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Wildlife neighbors are a wonderful part of rustic living.It takes some precautions, but you can share your land with them successfully.Send us
your wildlife stories and tips.
Bears
If bears are known to be in the area, keep your food inside and your garbage in a shed or garage. Rinse your barbecue grill after using and if you clean fish outside, dispose of the remains - don't leave refuse lying around to attract the wildlife.If a bear wanders onto your property, you can scare it away by banging pots and pans loudly - from a safe place. If that doesn't work, make sure everyone is inside and call your wildlife officer or the police. If you encounter a bear in the woods, chances are it will run away from you. If it doesn't, don't turn and run. That signals to the bear that you are prey. Instead, make yourself as big as you can, back up slowly while talking in a low, loud voice. Avoid making eye contact. If a bear is protecting its food or its cubs, it may charge at you. If this happens, continue the same tactics, but be more aggressive by shouting and waving your arms. Almost all charges are bluff charges. This is exactly what happened to my son in the Yukon. He and a friend came across a grizzly unexpectedly. They threw down their back packs and started to back up slowly. My son pulled out his machete and made himself as big as he could, and talked in a firm voice. The bear charged, and then abruptly stopped, turned, and lumbered away. Raccoons
Depending what part of the continent you live in, you may find yourself battling with raccoons. They are ingenious creatures and have been known to open doors, garbage cans, and undo latches. You will have to take precautions to keep garbage in a secure shed or garage.Because raccoons are so cute looking, some people are tempted to feed them. Once they associate your cabin with food, you will have a very hard time getting rid of them. As well, be aware than raccoons can be rabid. SkunksThe skunk's foul smelling spray is a defence mechanism. Skunks don't use it unless they are threatened. When they do, the spray can reach a target as much as 10 to 15 feet (3 - 5 metres) away.If your dog is sprayed by a skunk, the common remedy that everyone knows of is to wash the animal in tomato juice. I've also hard that rubbing equal parts vinegar and water into the fur, then washing with soap and water will help. When our dog was sprayed,we found a recipe that was very effective:
Mix the ingredients in a bucket or bowl (it will fizz - don't try to store it in a closed container). Thoroughly wet your dog with warm water, then apply the solution liberally into his coat. Be careful to keep the formula out of the dog's eyes, nose, and mouth. Let the solution sit in his coat for 10 minutes and then rinse thoroughly (we used a hose). Be sure to protect the dog's eyes when rinsing. Note: If you think the skunk's spray got directly in the dog's eyes, take your pet to the vet. We used this formula and I was amazed at how well it worked. Initially the smell was so strong I didn't know if we could ever bring Murphy in the house again. After using this, we had him in the house that night with only a faint odor. For a few weeks I noticed a bit of an odor when his fur got wet but otherwise the smell was gone. It was remarkable! Save the tomato juice for a Bloody Mary instead... you might need one! Porcupines
The biggest problem with porcupines is the risk your dog will get a face full of quills after an encounter with this form of wildlife. Some say you can pull the quills out with pliers. I'd recommend taking your pet to the vet to have them removed. There they can either give a local anesthetic or a sedative to make the removal more pleasant for everyone, especially your traumatized dog. If you do want to try to remove quills yourself, cut the ends off first to release the vacuum in the quill. BeaversBeavers are industrious. When they move into a new stream, the first thing they do is build a dam. The purpose of the dam is to back the water up to give them better access to trees - and to provide a place to build their lodge.The problem with beavers is that they destroy trees, alter the course of waterways, flood land, and plug culverts. If you cannot live with this, you will have to control them. My father waged a war with beavers in his creek for years. At one point he had someone "blow up" the dam. In some areas beavers are trapped. Check with wildlife officials in your area to determine the best way to deal with beavers on your property.
Bats
These mammals eat thousands of insects and are actually an asset to have around. We enjoy sitting out at after dusk and watching the bats swoop across the night sky. Generally speaking bats won't bother you - they are gentle, nocturnal mammals. That said, most of us don't want to have a close up encounter with a bat. If a bat gets into your cabin, it will most likely be focused on finding a way out. Bats can get rabies so don't handle one that is lying on the ground, alive or dead. According to bat expert Merlin Tuttle, "By far the worst hazard to public health associated with bats, is the misdirected efforts of humans to eradicate them with poisons." He says the only way to rid a house of bats is to wait until they leave at dusk and then seal their points of entry. If you want to learn more about these very important and fascinating little beasts, Bat Ecology, although written as an academic text, has just about everything you're likely to want to know about bats. And if you want more of these insect eaters around your property, Building Bat Houses will show you how!
Or you might prefer the easier route and just order one. Here are a few options.
AntsAnts will come in to your cabin looking for food so put away all food after meals.Clean any areas where you find ants with a solution of vinegar and water (equal parts). If you know where they are coming in you can squeeze lemon juice in the entrance, and leave the lemon peel. Ant traps and/or ant poison that the worker ants can take back to the colony may be required. We'll continue to add more information about dealing with wildlife on this page. Send us your experiences and tips. Bookmark this page!  Mouseover this button to select your favorite bookmark site.  Return from Wildlife to Home Page
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