Living with Wildlife

Rabbits can only be taken during the legal rabbit season using methods approved for the season and with a hunting license. If you want to trap or shoot rabbits outside of the legal season, you will need a nuisance wild animal control permit from the DNR. Cage traps (wire or wood) that are baited with dried apples or dry ear corn can be effective in capturing cottontail rabbits.

Landowners may take coyotes year-round on their private property by trapping or shooting without possessing a wild animal control permit from the DNR and without having a hunting or trapping license. Additionally, a landowner does not need to possess a wild animal control permit from DNR to give another individual written permission to shoot or trap coyotes on the landowner’s property. However, any person taking coyotes on someone else’s property must have a valid hunting or trapping license and, if the take happens outside the regulated coyote season, have written permission from the landowner. Please note that any firearm, archery, or air rifle equipment used for coyote removal may be used only in accordance with local ordinances.

Individuals may also get help with coyote conflicts by contracting with a Wildlife Control Operator. All operators name their own rates and fees.

Find more information on the coyote webpage.

The best way to keep bats out of your house is to keep up with the maintenance of your home. Normal wear and tear can cause gaps and cracks in masonry or siding, loose soffits and chimney caps, and more. Maintaining the exterior of your home can greatly reduce opportunities for bats to enter. Bats can get inside holes as small as a half inch. Also, watch for damage caused by other wildlife. For example, squirrels and raccoons may create an entry point that a bat may enter if the damage is not repaired.

If bats must be removed, it is recommended to evict them in spring or autumn to limit trapping young bats inside and to identify entrance points on buildings and structures. First, identify where the bats enter your structure by enjoying a nice sunset outside. Within an hour of the sun setting, bats should start to emerge. Make note of where they are leaving the structure to investigate during daylight. Next, follow up with eviction. This is typically done using one-way, funnel-shaped exclusion devices that allow bats to leave but not return.

In Indiana, an individual person may take up to five individual bats within a 24-hour period from a dwelling (i.e., residence or place of work) if the bat constitutes a demonstrable but nonimmediate threat to human safety without a permit. Of course, any take should be done in a humane manner. Please report any bats taken to our sick or dead wildlife reporting tool. Injured or sick bats can be given to a permitted wildlife rehabilitator at the rehabilitator's discretion. Contact the rehabilitator before getting involved. Do not pick up a bat with bare hands. If a person has been bitten or scratched by a bat, contact a medical professional as soon as possible and have the bat tested for rabies.

For other circumstances and larger bat evictions, a person must possess a permit or contract with a wildlife control operator.

For more information, visit the Bats of Indiana page or the Mammal FAQs page.

The species listed below can be captured or killed year-round without a permit or hunting or trapping license from the DNR, and there are no limits to the number of these species that can be taken. Local ordinances must be followed.

• Groundhogs (Woodchucks)
• Mice
• Moles
• Common (Norway) Rats
• Shrews
• Voles
• Red squirrels

The following species of birds can be taken without a permit if the birds are committing or about to commit depredations upon ornamental or shade trees, agricultural crops, livestock, or wildlife, or are concentrated in numbers and in a manner that constitutes a health hazard or nuisance as provided under 50 CFR 16 (federal law). Be sure to check local ordinances prior to using pyrotechnics or firearms.

• Brewer’s Blackbirds
• Red-winged Blackbirds
• Brown-headed Cowbirds
• Crows
• Common Grackles

The following can be taken without a permit at any time. Be sure to check local ordinances prior to using pyrotechnics or firearms.

• Monk parakeets
• Rock (feral) pigeons (not including homing pigeons)
• House sparrows
• European starlings

A resident landowner or tenant can legally capture a mute swan on the property that he/she owns or rents if the animal is causing or threatening to cause damage to property or posing a health or safety threat to people or domestic animals.* Within 24 hours of capture, the person who takes the animal must release it or euthanize it. These animals cannot be possessed for more than 24 hours and cannot be sold, traded, bartered, or gifted. Learn more about mute swans and their management.

*In circumstances where mute swans are residents of a community or a lake association, a free wild animal control permit will need to be obtained.

Hawk and owl issues typically occur on properties with free-ranging chickens. Keeping chickens in an enclosed area with a covered top during the day and removing other food sources can be helpful to prevent damage. Bird owners should also check local rules and regulations regarding free-ranging animals.

A state permit from Indiana DNR is not required to take non-endangered species of hawks and owls. However, the landowner or tenant experiencing the damage or safety threats will need to have a federal migratory bird depredation permit from the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to harm, kill, or capture one (someone else can do the work under the permit). USFWS has a FAQ section about depredation permits.

To obtain a federal migratory bird depredation permit, first call USDA-Wildlife Services at 765-494-6229 for Form 37, then submit it with the federal permit application and pay the application fee. The permit application and fee can be submitted online along with Form 37. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) has more information on hawks and owls.

In winter months, it is common to see large groups of vultures gather on trees or buildings. Turkey vultures are more often seen, but black vultures may occur in southern parts of Indiana. Generally, turkey vulture roosting is only problematic due to feces. To alleviate damage from vultures roosting on roofs/structures or in large numbers in trees, try hanging shiny objects such as mylar balloons or CDs from the roof or branches of the tree. Make loud noises, such as setting off legal pyrotechnics, when they start to come into roost every day. This must be done daily and when they first come into roost. Always follow local ordinances. Also, placing chicken wire, bird-proof netting, or hardware cloth over the corner of the roof of the house or other structures  can help to deter roosting. Effigies (realistic models) of vultures can also help deter them. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) has more information on vultures.

A state permit from Indiana DNR is not required to capture or kill vultures. However, either a federal migratory bird depredation permit from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) or a sub-permit from the Indiana Farm Bureau (if you are a member) is required to harm, kill, or capture one.

To obtain a federal migratory bird depredation permit from USFWS, first call USDA-Wildlife Services at 765-494-6229 for Form 37, then submit it with the federal permit application and pay the application fee. The permit application and fee can be submitted online along with Form 37. USFWS has a FAQ section about depredation permits.

Members of Indiana Farm Bureau experiencing damage from black vultures can request a free, federal sub-permit by emailing ppt@infb.org.

To help prevent damage, one of the best ways is to begin damage control as soon as you begin hearing drumming and continue until well after you are no longer seeing the damage or hearing/seeing the woodpecker. Fill in and paint any holes made by the woodpecker as soon as possible. Physical exclusion is the most effective control method. For example, installing bird-type netting from the outer eaves down the side of the building can be very effective at excluding most woodpeckers. Netting needs to be kept taut, and you can pick a style and color that is not as visible. Please note that gels and other sticky substances should not be used as a deterrent until a federal permit is obtained because these can harm the woodpecker. Additional information for woodpecker management can be found on the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service ‘Woodpeckers and your home’ page.

Other methods of damage control that can be done without a permit while always following local ordinances include:

• Placing models of owls and hawks, spinners, and other devices intended to frighten woodpeckers near the area where the woodpecker is causing damage, although these devices don’t always work for very long.
• Playing recorded distress calls of woodpeckers, followed by raptor calls, can help as a sound deterrent.
• Controlling insects that may be serving as a food source.

A state permit from Indiana DNR is not required to take woodpeckers. However, the landowner or tenant experiencing damage will need to have a federal migratory bird depredation permit from the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to harm, kill, or capture one (someone else can do the work under the permit).

To obtain a federal migratory bird depredation permit, first call USDA-Wildlife Services at 765-494-6229 for Form 37, then submit it with the federal permit application and fee. The permit application and fee can be submitted online along with Form 37. USFWS has a FAQ section about depredation permits.