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Backyard Wildlife: Wild Turkey
Wild Turkey, Photo by Stephen M. Vantassel
(Scientific Name Meleagris gallopavo)
Chances are most of the readers of this blog don’t have turkeys visiting their backyard. However, if we were living a mere fifty years ago, the chances that any of us would have seen a wild turkey would have been pretty close to zero. At one time, wild turkeys were extirpated from large areas of their original range in the U.S. This decline in turkey populations resulted from unregulated hunting, habitat destruction and even the civil war. With greater awareness of the environment and stricter oversight, the turkey has returned to all of its original range. Turkeys can be found in all the lower 48 states and Hawaii. More locally, institutions such as the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife and the sportsmen and women who care about game animals have successfully returned the turkey to healthy population levels. The turkey is a prime example of how scientific wildlife management can work for the betterment of our environment.
When we learn a little more about the wild turkey, it is easy to understand why Benjamin Franklin wanted this animal to be the symbol of our country. While domesticated turkeys are pretty dumb, the same cannot be said of its wild counter part. Wild turkeys have excellent vision and hearing as any turkey hunter will confirm. They are a majestic bird and good eating. Their preferred method of fleeing danger is running where they can attain speeds of 12 mph. However, if necessary they can take to flight at speeds of up to 55 mph.
Male turkeys, called toms or gobblers, are easily distinguished from their female counterparts. Like most male birds, their colors are brighter and more expressive. Male turkeys can exhibit colors ranging from rust to green to golden. Female coloration, by contrast, tends to be a dull brown. Toms are also distinguishable by their larger size. Their average weight is 18-22 lbs, which is about twice as much as an average female. Dominant males have the privilege of mating with a large harem of hens (female turkeys). Non-dominant males just have to stand around. They are not allowed to mate because the dominant male won’t let them. With this sort of sexual pecking order, God ensured that the strongest males were siring the next generation of turkeys. Thus ensuring a better chance of the species survival. Mating occurs during the spring with the males putting on quite a show to attract females. Toms will strut, show off their plumage and make vocalizations. The gobble that is so recognizable is actually a mating call. However, you should know that a total of 28 calls have been identified. They range in meaning from let’s make little turkeys to flee there is danger here.
Two weeks after mating, females will lay about 12 eggs. The eggs are about the size of chicken eggs and have dark brown speckles on them. Unlike other birds, turkeys lay their eggs on the ground. The nest is typically little more than a scratched depression with a few leaves in it. Twenty eight days later the clutch (batch of turkey eggs) hatch. The young, called “poults”, will leave the nest quickly after hatching. In a few days they quickly learn how to catch insects. In one to two weeks, the poults can actually fly short distances. After 6 weeks of development, the poults begin eating plant material. It is estimated that only 35% of all the turkey nests ever hatch young. Predation by raccoons and opossums take a heavy toll on eggs. Of the eggs that hatch only 50% of the poults survive to maturity. It must be remembered that nature is a life and death struggle of tooth and claw.
Adult turkeys eat a wide variety of foods. This is to be expected since the best turkey habitat is a mixture of woods and fields. Turkeys eat grapes, blackberries, beechnuts and acorns, grains, grasses, ferns and insects. They also have been known to eat snakes, frogs, lizards, salamanders and crabs. Note that turkeys are not scavengers. They don’t eat dead animals like an eagle would. I understand that it was the eagle’s propensity to eat dead animals that turned Benjamin Franklin against the eagle as the national symbol.
The best time to look for turkeys is early morning or late afternoon. It seems these are the times they like to forage. Don’t forget to look for them in trees. They do roost in trees during the night time and when they flee danger. I would suggest binoculars because turkeys are a cautious bunch. They won’t let you get too close.
If you would like to learn more about wild turkeys I would suggest you visit the National Wildlife Turkey Federation website at http://www.nwtf.org/. Next time someone calls you a turkey, ask him do you mean a wild turkey or a domesticated turkey. If he says, “What is the difference?”. You will now be able to tell him.
About the Author
Stephen M. Vantassel is a certified wildlife control operator who helps individuals, businesses, and agencies resolve wildlife damage issues through training, writing, expert witness, and research. His latest books are the Wildlife Damage Inspection Handbook, 3rd edition and The Practical Guide to the Control of Feral Cats. He can be contacted at wildlifecontrolconsultant at gmail dot com.
If you would like your publication, video, or product reviewed, please contact the author at the e-mail above.
