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California Wildlife Tracks and Scat by Mark Elbroch

California Wildlife Tracks and Scat by Mark Elbroch

I love Mark Elbroch’s books. This is another good one.

Animal Tracks and Scat of California by Mark Elbroch.
Animal Tracks and Scat of California by Mark Elbroch.

As expected, the text covers species within the borders of California in great detail and superb illustrations and descriptions. If you live or work in California this text will be invaluable to you.

But I humbly suggest that even if you don’t live in California, reading technical tracking texts help reinforce the skills and attention to detail necessary to improve your tracking skills. The otherness of California species will force you to “see” sign differently and with more attention because you won’t be numbed by familiar animals.

If you are serious about the tracking, this book should be on your shelf.

Likewise, the information about scats help you understand the important of shape, size, inclusions, and context. You cannot go wrong with this book.

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.

 

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Coyote Scat (Canis latrans)

Coyote Scat (Canis latrans)

There are several clues to help you distinguish coyote scat from the scat of other canids (I.e. dogs). The scat (a.k.a. excrement, feces) of wild predators (i.e. animals that eat other animals) is typically filled with objects, such as bones, hair, seeds from fruit etc. In contrast, the scat of domestic dogs usually lacks inclusions because the food that dogs get is finely ground. Dog food doesn’t contain chips of bone, hair or seeds.

Coyote scat (Canis latrans) made as part of a kids learning project.

Coyote scat in winter often is full of hair. In this case it looks like deer hair, likely from feeding on deer killed by cars or hunting. Scats are approximately 1/2 inch wide and placed along trails and intersections of trails. Scats can also appear like twisted ropes.

To learn more about identifying scat purchase the Wildlife Damage Inspection Handbook, 3rd ed.

Stephen M. Vantassel, CWCP, ACE, is the owner of Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC. He helps people restore their balance with nature through publishing, training, consulting, and the internet. He has published numerous articles in trade and academic publications available at {Stephen’s Academia.edu Page} along with several books {WCC Store}). Listen to his podcast “Living the Wild Life” at {Pest Geek Podcast}. Please subscribe to {Stephen’s YouTube Channel} He is a sought after speaker and trainer. If you would like to have Stephen speak at your event or use his consultation services, send an e-mail to wildlifecontrolconsultant@gmail.com. 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.

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Portable Tweezers

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.

PockeTweez is an easy way to carry tweezers.
PockeTweez is an easy way to carry tweezers.

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.

Follow up: I have had the opportunity to use the tweezers. They take a little getting used to. The jaw opening is a bit narrow so you need to have the ability to focus on small items to get the insect leg or wing in proper position to pinch. I also would suggest taking the tweezers off your key chain (I was too lazy to do so and it affected the ease of use).

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.

Stephen M. Vantassel, CWCP, ACE, is the owner of Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC. He helps people restore their balance with nature through publishing, training, consulting, and the internet. He has published numerous articles in trade and academic publications available at {Stephen’s Academia.edu Page} along with several books {WCC Store}). Listen to his podcast “Living the Wild Life” at {Pest Geek Podcast}. Please subscribe to {Stephen’s YouTube Channel} He is a sought after speaker and trainer. If you would like to have Stephen speak at your event or use his consultation services, send an e-mail to wildlifecontrolconsultant@gmail.com. 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.

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Coyote (Canis latrans) Predation Research in Virginia

Coyote (Canis latrans) Predation Research in Virginia

A portrait picture of a coyote, Canis latrans.
Canis latrans: a coyote in Arizona (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Coyote predation is a significant concern for ranchers, herdsmen and hunters. Historically, coyotes were only located on the Great Plains in the mid-west and western states. But changes in land use allowed coyotes to significantly expand their range in the United States. Today, coyotes can be found throughout the eastern seaboard. As a top carnivore, biologists want to know what coyotes are eating and whether accusations that coyotes are eating too many deer is true or not.

Research on coyote scats has revealed that 2/3 of coyote scats studied in 2011 contained deer remains. In other words, coyotes were eating deer. But were the coyotes responsible for predating on deer? Or were the coyotes simply eating deer that had died from vehicle strikes, disease, gun-shot or arrow wounds etc.? In other words, did the deer die from direct coyote predation or something else? If something else, then charges that coyotes are harming deer populations would be unfounded.

Interestingly, the study found that bobcat (Lynx rufus) scats contained a similar percentage of deer in bobcat scats. Black bear (Ursus americanus) scats, however, revealed the presence of deer in only 36% of the black bear scats. Keep in mind that this study was limited to the state of Virginia. So use caution when using Virginia scat data to base conclusions about predator behavior in other environments and states.

These findings show that scientists need to learn more about the cumulative effect of these predators on deer populations. Since deer are an important resource, learning more about the interactions of predation is particularly relevant to wildlife management officials.

Source: Bock, Bob. 2012. Coyote Research in Virginia. Wildlife Professional 6:3(Fall):74.

Stephen M. Vantassel, CWCP, ACE, is the owner of Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC. He helps people restore their balance with nature through publishing, training, consulting, and the internet. He has published numerous articles in trade and academic publications available at {Stephen’s Academia.edu Page} along with several books {WCC Store}). Listen to his podcast “Living the Wild Life” at {Pest Geek Podcast}. Please subscribe to {Stephen’s YouTube Channel} He is a sought after speaker and trainer. If you would like to have Stephen speak at your event or use his consultation services, send an e-mail to wildlifecontrolconsultant@gmail.com. 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.

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