Sharing space with nature

As breeding season approaches, learn ways to coexist with local wildlife while protecting your property

‘Tis the season for cooler weather, daylight savings is in full effect and multiple wildlife species are weeks away from beginning their respective breeding seasons.

Coyotes and skunks, for example, will be on the move from January to March looking for a mate as well as places to raise their respective young; under homes, in barns and around outbuildings are all ideal temporary residences.

What’s a property owner, or homeowner to do?

First, enjoy the presence of any wildlife, and second, understand that everything is a trade-off.

• The same sunflower seeds that can attract cardinals to a yard in the winter can also help to feed hungry squirrels looking for shelter in an attic.
• Feeding and leaving bowls of pet food outside can attract opossums and raccoons to the back porch.
• Livestock feeders that are kept full can provide easy-pickings for packrats and field mice.

Second, remember that some problems require creative solutions.

• Treating a lawn for grubs in the spring and fall can help to curtail armadillo damage in the winter and spring months.
• Preventing birds from nesting over porches, and in rafters, can remove food sources for hungry reptiles like snakes.
• Closing garage doors and barn doors, versus leaving them open for extended periods of time, can limit access for unwanted animals looking to escape the cold.

Third, consider changing the habitat of a property instead of completely removing a species.

• Trim the lower limbs of trees and shrubs in a yard to discourage wildlife bedding areas.
• Building fences around gardens and orchards can help to stop Whitetail deer browsing.
• Introduce alternative water sources to relocate wildlife away from livestock areas.

Lastly, accept the reality that a farm, ranch or residence could have previously been another animal’s home, and it may very well still be.

• The presence of free range chickens could be a welcome food source for a skulk of red foxes native to the property.
• Unaddressed pocket gophers on a hay field or pasture could entice badgers to introduce open holes that pose a risk to other animals and equipment.
• Understand that stripping any environment of its wildlife by focusing exclusively on predators or prey can bring with it new sets of challenges.

An overabundance of any one species can lead to overconsumption, famine and even disease. Further, the disruption of life cycles in nature can upset naturally occurring forms of wildlife population control.

The ebb and flow of land, home and animal management is multifaceted and can be complex.

In the words of author Aldo Leopold, “there are some who can live without wild things and some who cannot.”

Nicholas A. Waters is a licensed nuisance wildlife control operator and a published author. He lives in Oklahoma with his wife and five children on a 139-year old homestead. Contact him at 405-238-1717.