Copyright
All postings are the property of Stephen M. Vantassel and Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC. Text (not images) may be reprinted in non-profit publications provided that the author and website URL is included. If images wish to be used, explicit and written permission must be obtained from Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC.
Book review: animal control management: a new look at a public responsibility. By Stephen Aronson. West Lafayette, Indiana: Purdue University press, 2010. 400 pages.
When I requested to review this book, I thought it dealt with wildlife damage control. The cover showed a coyote and so I assumed that the phrase “animal control management” was referring to wildlife. Upon reading the book, I quickly realized that my preconception was wrong. This text delves into animal control as in dog catcher or animal control officer hired by your local community.
The back cover says Aronson was a government official at both the local and state level and had extensive experience in animal control programs. And the book proves that statement’s truthfulness. The book is quite detailed as suggested by its 400 page length. Aronson clearly did his homework and writes with the thoroughness of someone who has researched and lived the subject. You might think that this book would have no value for those involved in trapping or wildlife control. But you would be mistaken. For many of the topics relevant to animal control also apply to wildlife control, if only by analogy. For instance Aronson notes that the cost of running an animal control program is approximately 4 dollars per person per year/ so if you’re looking to provide animal control services for a community, you should be looking to charge at least four dollars per person per year in your quote. His list of questions related to budgeting is a must read for beginning wildlife control operators who too often worry about the prevailing rate rather than determining what they need to charge to make a living. Elsewhere, Aronson provides a list of people and services that you should know about in order to properly service and refer your customers.
Though much of the book deals with principles rather than concrete specifics, Aronson provides numerous case studies to provide concrete illustrations of issues (and how to handle them). Though some may be fictional they are realistic enough to be applicable to many communities across the country. If you are or hope to do work for major corporations or municipalities, a careful reading of this book will provide an abundance of tips that will reduce the likelihood of your making a big error.
If you want this book to tell you what types of traps catch poles and vehicles to purchase this is not the book for you. This text is not about the nuts and bolts of performing animal control it is about the operational level and management issues involved in running animal control services in a community. But if you want to know pitfalls of contracts, handling workers, political issues, public relations, running audits, and the nuances of legislation and regulation than this book will not disappoint.
The book is available through Amazon.com. It is a bit expensive at around $40. But for those wildlife control operators willing to spend the time in its pages the cost will be more than worth it.
About the Author
Stephen M. Vantassel is a certified wildlife control operator who helps individuals, businesses, and agencies resolve wildlife damage issues through training, writing, expert witness, and research. His latest books are the Wildlife Damage Inspection Handbook, 3rd edition and The Practical Guide to the Control of Feral Cats. He can be contacted at wildlifecontrolconsultant at gmail dot com.
If you would like your publication, video, or product reviewed, please contact the author at the e-mail above.
Copyright
All postings are the property of Stephen M. Vantassel and Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC. Text (not images) may be reprinted in non-profit publications provided that the author and website URL is included. If images wish to be used, explicit and written permission must be obtained from Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC.
Fences are Not Non-Lethal Control Methods
Fences are not a non-lethal as you might think. Photo credit: gfpeck.
Animal rights protest industry activists regularly claim that lethal control of wildlife is cruel and unnecessary because non-lethal control options are available. Fencing is one of the techniques touted as the solution to many human-wildlife conflicts. While fencing is certainly an option, the cost of fencing can raise concerns regarding economic justice. But that is the subject of another blog.
My point is simply to say that fencing is not necessarily a non-lethal form of control and it certainly it is not a benign a solution as suggested. I have published an article debunking the binary distinction between lethal and non-lethal control. You can read it at http://www.berrymaninstitute.org/journal/fall2012/p._335-338_Commentary.pdf .
But the effect of fences on wildlife is not just an abstract or philosophical point. It’s real. Fences can and do kill. Massachusetts Wildlife magazine article “An Incident of Antler Entanglement” (no author given) 2012 (67:4) pp. 22-3 tells of a two whitetail bucks whose antlers were entangled in electric fence wire. One died and the other was dragging the dead deer around trying to survive.
Lest you think this is just an isolated incident, consider the publication A Landowner’s Guide to Building Wildlife Friendly Fences: How to Build a Fence with Wildlife in Mind, 2nd ed. Revised and updated, 2012 a publication by the Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks Department. This 56 page document shows how fences both in agricultural and residential use kill wildlife.
Bottom Line
The next time someone tells you that fences are non-lethal, remind him/her that fences can and do kill. And that possibly lethal control now and not building a fence may be a better long-term option for both your client and the animals.
