As a landownerinterested in

attracting wildlife toyour property, you’ll

need to know whatkinds of wildlife live in your

part of Wisconsin, what they eat, what typeof habitat they prefer and what they need fornesting or denning. This publication givesyou basic information about the needs of

some of Wisconsin's most common wildlife. Itis merely a quick-reference chart listing thefood, habitat, nesting sites, and distributionof these animals in Wisconsin. Use it to startlooking for wildlife already present on yourland and then develop project plans toattract animals native to your region.

You’ll also need to assess whether your landcurrently has the appropriate food, water,

If you’re looking for a new house, it isimportant to know what features you wantfor your “dream home” and what its ideallocation will be. You have to ask yourself:Where do I want to live in the world? Do Iwant to live in the city, the suburbs or thecountry? How many rooms does my familyneed? How close will I be to the grocerystore, work, the mall and the doctor? Animalsalso look for certain features when searchingfor a home in a particular area before they“move” into the neighborhood. What’s the habitat like? How much food isavailable? Where’s the nearest watering hole? Is there enough shelter toraise young? What’s the climate like in winter? How close are people to

their home territory? These are some of the key factors thatdetermine where wildlife will live in Wisconsin, and

whether they’ll choose your land as a suitable “home.”

Wildlife and Your Landa series about managing your land for wildlife

*Primer \prim•ar\ n. 1: a small book for teachingchildren to read. 2: a small introductory book on asubject.

Wisconsin Wildlife Primer*Wildlife Habits and Habitat

shelter and space to attract wildlife, orwhether you can adequately enhance yourproperty’s ability to attract wildlife byincorporating minor habitat modifications.For assistance in creating a wildlifemanagement plan for your property, pleaserefer to Putting Pen to Paper in this series.Be sure to read Calling All Wildlife to gainan understanding of some fundamentalconcepts in wildlife management. And, for anidea of what kind of trees, shrubs and vinesyou can plant to attract wildlife, read So,What Should I Plant? The moreinformation you have, the better you'llunderstand the habits and habitat of thewildlife you want to attract.

Wisconsin has historically been rich inwildlife resources. Wisconsin’s earliestEuropean explorers recorded a greatabundance and variety of wildlife in theforests, wetlands and grasslands of the state.From 1700 to 1800, the prairies andsavannas of southern Wisconsin teemed withelk, bison, wolves, cougars and white-taileddeer. The mixed conifer hardwoods innorthern Wisconsin provided habitat for

American (pine) marten, moose, deer andsmall populations of woodland caribou. Thestate’s central forests were home to millionsof passenger pigeons—populations so densepeople reported that the birds literally“blocked the sun from the sky” duringmigration.

Europeans had an impact on wildlife evenbefore they settled this land. By supplyinghorses and firearms to the native Americans,they helped these original people becomemore efficient hunters. The native Americansas well as American cavalry stationed atsuch outposts as Prairie Du Chienundoubtedly caused the extirpation of theherds of bison and elk which roamedsouthwest Wisconsin. The last bison wasreported to have been shot in the early1830s. The early lumberjacks who logged thenorthwoods each winter also impacted thepopulation of one of Wisconsin’s largesthoofed mammals in the 1800s, the moose.Moose prefer young forests with lushvegetation. As the mature forests werelogged it created better moose habitat.However, not only did it create better moosehabitat, it also created better white-tailed

2 Wildlife and Your Land

Wisconsin’s Wildlife Heritage: A Wildlife Wonderland

Extirpated:bison, caribou

deer habitat. Since deer carry a parasiticbrain worm which is deadly to moose, themoose population declined. This, togetherwith unregulated hunting, caused moose todisappear from Wisconsin by the early 1900s.

As these large grazers vanished, the wolf andcougar populations declined as well, sincetheir food source had disappeared. In orderto maintain a toehold in Wisconsin, theremaining large predators had to turn toalternative food sources—domestic livestock.Farmers couldn’t afford the loss of even onecalf or lamb to a hungry wolf or wild cat so in1865 the state legislature passed a $5 bountyfor each dead wolf that hunters brought in.The story was similar for cougars. By 1960,the timber wolf was declared extirpated fromWisconsin; and even though reports of cougarsightings still trickle in, wildlife biologistsbelieve most of these are unfounded or arethe result of an escaped or released captive-bred cougar.

