In January 2000, The Nevada Board of Wildlife Commissioners directed the Nevada Division of Wildlife (NDOW) to contract with the United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services Program (WS) to conduct wildlife damage management (WDM) activities for the protection of certain species of Nevada’s wildlife. Responding to the Commission’s directive, the NDOW requested WS to initiate protection of a variety of avian and mammalian wildlife resources that they deemed in need of special protection from “excessive predation”. Nevada has a greater percentage of publicly owned/managed lands than any other state in the nation – about 86% – so most of the wildlife resources requiring special protection from predators are located on federal lands, usually Bureau of Land Management (BLM) or United States Forest Service (USFS) lands. Because the natural resources to be protected were on public lands, WS was required to develop Annual Work Plans prior to conducting WDM activities that fulfilled WS’ mission and conformed to BLM’s and USFS’ land use plans. Prior to initiating any WDM actions, WS personnel conducted predator avian/mammalian surveys to monitor targeted predator populations. Additionally, WS conducted predator avian/mammalian surveys throughout the ongoing WDM activities, as well as shortly thereafter, to monitor targeted predator population levels. WS personnel directed their actions toward the surgical removal of those species deemed problematic by NDOW (mountain lions, coyotes, common ravens, magpies, and badgers), depending on the resource to be protected, the specific locations where protection was deemed necessary, and during the specific period of the year when damage occurred. Results from WS’ WDM activities on these projects were reported by NDOW, the management agency responsible for managing Nevada’s wildlife. As an added benefit to the resource protection work, WS took blood samples from all avian and mammalian predators removed during WDM activities in order to monitor wildlife diseases via testing conducted by the Centers for Disease Control or the Nevada Department of Agriculture’s Animal Testing Lab.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the Nevada Division of Wildlife (NDOW) have both observed an increase in the population of common ravens (Corvus corax) throughout Nevada. This increase is suspected to be the result of, at least in part, supplemental feeding sources (landfills, road kills, feedlots, etc.). The increase is of concern to wildlife managers because ravens are known nest predators, and in excessive numbers they could adversely affect a wide variety of game birds, including the sage grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus). During the spring in both 2000 and 2001, Wildlife Services (WS) was contracted to manage raven numbers in a critical sage grouse nesting area in northern Washoe County. The primary management tool used by WS was the registered avicide DRC-1339, because it can be selectively used on birds that feed on eggs. A prepared DRC-1339 solution was injected into hard-boiled chicken eggs and placed in artificial nest sites located throughout the project sites. Ravens foraging in the nesting area for sage grouse eggs found and consumed the treated eggs and died, thus selectively removing the nest-raiding birds from the immediate area of the grouse nesting sites. No long-term effect is anticipated on the raven population, because treated eggs were placed out only in the immediate area of the nesting grouse and only during the brief nesting period. The possibility of secondary poisoning resulting from DRC-1339 use is considered unlikely because the active ingredient, 3-chloro-p-toluidine hydrochloride, is broken down into a non-toxic substance and expelled prior to the bird expiring. Consumption of DRC-1339 results in death due to renal failure in avian species. Ravens found after treatment were monitored for the presence of West Nile virus titers.

In September 2003, the Nevada Board of Wildlife Commissioners directed the Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) to contract with the USDA APHIS Wildlife Services Program (WS) to conduct wildlife damage management (WDM) activities for the protection of mule deer in eastern Nevada. Responding to the Commission’s directive, NDOW requested WS to initiate wildlife damage management efforts to protect a population of adult and juvenile mule deer in Lincoln County. The coyote was the only predator targeted for removal from the project area by various removal methods. WS personnel also collected coyote mandibles from the project area, and the cementum aging process was used to determine the age structure of coyotes prior to and during the ongoing WDM protection efforts. Results from the tooth aging analysis indicate that the average age of coyotes dropped somewhat during the second year of removal, although not significantly. Mule deer fawn and adult populations are monitored by NDOW to determine what effect(s) coyote removal is having on the mule deer population located in the protection area. The protection area is mainly comprised of public lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service, and nearly all WDM activities were conducted on these public lands. This is an ongoing 5-year mule deer protection project. As an added dimension of the resource protection efforts, WS collected blood samples from coyotes removed during WDM activities to permit the monitoring of various wildlife diseases by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Washoe County Vector Control.

In January 2000, the Nevada Board of Wildlife Commissioners (Wildlife Commissioners) directed Nevada’s state game management agency, the Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW), to secure wildlife damage management (WDM) assistance from the United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services Program (WS) for the purpose of protecting a struggling population of pronghorn antelope located in northern Washoe County, Nevada. NDOW had documented, over a several-year period, that this northern Nevada antelope population had consistently demonstrated unacceptably low fawn recruitment levels. While NDOW was unsure of the cause for this consistent poor production record, the Wildlife Commissioners suspected “excessive” fawn predation to be one of the primary causes for the unacceptable recruitment levels. WS was contracted by NDOW to initiate fawn protection efforts for this population with an emphasis on coyote predation management. In collaboration with WS, NDOW mapped out a designated protection area where WDM activities would be conducted, established that WDM activities would only be conducted during the vulnerable fawning period, and set a target recruitment level for the herd which, when reached, would conclude the WDM activities. Prior to the initiation of WDM actions, WS personnel conducted several predator surveys to establish the coyote incidence level within the designated protection area. These data were to serve as a baseline indicator to help gauge the effectiveness of ongoing coyote removal efforts. While WS removed any coyote encountered within the specified protection area during the critical fawning season, removal efforts were primarily directed at older, territorial coyotes. The doe-to-fawn ratio was determined by NDOW at the end of each season, and when the ratio reached NDOW’s predetermined level of 32 fawns per 100 does, WDM activities were terminated. Additional benefits stemming from the antelope project included reduced predator pressure on other game species inhabiting the same area (such as mule deer), and collection of coyote blood samples for the monitoring of wildlife diseases such as plague.

Urban and suburban areas of southern Nevada are affected each year by a wide variety of wildlife species that cause damage to property and cause concern for human health and safety issues. Integrated wildlife damage management practices are employed in cases where technical assistance and direct control measures are used to resolve problems with wildlife. Nevada’s daytime temperatures often exceed 115ºF (46ºC); therefore, traditional management practices have evolved to match the climate. Nevada is currently the fastest-growing state in the nation, so wildlife damage management practices are ever changing. The increase in urban sprawl provides additional food and habitat availability for several species of wildlife. Anthropogenic food sources produce an unnatural environment. Wildlife damage management activities are therefore needed to resolve a variety of conflicts. These standard operating procedures for wildlife damage management in urban areas were developed to better manage wildlife complaints. Wildlife species collected during damage management activities are tested for various diseases and contaminants.

In 2002, a Wildlife Services wildlife biologist from Nevada, a Wildlife Services wildlife specialist from Oregon, and a mechanical engineer from California came together with their ideas about designing an effective and easy-to-implement electronic calling system (ECS). Their common vision was a for a self-contained, user-friendly device that would be highly effective at attracting or “calling in” specific offending individuals of various species to a given location, during a specific time period, and hold them at or near that site for a period of time. Through field trials and modifications, an ECS named the “Chuck Box” was developed. It proved to be an effective self-contained tool, when the correct sound and time combinations were employed, and we describe our success in using it for mountain lions and coyotes. It was especially useful in “anchoring” wide-ranging and/or sporadically problematic animals to a site where control tools could easily be utilized or wildlife damage management actions could be initiated. In 2004, non-wildlife sounds were added to the memory card of the unit, making the Chuck Box also function as an effective non-lethal scare device. Thus, the Chuck Box can provide non-lethal harassment or provide support during lethal wildlife damage management activities. Field results indicate that the Chuck Box can be highly effective in increasing capture success, holding animals in the proximity of the station, and in deterring various wildlife species