With Spring right around the corner, you have probably started thinking of outdoor activities like gardening, landscaping and general property maintenance. To help make your outdoor plans as pleasant as possible, let me suggest that you remember that wildlife are looking forward to the Spring too. They can't wait for your garden to bloom and your plants to bud either. Since, as the saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, I am listing three wildlife damage prevention strategies to help reduce your chances of having a bad experience with wildlife this summer.
Strategy #1. Assess your property.
With the snow is melting, walk around your home keeping a sharp eye out for signs of animal damage or the presenceof wildlife. By all means use your memory of animals seen during the winter months. If you saw deer, then you should expect to see them again when your plants start to bloom. I think you get the idea. Inspect the grass/lawn. Is it full of mounds also called mole hills, which suggest mole or pocket gopher? Or does it have furrows or runs dug into it suggesting voles?
Inspect your shrubs and standing plants. Have the they been damaged? Have the branches been cut at a 45 degree angle, suggesting rabbits, or are they torn suggesting deer? Knowing you have certain animals present on your land will help you prepare for future damage. Perhaps if you plan on gardening, it would be advisable to fence it to prevent rabbits from nibbling.
Next, inspect all the structures on your land. Are the window wells properly covered to prevent skunks from falling in and becoming trapped? Are all the crawl spaces under decks, porches and sheds appropriately trench screened to prevent groundhogs, skunks and other animals from taking up residence? Finally, are all your chimney flues screened with professionally manufactured stainless steel caps to prevent animals such as birds, raccoons and squirrels from entering your home through the chimney? As I have written in other articles, chimney capping is one of the most important things you can do to protect the lives of wildlife. Chimney's are usually a death trap for most species who happen to enter them. So if you can't cap your chimney to protect your property, then at least be motivated to do it to protect the lives of animals.
Strategy #2 Determine your tolerance level for landscape/garden damage.