When European settlers began flooding intothe state in the early and mid 1800s,unregulated hunting and trapping, as well asfarming and logging operations quicklyaltered the native landscape and its wildlifepopulations. Wetlands were drained, theprairies and savannas were plowed under,and northern forests were clearcut.Despite the disappearance of the largermammals from Wisconsin’s landscape, otherwildlife continued to flourish throughout thestate from the early to mid 1800s. Trappersfound abundant fisher, American (pine)marten and beaver populations; and hunterssaw no end to the flocks of passengerpigeons, prairie chickens, sharp-tailedgrouse, ducks and geese. But the harvest ofearly hunters and trappers wentunregulated. No one saw a need to imposebag limits because the wildlife populationsappeared so limitless. Not surprisingly, itwasn’t long before unregulated trapping ofmarten, fisher and wolverine lead to theirextirpation from the state by the early 1900s.Beaver and other furbearer populations werealso drastically reduced and were nearly

eliminated from the state by 1900. Markethunting caused the seemingly endless flocksof waterfowl to plummet; and the widespreaddestruction of passenger pigeon nests bymarket hunters interested in shippingbarrels of squab to eastern markets spelleddoom for this native bird.

The early settlers wielded a double-edgedsword against Wisconsin wildlife. Not onlydid their unregulated hunting and trappingcause wildlife populations to decline, buttheir swelling population created such drasticland use changes that wildlife lost the habitatthey needed to survive. The wild turkey andCarolina parakeet populations dramaticallydeclined due to loss of habitat. Civilizationwas expanding from the south and theclimate and habitat types of the northprevented the northward retreat of thesenative birds. Sharp-tailed and ruffed grouselost out in the south due to overgrazing and“clean” farming though they still maintain afoothold in the north. The draining ofmarshes, in addition to market hunting,caused waterfowl populations, including thetrumpeter swan, to drop dramatically. Poultryfarmers and commercial fishing interestsoften shot hawks, owls and fish-eating birdssince these birds preyed upon fish, game anddomestic fowl.

Wildlife and Your Land 3

Once extirpated:cougar, wolf

Although many types of native wildlifepopulations suffered as European settlerscontinued to change the landscape ofWisconsin, others actually increased. Theythrived in the habitats which farming andlogging provided. White-tailed deerpopulations in the thick northern forestswere originally moderately low, and theyremained low during the logging heydaybecause of intense exploitation. But as theforests resprouted with lush, young growthand as early farming provided a good mix offield and forest, the deer numbers swelled.When central Wisconsin farms grewperennial crops of bluegrass as a seed source,prairie chickens thrived. But it wasn’t longbefore these habitats were altered and theprairie chicken populations dropped. Stillother wildlife, such as coyotes, crows,blackbirds, and alien house sparrows,starlings and rodents, prospered all too wellby their association with people.

Hunters and early conservationists begannoticing the exploitation of Wisconsin’s naturalresources around the 1870s. They slowlyworked toward regulating the use of naturalresources as they enacted laws to protect wild-life populations and forest land. Wildlifemanagement was considered increasinglynecessary since people had greatly alterednatural landscapes. But the needs of wildlifefrequently conflicted with many human landuses. In 1908, Governor James O. Davidsonappointed the Wisconsin Conservation

Commission to manage the “basic naturalresources and related problems.” He had beeninspired during a Governor’s conference heldby President Theodore Roosevelt in which thepresident stressed the need for “conservation”which is defined as the wise use of ournatural resources.

With an enlightened view of conserving ournatural resources, new farming practiceswere put into action to prevent soil erosion,loggers replanted many acres of forest, andindustry began controlling environmentalpollution. Educational efforts began asconservation wardens met with schoolclasses, farming interests and public groups.In 1935, the state legislature ordered theteaching of “conservation of resources” inschools. It was finally recognized that carefulplanning and management could provide forthe future welfare of wildlife in Wisconsin.

People began to take an interest in what washappening to wildlife, and this led to thestudy of wildlife and their habitats. AldoLeopold, one of the founding fathers of thewildlife management profession, took up aleadership role as his followers began tostudy wildlife populations and conductresearch to understand and manage wildlifepopulations.

Efforts to restore some populations ofextirpated wildlife were undertakenthroughout the 1900s by reintroducing them

4 Wildlife and Your Land

Reintroduced: wild turkeys, elk

into their former haunts. Some stockingattempts were successful, others werefailures. To date, successful restockingincludes: the wild turkey, trumpeter swan,American (pine) marten and fisher. Anexperimental reintroduction of elk wasinitiated in northern Wisconsin in 1995, andis currently being evaluated.

Other animals, such as the wolf and moose,were not reintroduced, but have found theirway here from neighboring Minnesota,Michigan, and Canada. The wolf populationcontinues to grow and spread, but the moosepopulations may be limited by the presenceof a parasitic brain worm transmitted bywhite-tailed deer.

Today, Wisconsin supports over 650 differenttypes of mammals, birds, reptiles,amphibians and fish, as well as countlessmillions of invertebrates. We truly live in awildlife wonderland.

Not All Native

Not all Wisconsin wildlife is native. Peoplehave wittingly or unwittingly introduced anumber of “exotics” or “aliens” to our state.Some of these, like ring-necked pheasant,Hungarian partridge, rainbow trout andbrown trout are considered useful becausethey occupy drastically altered ecosystemsthat can no longer support such natives asthe prairie chicken and brook trout. Theyprovide hunters with food and outdoorrecreation. Others, like carp, zebra mussel,ruffe, mute swan, starling, house sparrow,pigeon, Norway rat and house mouse, areconsidered pests. A recent exotic animal, thestone marten, in southeastern Wisconsinmay also have negative impacts yet to bediscovered. Nevertheless all are part ofWisconsin’s tapestry of wildlife.

Wildlife and Your Land 5

Aliens:brown trout,

carp

Population boom:whitetail fawn

Mammals, those warm-blooded animals thathave hair and nourish their young with milk,are important to many of us. Seventymammals are native to the state; at least 4are extinct.

Mammals are valuable to people in a numberof ways. Game mammals, such as white-tailed deer, black bear, gray and fox squirrelsand cottontail rabbit provide many hours ofhealthy recreation in the field as hunters pittheir skill against the native wits of thesemammals. Venison and most wild game meatis low in fat and highly nutritious. Thefurbearers—beaver, muskrat, mink, otter,bobcat, coyote, red and gray foxes, raccoonand fisher—provide a source of income fortrappers as well as a source of fur for people’sclothes. All mammals are fun and interestingto watch in the wild, though some can be areal nuisance and cause damage to crops,orchards, bee hives, livestock and our homes.Rodents, skunks, opossums, woodchucks,beaver, deer, coyote and bear fit into thiscategory.

But mammals, like birds, reptiles,amphibians, fish and invertebrates, areimportant regardless of human values.

Different animals are found in differentregions of the state because they fit into thescheme of things. Each plays a particularrole, fills a certain niche within their naturalcommunity. They are dependent upon thevery community of which they are a part andmembers of that community are dependentupon them. Nature has established adynamic equilibrium between each type ofwild animal and other plants, animals andnon-living features of those naturalcommunities. If these natural communitiesare left undisturbed by people, theyultimately work to the benefit of all.

The ranges of Wisconsin’s mammals varyfrom a “toe hold,” such as that of the spottedskunk or white-tailed jackrabbit on ourwestern border, to a statewide presence suchas that of the white-tailed deer or red fox. Amammal’s range is not always constant orpermanent. Progressive expansion orshrinkage may be noted as a result ofchanges to the habitat, either by people or bythe changes wrought by nature (wild fires,tornadoes, changes in climate). Usually themeat-eating mammals require largerterritories than similar-sized plant-eatingmammals. Some mammals, including a few

6 Wildlife and Your Land

Mammals

bats, migrate when winter arrives. Somesuch as ground squirrels and woodchuckshibernate in underground dens. Others, likeskunks or raccoons, sleep during extremewinter conditions. The remainder stay activeall winter. These include rabbits, red fox,coyotes and white-tailed deer.

