesting habitats free from the threat of predation. Border collies can serve as an effective means of wildlife control in these environments by introducing a predator into the ecosystem. Many wildlife dispersal methods seek to imitate predators or the effect of predators and become increasingly ineffective as wildlife habituate to the stimuli. However, border collies are true predators, representing an actual, not perceived, threat to wildlife thereby eliminating the problems of habituation. Six airports and military bases have initiated use of border collies at their …


Aversive And Disruptive Stimulus Applications For Managing Predation, John A. Shivik, Daniel J. Martin Oct 2000

Aversive And Disruptive Stimulus Applications For Managing Predation, John A. Shivik, Daniel J. Martin

Wildlife Damage Management Conference Proceedings

The range expansion and reintroduction of mammalian predators (e.g., wolves, coyotes and bears) coupled with growing disfavor for traditional tools of wildlife management creates an immediate need for alternative, non-lethal, but effective techniques for managing predation on livestock. Scientists at the National Wildlife Research Center are using advanced technology and animal behavior concepts (e.g., aversive and disruptive stimuli) to develop new tools for the prevention of damage by large mammalian predators, and this paper is a review of our pilot studies investigating these techniques. Recently tested tools include behavior contingent disruptive stimulus devices for wolves and coyotes. Experiments indicate the …


Coding Spreadsheets For Intervention Decisions In Wildlife Damage Management, Ray T. Sterner, H. Nicole Lorimer Oct 2000

Coding Spreadsheets For Intervention Decisions In Wildlife Damage Management, Ray T. Sterner, H. Nicole Lorimer

Wildlife Damage Management Conference Proceedings

Sterner (In press) described the use of a priori, theoretical analyses of crop/resource savings and benefit:cost ratios as a way of making intervention decisions in wildlife damage management. Iterative (1-variable-changed-at-a-time) calculations of these economic indices were computed for the use of zinc phosphide baits to control vole {Microtus spp.) populations in alfalfa (Medicago sativa). Results showed that indices displayed transitive effects — greater net savings and benefit:cost ratios were related to larger field-size, crop-damage and bait-effectiveness variables, but smaller bait-application fees. Ratios varied between 0.40 and 6.45, with -5-10% vole-caused damage required to produce returns on investments equal to the …


Efforts To Enhance Stakeholder Communications In North Carolina's Wildlife Damage Control Agent System, Peter T. Bromley, Carl W. Betsill Oct 2000

Efforts To Enhance Stakeholder Communications In North Carolina's Wildlife Damage Control Agent System, Peter T. Bromley, Carl W. Betsill

Wildlife Damage Management Conference Proceedings

In 1995, North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) established policy and rules for handling of nuisance wildlife by Wildlife Damage Control Agents (WDCA). The policy required a one-day long training session, culminating in an open book, certification examination. The North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service (NCCES) conducted the training and administered the examination. The certification-training program covered principles of wildlife damage management, wildlife laws and regulations, humane handling of animals and euthanasia, human health risks from exposure to wildlife, professional ethics, and sources of technical information. Between Octoberl995 and March 2000,7 certification-training sessions were held and 289 WDCA's were certified, with …


Suburban Goose Management: Insights From New York State, Bryan L. Swift Oct 2000

Suburban Goose Management: Insights From New York State, Bryan L. Swift

Wildlife Damage Management Conference Proceedings

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) conducted studies in suburban Rockland County, New York during 1993-2000 to help local officials develop strategies to alleviate conflicts associated with local-nesting or "resident" Canada geese {Branta canadensis). Annual counts indicated a relatively stable population of approximately 2,500-3,000 resident geese in the county, far fewer than anecdotal reports suggested. Counts tended to increase in towns where there was little or no goose management, whereas numbers declined in towns with active goose management efforts (i.e., egg-addling, capture and removal, or use of border collies). Egg-addling programs did not result in immediate reduction of …


The Ninth Wildlife Damage Management Conference: Proceedings Frontmatter & Contents Oct 2000

The Ninth Wildlife Damage Management Conference: Proceedings Frontmatter & Contents

Wildlife Damage Management Conference Proceedings

PROCEEDINGS OF THE NINTH WILDLIFE DAMAGE MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE, October 5-8, 2000 State College, Pennsylvania.
Edited by Margaret C. Brittingham, Jonathan Kays, Rebecka McPeake. Layout and design by Vicki Lucas.
Hosted by The School of Forest Resources, College of Agricultural Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University.
Co-sponsor: United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
Contributors Humane Society of the United States, National Park Service, New Jersey Department of Agriculture, New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife, Reed-Joseph International Company, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Forest Service, Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Woodstream Corporation, Jack …


History And Future Of Wildlife Damage Management Conference, Daniel J. Decker Oct 2000

History And Future Of Wildlife Damage Management Conference, Daniel J. Decker

Wildlife Damage Management Conference Proceedings

The Eastern Wildlife Damage Management (EWDM) Conference was developed (1st conference held in 1983) to focus on people-wildlife interaction issues occurring in the eastern U.S. Developed as a Renewable Resources Extension Act activity, the purpose of the conference was to improve wildlife resource management and increase outputs of agricultural and forestry commodities. A primary planning issue for the 1st EWDM Conference was whether to represent the conference focus as wildlife damage "control" or "management." Control was selected initially, but the title evolved since then to be replaced by "management," reflecting the central role of wildlife conflict mitigation in wildlife management. …


Capsaicin-Treated Seed As A Squirrel Deterrent At Birdfeeders, Paul D. Curtis, Elizabeth D. Rowland, Gwen B. Curtis, Joseph A. Dunn Oct 2000

Capsaicin-Treated Seed As A Squirrel Deterrent At Birdfeeders, Paul D. Curtis, Elizabeth D. Rowland, Gwen B. Curtis, Joseph A. Dunn

Wildlife Damage Management Conference Proceedings

Eastern gray squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) are considered to be a pest by many bird-lovers because they take significant quantities of seed from birdfeeders. None of the available methods of protecting birdseed against squirrels is completely effective. We assessed the efficacy of treating birdseed with capsaicin oleoresin as a means of deterring squirrels. Consumption of treated and untreated whole, black-oil sunflower seed was compared by carrying out one-choice feeding trials at 3 sites near Ithaca, New York, from 11 May to 24 June 1999. The heat strength of the treated seed was 40,000 Scoville Heat Units (SHUs) (2,424 ppm) on the …