About the Author
Stephen M. Vantassel is a certified wildlife control operator who helps individuals, businesses, and agencies resolve wildlife damage issues through training, writing, expert witness, and research. His latest book is the Wildlife Damage Inspection Handbook, 3rd edition. He can be contacted at wildlifecontrolconsultant at gmail dot com.
If you would like your publication, video, or product reviewed, please contact the author at the e-mail above.
Copyright
All postings are the property of Stephen M. Vantassel and Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC. Text (not images) may be reprinted in non-profit publications provided that the author and website URL is included. If images wish to be used, explicit and written permission must be obtained from Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC.
Portable Tweezers
Wildlife damage inspection doesn’t require many tools. But when trying to identify scat, it can be helpful to have access to a pair of tweezers to enable the removal and closer investigation of small particles contained in the scat. Particles, such as hair, seeds, and insect exoskeleton can be used to narrow down the list of potential species that deposited the scat as well as help determine what the animal was eating. Other uses would be include tick and sliver removal, but I would not encourage use of the same tweezers for both tasks.
The PockeTWeez™ is a portable tweezer that can be carried on your key ring. It has a full-metal design. Just push the tweezers through the outer metal to use. When finished, just swing the jaws back inside the metal shell and you will be protected from the sharp tips. I have added it to my key ring after receiving it as a gift this past Christmas. Though I haven’t had the opportunity yet to use the tweezer yet, it appears to be well made. I think it can make a good addition to the Leatherman™ or multi-tool you should be carrying also.
To learn more about the product visit www.pocketweez.com
Diclaimer: I have no financial relationship with the manufacturer and have not been compensated in any form for this article.
About the Author
Stephen M. Vantassel is a certified wildlife control operator who helps individuals, businesses, and agencies resolve wildlife damage issues through training, writing, expert witness, and research. His latest book is the Wildlife Damage Inspection Handbook, 3rd edition. He can be contacted at wildlifecontrolconsultant at gmail dot com.
If you would like your publication, video, or product reviewed, please contact the author at the e-mail above.
Copyright
All postings are the property of Stephen M. Vantassel and Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC. Text (not images) may be reprinted in non-profit publications provided that the author and website URL is included. If images wish to be used, explicit and written permission must be obtained from Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC.
Urban garden (Photo credits: One Fine Stay)
Roof Top Gardens: A Potential Opportunity?
As more and more cities begin to convert roof tops into gardens, I wondered whether these micro-habitats might become an opportunity for wildlife control operators. We all know that habitat is necessary for wildlife. Typically, intensive urban areas are biological dead zones, inhospitable areas for most wildlife, except pigeons and commensal rodents. Now that gardens, food plots are being placed on roofs, these dead zones may result in sufficient habitat for wildlife. Time will tell. But I would love to hear your thoughts.
Source: Conservation Winter 2012.
About the Author
Stephen M. Vantassel is a certified wildlife control operator who helps individuals, businesses, and agencies resolve wildlife damage issues through training, writing, expert witness, and research. His latest book is the Wildlife Damage Inspection Handbook, 3rd edition. He can be contacted at wildlifecontrolconsultant at gmail dot com.
If you would like your publication, video, or product reviewed, please contact the author at the e-mail above.
Copyright
All postings are the property of Stephen M. Vantassel and Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC. Text (not images) may be reprinted in non-profit publications provided that the author and website URL is included. If images wish to be used, explicit and written permission must be obtained from Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC.
Necropsy and Carcass Removal Safety
Sometimes in wildlife damage management you have to perform a necropsy in order to identify how an animal has died or remove a dead animal carcass. Necropsies are necessary in order to rule out natural causes and to positively identify the likelihood of predation. Carcass removals must be done due to reduce odor or reduce unsanitary conditions. But as can be expected necropsies and carcass removal involve risk. You have to protect yourself from possibility that this animal died from some sort of zoonotic infection. Here are some tips or strategies to protect yourself while you’re performing the necropsy or carcass removal.
Key Steps
1. Be aware that you are at risk. Handling dead animals exposes you to the bacteria, viruses, and parasites that were resident in the animals.
Minimum protective equipment for standard necropsies.
2. Safety equipment only works if you wear it. Sounds silly but how often have you stuck your head up in to an attic without protecting yourself because it was just for a “second”? Wear your equipment before you begin handling the animal!!!
