Animal Control

Prevention

Prevention is a key step in nuisance animal control. Learning to live with wildlife rather than trying to constantly combat intruding animals will be easier for you and your family. Knowing some wildlife basics can be helpful. Providing abundant food, water, and shelter in your yard will surely attract wild animals. Taking these steps can reduce this:

• Birdseed can attract deer, coyotes are attracted to mice that may feed on spilled seed, and squirrels always take advantage of hung feeders. Using thistle seed instead of sunflower seeds or corn can attract songbirds that discourage the attraction of opossums, raccoons, and squirrels. Never let bird seed accumulate under feeders.
• Secure trash receptacles, feed pets indoors, and always deposit food scraps for composting in a sealed container.
• Fencing around a property or individual plants keeps nibblers away.
• Reduce possible shelter areas. Remove tall grass, brush piles, or debris from yard. Stack wood away from your house, remove dead trees and deny access to your roof by trimming trees to allow a ten-foot gap. 
• Secure access points with mesh hardware cloth or other barriers in places like chimneys, attic vents, and under decks and porches. Always check home for damage, as animals can use any weakness in your foundation or roof to gain entry.
• Repellents (like liquid fences, plant sprays, scent capsules) can be a useful tool to keep animals away from garden plants or property. 
• Frightening devices such as strobe lights, guard animals, balloons with eyespots or plastic owls, or reflective tape can keep wild animals at bay.

Solutions

Wildlife control officers, DNR employees, or animal control centers in your state can be a valuable resource for dealing with any wildlife questions or concerns. They will be able to tell you exactly how to deal with your wildlife problem. If you still have major wildlife issues on your property and choose to deal with your wild animal removal yourself, there are things you must know before moving forward:

• In most states, it is illegal to take, kill, possess, sell, or keep wildlife as a pet without a permit.
• Birds, snakes, and other reptiles or amphibians can also fall under their own protection and often times it is illegal to kill or remove these animals from your property.
• If you want to trap, kill, or otherwise remove a nuisance animal from your property, always contact a local animal control, wildlife control, or DNR employee before taking action to make sure you can carry out the process legally and safely. Permits must be granted for most animal control removal.