July 30, 2013 by Stephen M. Vantassel Leave a Comment

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.

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, 3^rd 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.

March 15, 2013 by Stephen M. Vantassel

Coyote (Canis latrans) Scat

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.

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, 3^rd 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

February 3, 2013 by Stephen M. Vantassel

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, 3^rd 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

January 17, 2013 by Stephen M. Vantassel

Coyote (Canis latrans) Predation Research in Virginia

Over the past 30 years, coyotes have expanded their range dramatically. Whereas they originally only resided in the mid to western states of the U.S., today coyotes can be found throughout the eastern seaboard. As a top carnivore, biologists want to know what coyotes are eating.

Research of scats has revealed that 2/3 of coyote scats studied in 2011 contained deer. A similar percentage was found in bobcat scats. Black bear scats, however, revealed the presence of deer in only 36% of the scats. The scat study was limited to Virginia.

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.

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, 3^rd 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.