3. Collect the appropriate equipment. Equipment you need to include not limited to:
- large contractor style trash bags(3 mm thick),
- scalpels,
- headlamp,
- note pad and pen
- shovel,
- camera, for documentation
- Personal Protection Equipment:
- protective eye goggles,
- properly sized surgical gloves (multiple sets),
- Tyvek suite,
- rubber boots,
- duct tape to seal any gaps
- insect repellent,
- waterless hand sanitizer and wipes, and
- N95 respirator (minimum). Cleaning supplies will be necessary if your mask is not disposable.
Before wearing your respirator, get fit tested and medically cleared. Respirators reduce air flow. Individuals who have trouble breathing may suffer respiratory distress while wearing a respirator. You also must have a written Respiratory Protection Plan. To see what is involved visit http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=12716 If you want to read something in English rather than Governmentese then visit http://www.ehso.com/respprotection02.htm.
Bottom Line
Food for thought. Understand that the information here is a suggested minimum standard. Ultimately, the level of protection you need is dependent on a lot of variables that haven’t been accounted for here. It is possible that you need less protection in certain circumstances. However, you also may need more protection. The key is to err on the side of caution.
Always monitor your health in the weeks following necropsy work. Zoonotic infections mimic the symptoms of the Flu. Always tell your physician that you work with wildlife and may have been exposed to zoonotic diseases. Doing so could save your life.
About the Author
Stephen M. Vantassel is a certified wildlife control operator who helps individuals, businesses, and agencies resolve wildlife damage issues through training, writing, expert witness, and research. His latest book is the Wildlife Damage Inspection Handbook, 3rd edition. He can be contacted at wildlifecontrolconsultant at gmail dot com.
If you would like your publication, video, or product reviewed, please contact the author at the e-mail above.
Copyright
All postings are the property of Stephen M. Vantassel and Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC. Text (not images) may be reprinted in non-profit publications provided that the author and website URL is included. If images wish to be used, explicit and written permission must be obtained from Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC.
Questions Reporters Won’t Ask Animal Rights Protest Industry Activists
Reporters have a tough job. They have to investigate complex issues and do so under incredible (perhaps) impossible deadlines. It is these deadlines that force them to ask (or more often fail to ask) key questions. After all, the 5 o’clock evening news isn’t really about news it’s about entertainment. News doesn’t get ratings. Entertainment does.
Nevertheless, in an attempt to help reporters ask good questions of the animal rights protest industry, I have provided a list for them to use below.
Questions That Should be Asked After a Pet is Caught in a Trap.
Q. Why do dog and pet owners have more right to the land than trappers? Isn’t the legal principle that those who were here first, get the right of way? (i.e. this principle is why pedestrians are supposed to have the right of way).
Q. Why do pet owners have the right to let their pets roam free on public land year-round? Shouldn’t trappers have a right to trap public lands for the few months that state seasons allow?
Q. You assert that traps are dangerous to pets. But aren’t pet feces a greater threat to the environment than the traps you oppose?
Q. Why should trapping/traps be banned because you pet was caught in a trap? Would you ask to ban cars because your pet was hurt by a car?
Q. Why should trapping/traps be banned or further restricted when the trap that harmed your pet was already illegal?
Q. Why should it matter that only a few people trap? Are you suggesting that the majority oppress the minority?
Carpenter, David. 2010. A Hunter’s Confession. Vancouver, B.C.: D. and M. Publishers Inc.
Remington buffalorunners (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
A Hunter’s Confession is a memoir and an essay on the morality and meaning of hunting. Carpenter brings his superb prose and extensive hunting experience together in a book that openly discusses the moral dilemmas of a hunter. No matter where you are on the position of animal-rights and the role of the consumptive use of wildlife, readers will find much to ponder.
Carpenter explains how his attitude toward hunting has changed as he’s gotten older. He thoughtfully explains how he transitioned from being a body-count hunter (one who hunted to fill the bag-limit) to one who entered wild places to experience a more spiritual interaction with nature. He decries what he sees as the overemphasis on trophy and high animal counts in much hunting literature and hunting lore. He is concerned with the protection of open space and wildlands and wonders whether hunting is playing a role in the degradation and lack of respect for nature. Yet, Carpenter does not adopt a simplistic condemnation of hunting. He knows that hunting has been a force of good for protecting wildlife and open spaces. He also sees immense value from the hunting practices and philosophy of the Native Americans. In this regard, the author is somewhat conflicted, and honestly so, about hunting and its role both for the hunter and the broader society.
I commend the author for his emotional transparency and taking on the difficult questions such as bloodlust, and environmental degradation. Too often the socio-relational and moral elements of hunting are not considered in a thoughtful way. I just wish the author provided an answer to the dilemmas and problems he reveals.
On the negative side, Carpenter fails to provide proper distinctions. He neglected to distinguish between regulated hunting and poaching when he spoke of the impact hunting has had on wildlife populations. Additionally, he falls victim to the old canard that dominionism is somehow opposed to the respect for nature view and has caused the domination of the environment. His simplistic and inaccurate understanding of Christian teaching on humanity’s role as manager of the environment is unfortunate but a common one among non-Christians.
Nevertheless, his question, “Why do you hunt?” should be answered by all hunters (trappers) and those who use wildlife in a consumptive manner. Likewise, his point is well made when he asks, “Are you hunting to fill a void in your life or are you hunting to connect to nature in a deeper way than just simply observing?” I find these questions poignant. It is because Carpenter asks these questions in such a powerful way that I recommend this book for those interested in exploring these questions. I would simply suggest that these questions should be asked to non-hunters as well as all activities in nature are subject to the selfishness and egoism rampant in the human heart.
The book is available at Amazon.com for 14.00. A number of used copies are available also for less than 3.00.
About the Author
Stephen M Vantassel http://wildlifecontrolconsultant.com specializes in wildlife damage management and has a particular interest in environmental ethics.
Are Foothold Traps Indiscriminate?
This size trap is what the animal rights protest industry wants you to think is what the majority of trappers are using. Image via Wikipedia
One of the charges that Animal Rights Protest Industry Activists lay against trappers and wildlife control operators (WCOs) is that footholds are indiscriminate. Typically this charge is coupled with “cruel” but for this post I only want to discuss the indiscriminate charge.
The accusation usually goes like this. This trap (fill in the blank) needs to be banned because it can’t distinguish between target (the desired animal in need of control) and the non-target animal (the animal that is not sought to be controlled). The idea is to make traps appear to be these lurking threats in the landscape that are waiting to harm everything.
Here are the facts about foothold trapping
1. If your definition of indiscriminate requires a standard of 100% accuracy then, the animal rights protest claim is correct. Traps are indiscriminate if the standard is perfection. But notice, this standard also rules out cage and box traps (often mistakenly called “live traps). Furthermore, even hunting is not 100% selective as noted by the fact that humans, livestock, and non-game animals also get shot.
2. For those willing to have a more reasonable standard, then footholds can be decidedly selective. Here’s how.
a. Location. Trappers select sites where the desired animals are likely to go. For instance, placing a trap in water (particularly cold water of November through February) make is very unlikely to catch non-targets.
b. Bait. Certain lures and baits are more likely to attract some animals over others.
c. Trap type. Certain traps are designed to capture certain animals while avoiding others, e.g. Collarum, Lil’ Grizz, etc. While these traps are not typically called, footholds, animal rights protest activists hate them too as demonstrated by their proffering Question 1 in Massachusetts (which ultimately was passed by an ignorant and misinformed voting public) in 1996.
d. Trap size. Small traps are less likely to catch large animals.
e. Pan Tension. The pan is the disk in the middle of the foothold that triggers the trap when depressed. By increasing pan tension, trappers make it harder for lighter animals to fire the trap.
So the bottom line, just as guns don’t kill people, people kill people, traps are only as good or bad as the person who uses them. Unfortunately, in our soundbite society, it is easier for people to demonize a tool rather than to understand the complexities of reality.
About the Author
Stephen M. Vantassel is a certified wildlife control professional who has a great interest in the way the animal rights protest industry distorts the facts about wildlife management and consumptive sports. His dissertation on the animal rights movement was published in a book entitled, Dominion over Wildlife? An Environmental-Theology of Human-Wildlife Relations (Wipf and Stock, 2009). He has written many articles on the animal rights protest industry and actively seeks opportunities to debate them to set the record straight.
CDC provides quality information on diseases of concern to public health such as Hantavirus. Image via Wikipedia
Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome
Hantavirus infection is a serious disease contracted from inhaling or coming into physical contact with droppings and rodents contaminated with the virus. With a 30% death rate for those infected, it is scary enough to warrant caution.
Don’t be Paranoid Get Educated
The challenge in getting information on zoonotic diseases is to find information that is both accurate and readable. Thankfully, the good people at the Centers for Disease Control have created a booklet on the subject.
Download your pdf at http://www.cdc.gov/hantavirus/pdf/HPS_Brochure.pdf . You will be glad you did.
About the Author
Stephen M. Vantassel is a certified wildlife control professional and is available for consultation, writing, research, and public speaking about wildlife damage management issues and the dangers of the animal rights protest industry.
