Percentage of Raccoons and Skunks Reached by Egg Baits

Abstract

Chicken eggs containing demethylchlortetracycline (I)MGT) were distributed on a 25-squaremile study area during August and September 1970. Eighty-seven percent of the raccoons ( Procy071 lotor ) and 29 percent of the skunks (Mephitis mephitis) collected during the follonving 7 months had consumed treated eggs. BAITS FOR RACCOONS AND SKUNKS * Nelson and Linder 1327 predation on experimental cotton rat populations. J. Wildl. Mgmt. 32( 4 ) :69S711. WATSON, A., AND R. Moss. 1970 ( 1969 ) . Dominance, spacing behaviour and aggression in relation to population limitation in vertebrates. Pages 167-218. In A. Watson [Editor], Animal populations in relation to their food resources Symp. British Ecol. Soc. X. 47Tpp. WIEGERT, R. G. 1972a. Animal populations in relation to their food resources. Edited by A. Watson. Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford and Edinburgh. 1970. 477pp. g 5 net. J. Wildl. Mgmt. 36(2):676477. 1972b. Population dynamics of cotton rats ( Sigmodon h. hispidt4s ) and meadow voles ( Microtus p. pennsylvanicus ) in field enclosures in South Carolina. Bull. Georgia Acad. Sci. 30. ( In press. ) Received for publication April 13, 1972. Many people believe that lethal toxicants should not be used to reduce animal populations that cause damage. A substitute technique that has received attention is the use of chemosterilants to limit reproduction ( Balser 1964 ) . One of the problems in using chemosterilants for animal control is getting the baits containing the chemical to the target species. Preliminary studies in South Dakota indicated iat severe weather 1 Funds were provided by Federal Aid to Wildlife Restoration Project W-75-R in South Dakota through the Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit ( South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks; Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife South Dakota State University; and Wildlife Management Institute, cooperating). conditions and limited movements of skunks and raccoons precluded studies of bait distribution during winter and early spring ( Nelson 1972 ) . The objective of the present study was to evaluate the efficiency of eggs for baits during summer and fall for skunks and raccoons. METHODS AND MATERIALS C:hicken eggs containing 50 mg DMCT, a physiological marker masked in 1 ml of cherry flavored syrup, were distributed in a 25-square-mile study area in Brookings and Lake counties in east-central South Dakota. The study area is located in an agricultural region with wetland areas found among a li ited movements of skunks IITERATURE CITED CALDWELL, L. D. 1964. An in^restigation of competition in natural populations of mice. J. Mammal. 45(1):12-30. PETRUSEWICZ, K. 1963. Population growth induced by disturbance in the ecological structure of the population. Ekologia Polska Seria A 11 ( 3 ): 87-125. ( Polish summary. ) PROVO, M. 1962. The role of energy utilization, habitat selection, temperature and light in the regulation of a Sigmodon population. Ph.D. Thesis. Univ. of Georgia. 73pp. SCHNELL, J. H. 1964. An experimental study of carrying capacity based on the disappearance rates of cotton rats ( Sigmodon hispidis Komareki) introduced into enclosed areas of natural habitat. Ph.D. Thesis. Univ. of Georgia. 45pp. 1968. The limiting effects of natural This content downloaded from 207.46.13.64 on Sat, 03 Sep 2016 04:51:17 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms