Concepts of Vertebrate Pest Management

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Deer
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Biology

• 2 years to sexual maturity
• Mating season October November
• Gestation period 195 212 days
• 1 4 young (average 2)
• 1 year between births
• Average lifespan 10 years

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Behavior

• Mostly nocturnal
• Social
• Browsers

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Damage
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Management options

• Habitat modification
• Exclusion
• Repellents
• Scare devices
• Shooting

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DEER RESISTANT PLANTS.
PerennialsAllium(Onions)Althea(Hollyhock)Anemon
es(Windflower)AubrietiaBerlandiera(Chocolate
Flower)Cerastiim(Snow-in-Summer) CoreopsisDigita
lis(Foxglove)EpimediumHelianthus(Sunflower)Iris
(Bearded Iris)Lamium(Dead Nettle)Papaver(Poppy)
Ratibida(Prairie Coneflower) Rudbeckia(Black-eyed
Susan)Solidago (Fireworks Goldenrods)Sphaeralce
a (Orange Globe Mallow) Stachys
(Lamb's-ears)Vinca (Myrtle) Zauschneria
(Hummingbird Flower)
Solidago(Golden Fleece)
Petalostemon(Prairie Clover)
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DEER RESISTANT PLANTS.
Herbs Anthum graveolens (Dill)Mentha(Mint)
Chamaebatiera (Fernbush)
Shrubs Trees Berberis(Barberry)Buddleia Colone
asterCerocarpus (Mahogany)Forsythia Juniperus
(Juniper)Picea (Spruce)Potentilla
(Cinquefoil)Syringa (Common Lilac)
Mahonia (Oregon Grape)
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Exclusion
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8 x 165 Heavy Perimeter Fence 189.00 9 Heavy
Duty Post 19.75
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High tensile electric fence
High tensile woven fence 8 x 330 319.00
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Repellents
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Products that repel by Smell Taste Smell and
taste
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Relative effectiveness.
Score Repellent 3.0 Big Game Repellent (putres.
eggs) 2.3 Hinder (ammon. soaps - fatty
acids) 2.0 thiram 1.4 Hot Sauce Animal
Repellent (capsaicin) 0.0 Ro-Pel (denatonium
saccharide) A. El Hani and M. R. Conover (1995)
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Home remedies
Human hair Garlic Soap Rotten egg mixture Etc.
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Factors that Influence Effectiveness.

• concentration of repellent
• palatability
• animal numbers (population size)
• alternate food choices
• size of treated area
• habituation

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Scare devices
Must be Saturday night again
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Shooting
Depredation permit from DFG required outside
hunting season
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Raccoon.

• 23 - 41 inches long
• Weigh up to 40 lb
• Occupies all habitats except alpine and deserts
  without water.Dens in tree cavities, snags,
  logs, rocky areas, and buildings.
• Active during throughout the year
• Diet animal matter (spring)
• grains, acorns, other nuts, and fruits (summer
  and fall)
• Home range 210 to 940 ac.
• Males territorial towards other males

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Raccoon.

• Breed January - March. (1 litter per year
  only)
• Gestation period 54 to 65 days.
• Young born March May
• Litter size 1 8
• Young weaned between 60 and 90 days and become
  somewhat independent by about 130 days.

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Management.
Trapping Wire mesh trap (10x12x30
inches). Scattered bait on the trail leading up
to the trap. Check traps at least once a day.
Exclusion Secure containers with tight-fitting
lids Electric fence 2-wires spaced 15 cm and
30 cm above the ground.
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Other furry friends.

• Nongame mammals
• Opossum
• Skunk
• Mice and Rats
• Game mammals
• Tree squirrel
• Jackrabbit
• Cottontail

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Birds
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Species
Native American crow Scrub jay Swallow Blackbird F
inch Woodpecker Sapsucker
Non-native Starling English house sparrow Pigeon
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Bird Identification ..
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Bird damage.

• Buds
• Fruit
• Tree trunks and branches
• Sprinklers
• Structures

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Management techniques
Hazing (scaring) Habitat modification Exclusion Re
pellents Lethal control (shooting, trapping)
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Hazing
Visual
Noise
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Habitat modification
Removal of cover or food resources
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Exclusion
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Repellents and flock dispersants.
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Lethal control
Many birds protected by Migratory Bird Treaty
Act USFWS depredation permit usually needed for
lethal control of native birds No permit
required for lethal control of non-native birds
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Laws you should know
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Trapping
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Swallows
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Damage
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Biology

• Insectivorous
• Catch prey on the wing
• 5 6 inches long
• Cliff swallow has a square tail
• Barn swallow has a forked tail

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Behavior

• Spend winter in South America
• Appear in CA in Feb Mar
• Require 1. Open habitat for foraging 2.
  Vertical surface beneath an overhang for nest 3.
  Mud supply 4. Fresh water supply
• Lay eggs before nest is complete (3 4 eggs
  laid)
• Will rebuild nest if it is destroyed

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Management options

• Do nothing
• Exclusion

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Fertility control
Many limitations

• delivery methods
• high cost
• non-target effects
• poor understanding of ecological effects

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Will it work?

• Nonlinear relationship between proportion
  sterilized and reduction in population density

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Good vertebrate pest management.

• Know the potential problems
• Alter the habitat (if possible) to minimize the
  damage potential
• Monitor for the pest species and damage
• Take cost-effective action if necessary
• Follow-up evaluation
• Continue monitoring