Many smaller mammals provide a foodsupply for carnivores. But even smallmammals prey on insects. Bats, for instance,are beneficial as they help keep the mosquitopopulations down in areas where we live andrecreate. Small burrowing mammals such asmoles, shrews, and mice play an importantrole in developing the fertility of the soil.Combined with the actions of earthworms,fungi and bacteria, they help aerate the soil,manufacture humus and build up leaf mold.Many mammals act as scavengers or “clean-up crews” to help recycle dead plants andanimals. Beaver assist many other animalswhen they construct dams which createsmall ponds and wetlands along streams.

Mammals, unlikethe birds, aremuch moredifficult toobserve in thewild, since theyare very secretiveand most areactive in thetwilight hours andgenerally after dark. Mammals are best“observed” by following their tracks in thesnow in winter. Although many mammalswill rarely be seen, tracking allows you tolearn much about mammal behavior. Inaddition to tracks, mammals leave behindabundant signs such as droppings, barkchewings, grass tunnels, trails, tree rubs andground scrapes. If you are careful, quiet, anddetermined, you can have good results bystanding along a woodland or grasslandwildlife trail in the early morning, lateafternoon, or even on a bright moonlit night.Mammals leave abundant characteristicsigns. Tracks in the snow, droppings, barkchewings, grass tunnels, trails, and tree rubsall give clues to the type of animal that livesthere. It’s fun to learn these signs and tobecome a seasoned observer. Use field guidesto mammals, such as Allen Kurta’s Mammalsof the Great Lakes Region (University ofMichigan Press), or James Halfpenny’sMammal Tracking in North America(Johnson Books, Boulder), for more completeinformation.

Wildlife and Your Land 7

Red fox

White-footed Mouse

8 Wildlife and Your Land

Little Brown BatWhite-tailed Deer

EasternChipmunk

LeastChipmunk

BadgerFisher

Black Bears

Beaver

Coyote

Bobcat

Gray FoxRed Fox

Wildlife and Your Land 9

Badger

Bats (7 kinds; LittleBrown Bat is common)

Black Bear

Beaver

Bobcat

Eastern ChipmunkLeast Chipmunk

Coyote

White-tailed Deer

Fisher

Gray FoxRed Fox

Ground squirrels, mice,pocket gophers, birdeggs

Moths, mosquitoes andother night-flyinginsects

Berries, acorns, insects,fish, carrion, fawns, birdeggs, honey, nuts

Bark and twigs ofaspen, cottonwood andwillow; roots, grasses

Small mammals,especially snowshoehares; some deer inwinter

Seeds, nuts, acorns,berries, insects, birdeggs, young mice, bulbs

Mice, rabbits, squirrels,carrion, fawns andground-nesting birds

Broad-leaf plants,acorns, fungi, field corn,apples, alfalfa; inwinter, twigs, especiallyhemlock, white cedar

Snowshoe hares, voles,squirrels, carrion, mice,porcupines

Mice, rabbits,pheasants, wild grapesand other berries andfruit, snakes, turtles,woodchucks, grass-hoppers, carrion

Grassland, savanna andfarmland

Agricultural areas,forests; flies over lakes,fields and woodsRural towns, cities

Forest

Wetlands and rivers

Forest; wilder sectionsof brushy northernforest, especially areaswith swamps and rockyoutcrops

Northern forests ofmixed evergreens anddeciduous trees andsouthern woodlands

Farmland, newly cutover forested areas,woodland edge. Note:Populations spreadinginto urban areas

Border areas betweenforest and clearings,wetlands, tamarack andcedar swamps, evenurban areas

Forest of dense conifersor mixed deciduous andconifer forests

Red fox prefersfarmland, mixedwoodlands; gray foxprefers forests to openbrush land

Underground dens insandy fields, pastures,hilltops

Daytime: under barnboards or siding in ruraltowns or farms; underloose bark or in treecavities in forestedareas; caves. Nightroosts: under porchawnings, behindshutters, barns. Winter:caves, attics, inside walls

Makes dens in hollow,downed trees, in uprightdead trees, or beneaththe ground

Lodges made ofsaplings, partiallyunderwater, or densbuilt into stream banks.Note: Protect largeornamental trees withhardware cloth

Dens in trees or underrocky outcrops

Dens in undergroundburrows, rock piles, rockwalls, house foundations.Note: Protect flowerbulbs with wire mesh

Lives in undergrounddens at base of cliff orunder a stump

Hides fawn in thicketsor dense grassy areas.Northern herds seekshelter in conifer standscalled “deer yards”

Dens in tree cavities;seeks shelter in hollowlogs, rock piles andabandoned beaverlodges

Dens in hollow logs ortrees or under rockpiles. May use desertedwoodchuck burrows inhillsides or may digtheir own burrow

Northwest, west

Statewide, morecommon south

Northern third andcentral forest

More common north,southwest, MississippiRiver

Northern third;sightings reported inBaraboo Hills, Vernon,Richland and Crawfordcounties. Uncommon

Eastern is foundstatewide. Least innorth and centralconifers

Statewide but morecommon in the north.Not common in wolfhabitat

Statewide

North and expandinginto central

Red Fox foundstatewide; Gray Foxfound southern third

Mammal Food Habitat Den Site Distribution

10 Wildlife and Your Land

Pocket Gopher

Snowshoe Hare

American Pine Marten

Deer MouseWestern Harvest MouseWhite-footed Mouse

Woodland Jumping MouseMeadow Jumping Mouse

Mink

Star-nosed MoleEastern MoleShrews (5 kinds)

Muskrat

Opossum

River Otter

Porcupine

Roots, bulbs andrhizomes; clover, alfalfa,grass, dandelion,plantain, mullein, dock

Fresh twigs and bark ofyoung trees and shrubssuch as pine, alder,aspen, willow, hazelnut,birch, cedar, spruce andsumac, grasses, clover,berries

Voles, mice, squirrels,rabbits, small birds,nuts, fruits

Seeds, insects, berries,nuts, corn, small grains,soybeans

Seeds, berries, fungi,greens, insects

Muskrat, rabbits, mice,squirrels, snakes

Insects, earthworms,small animals, littlevegetable matter

Roots of cattails, arrow-heads, water lilies,rushes; periodically eatsfrogs, turtles, fish,crayfish, mussels

Carrion, small birds,frogs, mammals, fish,eggs, insects, fruits

Fish, crayfish, birds,small mammals

Bark and twigs of pinesand maples

Prairie, savanna, andscrub lands where soil isloose or sandy

Brushy woodlands,swamps and heavyforests especially withdense evergreens

Mature forests of denseevergreens or conifer-hardwood mix

Forest, grassland, oldfields, woodland edge,grain bins

Woodland Jumping,conifer forest orwoodland; MeadowJumping, forest edgeand moist meadows

Wetlands and forestedstreams

Grasslands, woodlandsand wetlands

Marshes, ponds, slowstreams, banks of largerrivers

Woodlands, hardwoodswamps, farmland,hedgerows

Rivers, streams andlakes

Forests

Builds extensiveunderground tunnels.Look for mounds of dirtwithout entrance hole

Hides in dense forestcover such as low-hanging evergreenbranches

Creates den in hollowlogs and tree cavities.Note: Rarely seen

Build small, grassynests lined with fur,feathers, and plants.May be found on theground, in wood piles,under old stumps orlogs, in holes in trees,inside walls of houses

Hibernate inunderground nests;summer nests of leavesand grass near surfaceor in dense vegetation

Burrows into banks oflakes, marshes, rivers

Moles burrowunderground; Shrewsbuild small nests of dryleaves and grassesunder old logs, hollowstumps or under piles ofgrass or brush

Builds dens in banks ora hut of mud, cattailand bulrush

Dens in tree cavities,burrows, or hollow logs

Creates dens in streambanks with underwaterentrance or builds denin hollow logs

Hides in trees, brush,caves, and rock crevicesin forests with someevergreens. Note: Canbe destructive to trees

West of WisconsinRiver, northwesternhalf

Snowshoe, north;White-tailed jackrabbit,western border

Northern thirdRARE

Statewide, exceptHarvest Mouse isrestricted to southwest

Meadow foundstatewide; Woodland innorthern half

Statewide

Eastern Mole, south andwest; Starnosed Mole,north and central;Masked and Shorttailshrews, statewide

Statewide

Southern half

Statewide, mostabundant in northernhalf

Northern and central

Mammal Food Habitat Den Site Distribution

Wildlife and Your Land 11

Masked Shrew

Opposums

Muskrat

Porcupine

Pocket Gopher

Harvest Mouse

Jumping Mouse

Deer Mouse Marten

Otters

Mink

Snowshoe Hare

Eastern Mole Star-nosed Mole

12 Wildlife and Your Land

Cottontail

Woodchuck

13-lineGroundSquirrel

Flying Squirrel

Fox SquirrelGray Squirrel

Red Squirrel

Long-tailed Weasel

Short-tailed Weasel

Wolf

Raccoon

Meadow Vole

Bog Lemming

SpottedSkunk

StripedSkunk

Least Weasel

Wildlife and Your Land 13

Cottontail Rabbit

Raccoon

Striped SkunkSpotted Skunk

Fox SquirrelGray Squirrel

Southern Flying SquirrelNorthern Flying Squirrel

Thirteen-lined GroundSquirrel

Franklins Ground Squirrel

Red Squirrel

Voles (5 kinds, MeadowVole is common)

Lemmings

LeastWeaselShort-tailed WeaselLong-tailed Weasel

Gray or Timber Wolf

Woodchuck

Raspberries and otherbriars, dandelions,plantain, clover, fruit;in winter, tree bark,dried corn

Frogs, fish, shellfish,small mammals, birds,eggs, reptiles, insects,fruit, field and sweetcorn, nuts

Insects, smallmammals, eggs, snakes,crayfish, poultry

Nuts, seeds, buds, fungi,bird eggs, corn

Seeds, nuts, buds,berries, insects, birdeggs, fledgling birds

Seeds, leafy material,insects, eggs

Pine nuts, seeds,berries, sap, mush-rooms, insects, birdeggs, fledgling birds

Grasses, sedges, roots,bulbs, clover, plantain,dandelion, goldenrod,yarrow, insects; inwinter, bark on youngtrees and shrubs

Mice, voles, insects,small birds, chipmunks

Deer, beaver, snowshoehares, small mammals

Grass, clover, plantain,apples, insects, snails,crops, weeds, gardenvegetables

Forest, farmland withforest and grasslandedges

Forest edge andfarmland

Farmland, woodlandedge, brush alongstreams and ditches

Hardwood forests, orsmall woodlotsinterspersed withfarmland

Forests with large dentrees

Grasslands, prairie,lawns

Forests with pine, fir,hemlock; some mixedhardwood forests

Low, moist grasslands,forest, bogs for somekinds

Longtail, shorttail:forest, brush land,prairies; Least:meadows and fields

Pack territories cover20–110 square miles indense expanses offorests

Farmland, edges ofbrushy forests or creeks

Seeks shelter in denseshrubs, briars, andbrush piles in sparsewoodlands andfarmlands. Note:Protect ornamental fruittrees and shrubs fromrabbits in winter andearly spring

Dens in hollow trees orlogs, especially thosenear water. Note: Protectyour sweet corn cropswith electric fencing

Burrows among treeroots. Seeks shelter inabandoned buildings orunder porches

Nests in hollow trees orbuilds leaf nests high inbranches

Nests in old woodpeckerholes, sometimes inattics

Underground burrowsfor raising young andhibernation

Dens in tree cavities,old woodpecker nests

Build nests of drygrasses and sedgesunder debris or inunderground tunnels.Note: Protect youngsaplings with wire mesh

Dens in abandoned moleruns, or beneath a rockpile, wood pile or inabandoned buildings

Den in 6–12 foot deepholes, hollow logs, orcaves

Burrows in ground,wood piles, stone walls,old stumps, foundationsof abandoned buildings;multiple entrances toden

Statewide

Statewide

Striped, statewideSpotted, no recentrecords

Gray Squirrel, state-wide; Fox Squirrel,statewide exceptnortheast

Southern, southern halfNorthern, northern half

Thirteen lined, state-wide; Franklins, western

Northern two-thirds

Statewide

Statewide

Northwest and central

Southern half

Mammal Food Habitat Den Site Distribution