Fall time to exclude, evict unwanted wildlife from yards – The Daily Camera

By Broomfield Wildlife Master, Sheri Hoffman

Fall is the time when the young animals have grown up and moved away from home. Now is a great time to check around your fence line or under porches and sheds to see if you need to seal up any openings or holes. Evicting or excluding unwanted animals now allows them to find shelter in a more appropriate spot for the upcoming winter and ensures that they wont use your yard for a spring nest or den.

Rabbits are abundant in town and excluding them from your front yard is very difficult because this area is typically open and not fenced. A good start is to locate and fill any holes under the concrete, porch, steps or driveway. Rabbits dig holes about two inches in diameter. If you have a hole larger than that, you may have another animal (keep reading).

Begin by placing a wadded up piece of paper in the hole and then monitor the hole. If the paper is pushed inside, the rabbit has gone in the hole; if the paper is pushed out then the animal has exited and now is the time to seal up the hole. You can accomplish this by adding dirt, concrete, rocks or chicken wire. Chicken wire or one-inch mesh, galvanized wire works best. Dig down about two inches and secure the wire into the ground with landscape stakes. Place the mesh over the hole so the rabbit cannot gain entry and cover this area with soil and sod if applicable.

Your back yard is a bit easier to secure from rabbits. If you have rabbits living under the deck, youll need to seal the deck up with chicken wire but leave a small hole for any rabbits to escape. Use the waded paper technique here too. Ensure the rabbits have left and then finish sealing up the deck, using the same method described above. You can also cover the chicken wire with a decorative lattice panel if you prefer not to see it. Next, walk the fence line around your backyard.

Look for any holes under the fence or broken fence slats. If you find a hole, the chicken wire solution is the best idea for securing your fence line and it is typically permanent (with yearly monitoring). Please be sure to secure your porch area before sealing your fence line so that any rabbits that are in the yard have a chance to escape and dont run under the porch.Voles are also common in town and look like mice but are usually darker in color.

They are active under the snow and make shallow dirt tunnels that look like run-ways, through your grass. These tunnels are exposed when the snow melts. Fall is the perfect time to prepare your yard and avoid vole damage in the spring.

Habitat management involves close mowing of your grass in the fall (final mow) and weed control in grassy borders that may exist next to your yard. Voles avoid exposed areas so close mowing followed by raking any run-ways will disrupt their activities. Voles may also take up residence near bird feeders or gardens which will be an easy food supply all year round so pick-up fallen bird feed and use feeders that are as secure as possible. To exclude voles from gnawing on your trees and shrubs, encircle the tree with a quarter-inch mesh hardware cloth or a 3 inch diameter plastic-mesh cylinder. These items should be buried 3 inch to 6 inch below the surface and extend 18 inches above the ground.

Raccoons may be another unwanted visitor especially if they show up inside your home (typically through the chimney or pet door). Fall is a great time to install a chimney cap or check the existing cap to ensure it is secure. If the chimney cap is not secure, the mother raccoon may make a nest and have babies in your chimney when spring arrives. While you are on the roof, check for holes along the edges and under soffits. Raccoons and squirrels will move in if they are afforded a chance.

To keep squirrels off your roof, trim tree limbs at least four feet from the edge of your roof. If you live in a heavily wooded area and this is impossible, then check your roof for chew marks and holes. Squirrels are capable of chewing a hole approximately three inches in diameter to gain access to your attic.

Preventing skunks from nesting in your yard next spring means sealing up potential nest sites this fall. Skunks have poor eyesight and typically do not climb, so look for signs of a skunk on the ground. They routinely take up residence under backyard sheds or decks, and may have more than one entry point. Look for dig marks and a hole roughly 6 inches in diameter. Skunks may also lay dormant for a month or more during the winter months so preventing them access to your yard in the fall means less issues in the spring. Walk the fence line and look for signs of diggingthey can gain access to your yard by crawling under the fence or gate, you probably wont smell them. If you see signs of activity, seal the holes using the chicken wire method described above. Since skunks are very good diggers, run the chicken wire two inches below the surface and then bend it at a 90-degree angle and run it at least 12 inches away from the fence, in an L shape. Secure the wire in the ground with landscape stakes and then cover it up. This way, when digging starts, the skunk will run into the wire and back off.

Animals can make a home where they find food, water, shelter and space. As always, please avoid feeding wild animals. Pet food, bird seed, uncovered garbage cans, uncovered compost piles, fallen fruit and barbecue grills can be an attractant to a hungry animal. Taking time in the Fall to prevent unwanted issues next Spring will be well worth your efforts. These animals live around us but they do not have to live with us and these tips can be implemented to avoid future conflicts.

If you have questions for your Broomfield Wildlife Masters, please call 303-464-5554, leave a message and well call you back. The Broomfield Wildlife Masters are residents that volunteer to help address wildlife issues in cooperation with the City and County of Broomfield Open Space Department.

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Fall time to exclude, evict unwanted wildlife from yards - The Daily Camera