Best practices for nuisance wildlife control operators in New York State

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Ch 3: Section two: State laws related to wildlife control

Which species can licensed NWCOs handle or take in NY—and when?

CAN DO! (Categories 1–4)

Anytime | When the animal has damaged property | When it's simply a nuisance | Special cases

1: Anytime, without additional permits—

Mammals:

• Bats (except Indiana bat)
• Chipmunks
• European hare (with a valid hunting license)
• Flying squirrels and red squirrels
• Mice
• Moles
• Porcupine
• Rats (except Allegheny woodrat)
• Shrews
• Voles
• Woodchuck

Birds:

• Pigeon (unless it’s banded)
• House (a.k.a. English) sparrow
• European starling

Reptiles:

• Snakes (except queen snake, timber rattlesnake, massasauga)
• Turtles (except mud, bog, box, Blanding’s, wood, and sea turtles, and diamond-backed terrapin)

2: When the animal has damaged property, can take any animal from category 1, plus—

Mammals:

without any additional permits—

• Cottontail rabbit
• Coyote
• Red and gray foxes
• Snowshoe (a.k.a. varying) hare
• Opossum
• Raccoon
• Striped skunk
• Squirrels: black, gray, and fox squirrels
• Weasels

with a DEC permit—

• Beaver (landowner must request permit)
• Black bear
• Bobcat
• Deer
• Fisher
• Marten (a.k.a. pine marten)
• Mink
• Muskrat
• Otter

Reptiles (with a DEC permit):

• Turtles: mud turtle, box turtle, Blanding’s turtle, wood turtle

Birds (with US FWS and DEC permits):

• Crow (no permits needed)
• Turkey (just need DEC permit)
• Most migratory birds (waterfowl, passerines) such as:
  • Canada goose and snow goose
  • Cormorants
  • Ducks
  • Gulls
  • Sparrows (other than the house sparrow)
  • Swans
  • Waterfowl

3: When it’s simply a nuisance—

• Striped skunk
• Crow (if causing nuisance on cultivated land, no permit required)

Other species:

• The DEC may issue a permit, but this is less likely (better options will be discussed in chapter five).
   
• If you need permit(s) to take an animal when it's damaged property, you need the same permits to take it if it’s just a nuisance.
   
• Those animals you could take without a permit when they damaged property? If any are just a nuisance, you’d need a DEC permit to take:
  • Cottontail rabbit
  • Coyote
  • Red and gray foxes
  • Snowshoe (a.k.a. varying) hare
  • Opossum
  • Raccoon
  • Squirrels: black, gray, and fox squirrels
  • Weasels

4: Special cases—

Mammals:

• Black bear: if destroying livestock or apiary, no permit needed

Birds:

If they’re destroying crops from June through October, can also take these three species without permits: cowbirds, grackles, and red-winged blackbirds

When an animal threatens public health or welfare:

The DEC can issue a permit to anyone to take any wildlife (except federally endangered and threatened species) in this case.

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