Young Boy Dies From Rabies in Florida (Added 2-03-2018) Editor’s note: This article is included to emphasize the importance of WCOs educating themselves, their employees and their customers about the very real danger of rabies. Since WCOs routinely handle animals that may carry the rabies virus, getting a rabies vaccination may prove to be very wise. Developing literature to leave behind with customers may also be a good practice. Read More …
The Lifestyle of the Gray Fox (Added 11-05-2017) The spunky, spirited gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) was my favorite wild canine as a novice, teenage fur trapper and predator caller in Virginia in the early 1960’s. They were beautifully marked and colored, they readily came to a call and they’d often snoop around our camp at night and challenge us with their rather coarse and harsh bark. They were sometimes a challenge to trap, too. Many great memories! Read More …
Rabies Update: 2017 Update (Added 5-27-2017) Rabies is a viral disease of mammals that is most often transmitted through the bite of a rabid animal. Being a Zoonotic disease, it is transmittable to humans. Although it has been present in bats in Colorado for many years, it was rarely found in terrestrial mammals from the late 1960’s until 2007. In 2007 rabies began showing up in skunks along the eastern edge of the state and began spreading westward. Read More …
Bobcat Biology Basics: Part 2 (Added 4-27-2017) Bobcats are very adaptable wherever they have adequate cover and food sources. They can be found in northwoods bogs, hardwood bottomlands in the south, riparian corridors on the plains, desert scrubland in the southwest and rocky canyonlands of the west. I’ve even seen their tracks on several occasions in deep snow near timberline (11,500 ft) here in Colorado. Read More …
Bobcat Biology Basics: Part 1 (Added 4-27-2017) The North American bobcat (Lynx rufus) is becoming a popular target of predator hunters in many parts of the US. And for good reason: 1) they present unique challenges compared to their canine colleagues, 2) their distribution is increasing, 3) their populations are stable or increasing in most of their range and 4) their pelts are highly valued in the fur market. Read More …
The Eastern Fox Squirrel in Colorado Springs – A Human Dimensions Dilemma (Vol. 2. Art. 4, December, 2013) Sometime in the mid ‘90’s a significant change in the philosophy of wildlife management took place. Rather suddenly, wildlife agencies decided that public opinion (i.e., social science) should carry equal weight with biology (i.e., natural science) in determining wildlife policy. Read More …
A Case for Lethal Control of Problem Coyotes (Vol. 2, Art. 3, November, 2013) Coyotes, native primarily to areas west of the Mississippi in pre-colonial times, have now extended their range to all the contiguous 48 states. Historically, coyotes have caused significant damage to agricultural producers in rural areas. In recent years they’ve become a burgeoning urban/suburban problem as well. Read More …
Coyote Biology Part 2: The Rest of the Story (Vol 2, Art 2, April, 2013) Coyotes are incredibly adaptable and resilient. They have expanded their range/distribution from the central plains and southwest deserts of North America in pre-colonial times to all 48 contiguous states and from the northern tip of Alaska to the isthmus of Panama … Read More …
Coyote Biology Part 1: The Life of Coyotes (Vol 2, Art 1, April, 2013) The life of a coyote over the course of a year can be separated roughly into four phases or seasons: 1) courting/breeding: predominantly January – February; 2) gestation/whelping: March – April (generally 63 days); 3) pup rearing: May – August; 4) dispersal: September – December. By December most pups of the year have reached adult size and weight although some won’t reach peak size for two years or more. Read More …
Rabies Update: Update on the Current Skunk Rabies Outbreak in Colorado (Vol. 1, Art.3, July, 2011) Rabies is a viral disease of mammals that is most often transmitted through the bite of a rabid animal. It has been present primarily in bats for many years. It was rarely found in terrestrial mammals in Colorado from the late 1960’s until 2007. Read More …
Young Boy Dies From Rabies in Florida (Added 2-03-2018) Editor’s note: This article is included to emphasize the importance of WCOs educating themselves, their employees and their customers about the very real danger of rabies. Since WCOs routinely handle animals that may carry the rabies virus, getting a rabies vaccination may prove to be very wise. Developing literature to leave behind with customers may also be a good practice. Read More …
The Lifestyle of the Gray Fox (Added 11-05-2017) The spunky, spirited gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) was my favorite wild canine as a novice, teenage fur trapper and predator caller in Virginia in the early 1960’s. They were beautifully marked and colored, they readily came to a call and they’d often snoop around our camp at night and challenge us with their rather coarse and harsh bark. They were sometimes a challenge to trap, too. Many great memories! Read More …
Rabies Update: 2017 Update (Added 5-27-2017) Rabies is a viral disease of mammals that is most often transmitted through the bite of a rabid animal. Being a Zoonotic disease, it is transmittable to humans. Although it has been present in bats in Colorado for many years, it was rarely found in terrestrial mammals from the late 1960’s until 2007. In 2007 rabies began showing up in skunks along the eastern edge of the state and began spreading westward. Read More …
Bobcat Biology Basics: Part 2 (Added 4-27-2017) Bobcats are very adaptable wherever they have adequate cover and food sources. They can be found in northwoods bogs, hardwood bottomlands in the south, riparian corridors on the plains, desert scrubland in the southwest and rocky canyonlands of the west. I’ve even seen their tracks on several occasions in deep snow near timberline (11,500 ft) here in Colorado. Read More …
Bobcat Biology Basics: Part 1 (Added 4-27-2017) The North American bobcat (Lynx rufus) is becoming a popular target of predator hunters in many parts of the US. And for good reason: 1) they present unique challenges compared to their canine colleagues, 2) their distribution is increasing, 3) their populations are stable or increasing in most of their range and 4) their pelts are highly valued in the fur market. Read More …
The Eastern Fox Squirrel in Colorado Springs – A Human Dimensions Dilemma (Vol. 2. Art. 4, December, 2013) Sometime in the mid ‘90’s a significant change in the philosophy of wildlife management took place. Rather suddenly, wildlife agencies decided that public opinion (i.e., social science) should carry equal weight with biology (i.e., natural science) in determining wildlife policy. Read More …
A Case for Lethal Control of Problem Coyotes (Vol. 2, Art. 3, November, 2013) Coyotes, native primarily to areas west of the Mississippi in pre-colonial times, have now extended their range to all the contiguous 48 states. Historically, coyotes have caused significant damage to agricultural producers in rural areas. In recent years they’ve become a burgeoning urban/suburban problem as well. Read More …
Coyote Biology Part 2: The Rest of the Story (Vol 2, Art 2, April, 2013) Coyotes are incredibly adaptable and resilient. They have expanded their range/distribution from the central plains and southwest deserts of North America in pre-colonial times to all 48 contiguous states and from the northern tip of Alaska to the isthmus of Panama … Read More …
Coyote Biology Part 1: The Life of Coyotes (Vol 2, Art 1, April, 2013) The life of a coyote over the course of a year can be separated roughly into four phases or seasons: 1) courting/breeding: predominantly January – February; 2) gestation/whelping: March – April (generally 63 days); 3) pup rearing: May – August; 4) dispersal: September – December. By December most pups of the year have reached adult size and weight although some won’t reach peak size for two years or more. Read More …
Rabies Update: Update on the Current Skunk Rabies Outbreak in Colorado (Vol. 1, Art.3, July, 2011) Rabies is a viral disease of mammals that is most often transmitted through the bite of a rabid animal. It has been present primarily in bats for many years. It was rarely found in terrestrial mammals in Colorado from the late 1960’s until 2007. Read More …