Full Notification

The raccoon and coyote problems are peaking again right now. Please contact our local Fish and Wildlife agents for coyote issues at (360) 902-2936. As a precaution, I highly recommend all domestic pets are kept indoors overnight or locked securely in a pen outdoors.

For issues with raccoons, skunks, and other small wild animals you have a couple options. First is the USDA Wildlife Services. They can be privately contracted out by the homeowner to assist in trapping/disposal. They will do a site visit at no cost to you. At your site visit you will be advised of your options and the cost of available services. They charge $45.00/hr. with a $100.00 minimum (which is very comparable to licensed trappers in the area). They like to stress that they are a Federal Agency, but don’t receive federal dollars and that is why they charge for their services. Note that once they trap a nuisance animal it will be euthanized per their protocols which are designed to manage nuisance wildlife populations and the spread of disease. There are two UDSA Wildlife Officers in our area: Gene Derig, (360) 584-4367 (Anacortes) and Fred Goodman, (425) 879-8891 (Oak Harbor).

The second option is Nuisance Wildlife Control Operators which are trained and regulated by the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife to provide assistance for services that the department does not have the staffing or funding to provide itself. Because NWCO’s are private businesses, they normally charge a fee for their services. The full list, including Skagit County, can be found online here: www.wdfw.wa.gov/living/nuisance/nwco.html .

Finally, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife website www.wdfw.gov is full of helpful information.

Zabrina Nybo
APD Animal Control Officer