Nuisance Animal Control

by Randy Reek

We are all Nature Lovers - UNTIL Nature gets

TOO close and EXPENSIVE!

Randy has been a hunter and trapper for over 50 years. He has hunted large and small game from the Mexican border to far northern Canada. Based on this experience, over the years, he has also been asked to help friends and neighbors with animal problems. This has ranged from squirrels in the attic to armadillos in the shrubbery.

Randy is a member of the Wisconsin Trappers Association and has been called on to remove "nuisance animals". An animal becomes a nuisance when it invades our homes or damages property.

Muskrat Invasion of Your Pond

One of the most common problems is muskrats tunneling into pond banks. Once the tunneling starts, the bank will be continuously riddled with hollows - which eventually collapse. The only solution is removing the muskrats. These creatures can have two or three litters per year. If you don't drastically reduce the population, you will soon be overrun.

If you see a muskrat in your pond or waterway, you can be assured that there are MANY more! Trapping muskrats causing damage can be conducted year-round, with no limits or seasons. Muskrat trapping is 100% kill trapping. Relocation is NOT a possibility. Contact Randy to schedule an inspection of your property. For more information, please see also the Muskrat Control articles on my Blog.

Beaver Control and Removal

Beavers suddenly appear. You may not spot these nocturnal animals until you see sticks clogging a culvert - or your prized trees cut down! These industrious rodents can damage or cut down multiple trees OVERNIGHT! Beavers will also tunnel into the banks of ponds to create a warm lodge to live in over the winter

The good news is that beavers are largely territorial for most of the year and can be trapped in your pond. The bad news is that removing beavers on your lakefront or riverfront property will be only a temporary solution until juvenile beavers strike out to claim their territory in the Spring

In either case, contact Randy to assess the damage and make a control plan. There is no closed season for removing beavers that are causing damage to your property. Beaver trapping is 100% kill trapping. There is NO option for relocation. Contact Randy to schedule an inspection of your property. For more information, please see also the Beaver Control articles on my Blog.

Squirrels are VERY Destructive!

Squirrels are rodents - in the same family as beavers. But squirrels gnaw on YOUR HOUSE, not your trees! These playful creatures will invade your home and can cause THOUSANDS of dollars in damage.

Squirrel problems require THREE solutions:

First, get ALL the squirrels out of your house. This requires "exclusion devices" that only allow an exit.

Second, trap the offending critters.

Third, exterminate the offenders and/or relocate the trapped squirrels.

Squirrel trapping does NOT address the damage that they have inflicted. You will need to contract with a roofer and/or carpenter to make the required repairs. Note that squirrels take advantage of pre-existing construction flaws that leave gaps or soft areas due to water damage.

There is no closed season for removing squirrels that are causing damage to your property. Randy will set the traps and continue to check these traps daily. The resident sets the budget and decides when the mission is complete. The homeowner or resident is responsible for repairs to prevent reinfestation. Contact Randy to schedule an inspection of your property. For more information, please see also the Squirrel Control articles on my Blog.

Raccoons can be some of the most destructive critters.

If you have raccoons causing problems in your trash cans, more careful containment and enclosure is the only solution. These "trash pandas" are opportunists, and if you keep your garbage contained, they will move on to your less conscientious neighbors.

But raccoons are also notorious for invading farm buildings and homes. Raccoons do not hibernate like bears. But they seek shelter to weather the cold winter, and then venture out during thaws. They also seek a quiet area to give birth in the Spring and raise their litters.

This natural tendency unfortunately means that they will find the tiniest opening in a soffit, eave, or skirting and chew a doorway into your attic or crawl space. Raccoons LOVE hay barns, sheds, and abandoned buildings. Once inside, they will not only leave behind structural damage but piles of toxic droppings that harbor viruses transferable to humans.

If you see raccoons on your roof or hear them in the attic, you need to take swift action. Raccoons are also a problem when they find your bird feeders or chicken coop, livestock feed bunks, or pet doors!

There is NO CLOSED SEASON for raccoons that are causing damage to your property. Randy will set a combination of live traps and lethal traps to remove the adult and juvenile raccoons. Note that some raccoons are pretty wiley, especially if they have been repeatedly trapped and relocated by the homeowner or your neighbors! Contact Randy to schedule an inspection of your property. For more information, please see also the Raccoon Control articles on my Blog.

Skunks are some of the MOST feared wild invaders!

Homeowners are often frantic when they spot a skunk under their bird feeder or in their garden - for good reason! First, skunks are NOT solitary animals. If you see one, there will be MORE. Second, skunks are destructive and will tear up your garden and lawns, dig holes in landscaping, and invade your chicken coop. Third, skunks are often carriers of rabies and other diseases.

Skunks also have little fear of humans and LOVE to make their home under your porch, in your shed, woodpile, or barns. Skunks are VERY intolerant of your family dogs!

The GOOD NEWS is that Randy can capture these invaders! The BAD NEWS is that complete eradication may take many days to trap the entire family unit. Then there is always the possibility of startling the skunks and getting sprayed. The juvenile skunks are the WORST!

If you see or smell a skunk, call Randy immediately. Trapping these stinky trespassers requires setting multiple live traps - and then checking the traps continually. Trapped skunks must be removed from the area. Most will be humanely euthanized. VERY occasionally, a skunk might be relocated. But a released skunk only becomes educated and will always be someone else's problem.

Skunks are unprotected in Wisconsin and there is NO CLOSED SEASON for trapping and removal. Contact Randy to schedule an inspection of your property. For more information, please see also the Skunk Control articles on my Blog.

Wood chucks - or groundhogs - can be elusive pests

The common woodchuck is a burrowing rodent that normally excavates a burrow in a secluded hillside. But these animals often take the easy option of creating a warm nest under porches or sheds. Then their lifestyle conflicts with the home owner, and often the family pets.

Groundhogs love to feed on ornamental plantings and backyard gardens. They will happily occupy your firewood stack, carport, or outbuildings and graze carefree on your lawn and expensive plantings.

Like all rodents, woodchucks have large litters. If you see the evidence of one - holes along the foundation of a building, or an actual siting in your garden - you can be assured that there are more around. They are seldom solitary animals.

Woodchucks are unprotected in Wisconsin and there is NO CLOSED SEASON for trapping and removal. Trapping groundhogs is a challenge because they are often surrounded by many food sources. It might take many days to lure a skittish woodchuck into a box trap. Contact Randy to schedule an inspection of your property. For more information, please see also the Woodchuck Control articles on my Blog.

Nuisance Animal Control EQUALS trapping

If animals have invaded your buildings or property, the ONLY solution is trapping. Using firearms around your residence is usually not an option. "Scaring them away" is not a long-term solution. If you are interested in the permanent removal of the problem animals, give Randy a call.

Also note that in most cases, trapping equals DEATH for the offending animal. In a very few cases, a problem squirrel, woodchuck or raccoon might be caught in a "live trap", then transported miles away for release. This is the exception, however. In most cases, the offending muskrats, beaver, squirrels, raccoons, or woodchucks will be killed onsite. Skunks will be removed and dispatched in a safe area.

Do NOT contact Randy to inquire about live trapping muskrats or beavers! If you want 100% of the raccoons, squirrels, and groundhogs removed from your buildings, kill traps MUST be employed.

Also note that nuisance animal control is an expensive, time-consuming process. Expensive traps must be properly set, then checked at least once daily. This means that there will be an initial set-up expense and ongoing operational charges. Some animal offenders may elude traps for many days. You will be REQUIRED to set an upper limit to the total expense, but this may not guarantee the full elimination of the animal problem. Added costs, such as the removal and relocation of trapped animals may also apply.

The conditions that attracted the animals in the first place may lead to "repeat offenders" in the future - including migrating animals or even relocated animals that have returned to your property. If a problem animal has taken up residence in or under a building, you can guarantee that another animal will find the same entry point if you don't make the necessary repairs. Animal removal does not include structural repairs to your buildings or restoration of plantings or shoreline. Randy can offer basic repairs, in some cases. Often, extensive repairs will require a roofer and/or carpenter.

Cost estimates: The MINIMUM cost will be $100.00 for set-up, trapping, and animal removal. Every day of trap checks and animal removal will add to the total expense. There is a cost to remove the animal and reset the trap. This cost is PER ANIMAL - regardless if it is a mouse, chipmunk, or 40-pound beaver. It is up to the landowner or resident to set the MAXIMUM budget in advance.

Randy offers nuisance animal removal only because he is an avid outdoorsman. This is not a profitable business, and furs have little value. The landowner or resident will be REQUIRED to sign both a service estimate AND a 100% release of all liability for these services. Please contact Randy for an estimate or to schedule an on-site visit to assess the problem.