DEALING WITH NUISANCE WILDLIFE
Most people enjoy seeing wildlife, but when wild animals are in the wrong place at the wrong time (like bears at your birdfeeder, skunks under your porch, or deer in the garden) you need a strategy. When wildlife/human conflicts occur, it's important to remember that there are no easy solutions. Each wildlife problem is unique and you need to have some understanding of the animal and the available control methods before beginning any control strategy.
To prevent human/wildlife conflicts, it's important to have an understanding of the wildlife that you may be dealing with. Remember that basic wildlife requirements are food, cover and space.The fundamental first step in controlling a wildlife problem is to keep these wildlife requirements in mind and make prudent modifications in your own behavior.
Control techniques:
- Remove what's attracting the wildlife,
- Use barriers (such as a fence), or
- Remove the wildlife (only if necessary and as allowed by State and local laws and regulations)
It is critical to combine or integrate these basic control techniques with an understanding of the wildlife to be controlled. However, we encourage people experiencing human/wildlife conflicts to contact professionals with the technical training and experience to properly guide you in your wildlife conflict decision-making process.
For on-line resources on living with wildlife, go to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources website at:
http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/livingwith_wildlife/index.html
To locate other MNDNR Offices across the state, go to: