Frequently Asked Questions About Wildlife

1. How do I keep deer out of my garden?
   
   
2. What is the status of the N.S. coyote population?
   
   
3. How many (deer, moose, coyotes, eagles, etc.,) are there this year?
   
   
4. I saw a bear in my backyard last night. Should I be afraid to let my children go outside to play today?
   
   
5. How many bears are in the province?
   
   
6. How can we allow hunting when so many species are endangered?
   
   
7. Isn’t trapping cruel and unnecessary?
   
   
8. Doesn’t clear cutting destroy habitat for wildlife?
   
   
9. How can I get to work with fish and wildlife?
   

Jim O’Melia, Conservation Officer, DNR Waverly answers.

Scare devices and repellants will keep some deer away, but not necessarily all deer. These methods must be changed or relocated regularly or the deer will become accustomed to their movement and smell. Here are a few devices and repellants that have worked:

• scarecrows, that resemble a human form
• bags or pie plates hung around the garden
• streamers
• balloons
• noise makers regulated by timers
• gas exploders

These devices and repellants are limited only by your imagination but remember to check with your local enforcement agencies to make sure your device is legal and does not disturb your neighbour.

If you are thinking of having a garden for a number of years then an electric fence may be a better method. Studies have proven that properly constructed electric fences will keep deer out. The cost initially appears high, but broken down over a number of years the cost can be quite reasonable.

A new device called a Scarecrow has a battery operated motion detector which, after detecting motion, blasts a stream of water for 50 feet towards the direction of the movement. The water source comes from your garden hose. This method could prove good for small gardens and flower beds around houses.

For further information on this subject please contact your local office of the Department of Natural Resources.

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Question: What is the status of the N.S. coyote population?

John Mills, Biologist DNR, Bridgewater answers.

Coyotes were officially confirmed in N.S. in 1977. The population rose steadily and rapidly until about 1988. Deer can make up a large amount of the diet of coyotes and their numbers were reduced after the deer herd crashed during the winters of 1987 and 1988. Since the mid 1990's deer numbers have slowly recovered as have the snowshoe hare (rabbit) population. At present, coyote numbers appear stable but will likely increase as their main prey base, deer and rabbits, also become more numerous.

Question How many (deer, moose, coyotes, eagles, etc.,) are there this year?

Dan Banks, Retired Biologist, DNR, Baddeck answers.

By their very nature most wild animals are elusive and for all practical purposes impossible to count in absolute numbers. For most species, biologists use a variety of indicators to determine the relative numbers of animals. Trends (whether the population is going up or down and how fast or slowly this is happening) are generally of more concern than exactly how many animals there are.

Examples of indicators that biologists use are:

• percent of mature deer carrying fawns during the late winter to early spring period as determined through examinations of deer killed on highways and elsewhere
• percent yearling animals that are present in some harvested species of wildlife
• number of cock pheasants heard crowing per kilometre of standard survey routes, etc.

There are certain cases where actual population numbers can be estimated:

• nesting Bald Eagles can be located from the air and the young counted
• deer pellet piles are counted in spring on random survey routes to estimate deer numbers
• winter aerial surveys can be used to estimate moose populations.

Question I saw a bear in my backyard last night. Should I be afraid to let my children go outside to play today?

Dan Banks, Retired Biologist, DNR, Baddeck answers.

Black bears are normally very shy of people. Chances are that the bear was just passing through and you will not see it again. an exception is if there is a source of food nearby. Make sure that there are no sources of food or odours that are attractive to bears around your home or those of your neighbour’s. This would include domestic garbage containing food scraps, left over pet food and uncleaned barbeques.

Question: How many bears are in the province?

Tony Nette, Manager Wildlife Resources, Kentville answers.

It is very difficult and expensive to count bears in their natural habitat. Without expensive research we can only “guesstimate” bear numbers. Considering Nova Scotia’s size and the quality of its bear habitat, and then making a comparison to bear number estimates in other Canadian provinces, we feel safe in saying that we have at least about 7,000 adults plus 1,000 young of the year.

Even though our numbers are guesstimates, trends in hunter harvest and success rates, the number of road kills and nuisance bear complaints, all indicate that bear numbers are relatively high and the population is healthy. Over the past 10 years or so, hunter harvest has increased as have the number of nuisance/problem bear situations reported. This may be indicative of an increase in the bear population but may also be influenced by the introduction of green bins (an attraction to bears if not managed carefully) and the growing blueberry industry which has resulted in more conflict situations.

Question: How can we allow hunting when so many species are endangered?

Barry Sabean, Director, Wildlife Division, Kentville answers.

Hunting is only allowed on our most common species and is strictly regulated to ensure the populations are not threatened.

Question: Isn’t trapping cruel and unnecessary?

Barry Sabean, Director, Wildlife Division, Kentville answers.

Canada has made great strides in improving the humaneness of its trapping methods and is currently a world leader in this field. Trapping produces furs which are a beautiful natural product and which are renewable resources. Seasons and bag limits are carefully controlled to ensure that the long term health of the populations are not threatened.

Question: Doesn’t clear cutting destroy habitat for wildlife?

Tony Duke, Manager Wildlife Resources, Kentville answers.

The species of wildlife that live in a forest depend on the types of trees growing there and the age of the forest. The birds and small mammals, lichens, mosses, insects and other organisms living in a young maple and birch forest, are entirely different than those living in the tall old forests of spruce and hemlock. However there are some species, large mammals for example, that use most types of forest.

A clear cut is a forestry operation that removes all the trees that are large enough to sell for pulp or logs. A clear cut does not look very nice, but within five years the forest is usually renewing itself with shrubs, young trees, ferns, grasses and flowering plants that thrive in the sunny location. The wildlife species living in the older forest will lose their habitats, but species that thrive in early stages of forest growth will move in. Scientists argue whether there are more species in old forests or in young, but it is clear that there is great variety of wildlife in both.

To maintain Nova Scotia’s natural abundance and variety of plants and animals, it is important to ensure all stages of forest growth are in good supply. Very old forests are rare in the province. They cover less than one percent of the forested landscape. Young forests on the other hand, are abundant and these young forests provide habitat for species that people most often like to view, photograph and hunt like deer and moose.

How much of each type of forest and what age forest should we have? This is a very complicated question because most of Nova Scotia’s forests are privately owned while the wildlife that live there belong to all Nova Scotians. And everyone seems to have different ideas about what species we should favour and how many animals we need. If you would like to give us your opinion, drop me a line.

Question: How can I get to work with fish and wildlife?

Tony Duke, Manager Wildlife Resources, Kentville answers.

Working with fish and wildlife is extremely exciting and rewarding whether it is a full-time job, a part-time hobby or a casual interest. There is a large variety of professions that work with fish and wildlife including biologists, bookkeepers, computer operators, conservation officers, park attendants, photographers, pilots, secretaries, statisticians, taxonomists, teachers, technicians, tour guides, university professors, veterinarians and writers. Education requirements for these jobs vary, but one thing important to them all is experience with wildlife. And this doesn’t mean on-the-job experience.

Most successful people spend a lot of time observing, making notes and identifying plants, birds, mammals and other organisms. It is important to learn as much as you can about the species you are looking at with books and reference material from libraries and bookstores or by asking people knowledgeable in the field. It also seems best to get started as early in life as possible.

You can’t learn everything about all species, so focus on a group that interests you and become as proficient as you can with it. For example learn to identify birds in all their plumage phases and by their songs. Learn about our mammals, their life histories, tracks, what habitats they use and how abundant they are. There are very few experts on mosses, fungi, beetles, butterflies (most insects) and grasses so there is great opportunity to become the person everyone turns to for help and information with these species. A lot of time spent in the field, with reference material and with people who have a similar interest will get you the experience you need. Join a naturalist club or a wildlife association or visit museums and talk with the people there about your interests.

Formal education is important too. Completing High School is compulsory. For those wishing to further their education there are many Universities and technical schools in Canada offering training in fish and wildlife. No matter what schools you attend it is important to bring your experience and formal education together to develop your own interests. But don’t feel that you must have a full-time job in the wildlife field to be important. Nova Scotia has a rich history of amateur naturalists who have made great contributions to the knowledge of fish and wildlife here and around the world. In Nova Scotia we are still finding species never found in the province before and even some species never before described by science. So there is still lots to learn.

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