Remove or "Take" Nuisance Animals Legally
Identify If You Need a Permit or License
This page is intended to help you identify whether a permit is required to legally "take" an animal that is causing a nuisance, damaging your property or threatening your safety. "Take" or "taking" means to pursue, shoot, hunt, kill, capture, trap, snare or net wildlife and game-or perform acts that disturb or worry wildlife. Taking an animal is only suggested if other best practices do not help alleviate the problem.
Taking During Recreational Sporting Seasons
Game animals may be taken during their specified hunting or trapping seasons with the appropriate recreational sporting license.
Relocating an Animal
If you need a wild animal removed from your property, contact a Wildlife Control Operator. Relocating an animal can create problems for neighbors, can move diseases like rabies or ticks and can cause unnecessary stress to the animal, so please leave this task to a trained professional.
Use the Tables Below to Identify if You Need a Permit
For a DEC Permit - Contact a regional DEC Wildlife Office. DEC may deny a permit if the nuisance, destruction of property or threat to public health and welfare will not be effectively abated by taking the animal.
For a Federal Permit- Contact the US Fish Wildlife Service Migratory Bird Program (External link) at 413-253-8643 or by email permitsR5MB@fws.gov
| Animal | Take Anytime | Take if Only a Nuisance | Take if Damaging Property | Take Under Special Circumstances |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bats | Please contact a DEC Wildlife Office or a NWCO when dealing with bats. Some bat species are protected and require experts to identify them. For some helpful tips on safely removing a bat from your home, visit the little brown bat webpage | |||
| Beaver (More information on handling beaver conflicts) |
No | DEC permit needed | DEC permit needed | n/a |
| Black Bear (More information on handling bear conflicts) |
No | DEC permit needed | If destroying livestock or an apiary, no permit is necessary to take a black bear; however, you must promptly notify the nearest Environmental Conservation Officer (ECO) to make arrangements for delivering the carcass (find an ECO near you). Also, DEC may issue a permit for a landowner to take if there is proof that the bear is causing property damage | DEC may issue a permit for a landowner to take if there is proof that the bear is threatening public welfare or safety. |
| Bobcat | No | DEC permit needed | DEC permit needed | n/a |
| Chipmunk | Yes | Yes | Yes | n/a |
| Coyote (More information on handling coyote conflicts) |
No | DEC permit needed | Yes | DEC may issue a permit for a landowner to take if there is proof that the coyote is threatening public welfare or safety |
| Deer (More information on handling deer conflicts) |
No | DEC permit needed | DEC permit needed | n/a |
| Eurasian Boar (More information on handling wild hog conflicts) |
Please contact a local DEC Wildlife Office | |||
| Fisher | No | DEC permit needed | DEC permit needed | n/a |
| Foxes - Red Fox and Gray Fox |
No | DEC permit needed | Yes | n/a |
| Hare - Snowshoe/Varying | No | DEC permit needed | Yes, refer to notes 1, 2 and 3 | refer to note 4 |
| Marten | No | DEC permit needed | DEC permit needed | refer to note 4 |
| Mice | Yes | Yes | Yes | n/a |
| Mink | No | DEC permit needed | DEC permit needed | refer to note 4 |
| Moles | Yes | Yes | Yes | n/a |
| Muskrat | No | DEC permit needed | Yes, refer to note 3 | refer to note 4 |
| Opossum | No | DEC permit needed | Yes, refer to note 3 | refer to note 4 |
| Otter, River | No | DEC permit needed | DEC permit needed | refer to note 4 |
| Porcupine | Yes, refer to note 1 | n/a | ||
| Rabbit - Cottontail | No | DEC permit needed | Yes, refer to notes 2 and 3 | refer to note 4 |
| Raccoon | No | DEC permit needed | Yes, refer to note 3 | refer to note 4 |
| Rats (except Allegheny woodrat) |
Yes | Yes | Yes | n/a |
| Shrews | Yes | Yes | Yes | n/a |
| Skunk | No | Yes, refer to note 3 | Yes, refer to note 3 | refer to note 4 |
| Squirrels - Gray, Black, and Fox | No | DEC permit needed | Yes, refer to note 3 | refer to note 4 |
| Squirrels - Red | Yes, refer to note 1 | n/a | ||
| Voles | Yes | Yes | Yes | n/a |
| Weasels | No | DEC permit needed | Yes, refer to note 3 | refer to note 4 |
| Woodchuck/Groundhog | Yes, refer to note 1 | refer to note 4 | ||
| Animal | Take Anytime | Take if Only a Nuisance | Take if Damaging Property | Take Under Special Circumstances |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blackbird, Red-winged | No | No | if destroying crops, may be taken without a permit during June - October | n/a |
| Canada Goose (More information on handling Canada goose conflicts) |
No | Federal permit needed | Federal permit needed | refer to note 4 |
| Cormorants (More information on handling cormorant conflicts) |
No | No | No | n/a |
| Cowbirds | No | No | if destroying crops, may be taken without a permit during June - October | n/a |
| Crow | No | Yes, if on cultivated lands | Yes | refer to note 4 |
| Ducks | No | Federal permit needed | Federal permit needed | refer to note 4 |
| European starling | Yes, refer to note 1 | n/a | ||
| Grackle | No | No | if destroying crops, may be taken without a permit during June-October | n/a |
| Great Blue Heron | No | Federal permit Needed | Federal permit Needed | na |
| Gulls (More information on handling gull conflicts) |
No | Federal permit needed | Federal permit needed | n/a |
| House (English) sparrow | Yes, refer to note 1 | n/a | ||
| Pigeon without leg band | Yes, refer to note 1 | n/a | ||
| Pigeon with leg band | No | No | No | n/a |
| Snow goose | No | Federal permit needed | Federal permit needed | refer to note 4. There is also a special snow goose hunting season for select waterfowl zones |
| Mute swans | No | DEC permit needed | DEC permit needed | n/a |
| Turkey | No | DEC permit needed | DEC permit needed | refer to note 4 |
| Woodpecker | No | Federal permit needed | Federal permit needed | n/a |
| Animal | Take Anytime | Take if Only a Nuisance | Take if Damaging Property | Take Under Special Circumstances |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Snakes | No | DEC permit needed | DEC permit needed | Contact a local DEC Wildlife Office |
| Turtles | No | DEC permit needed | DEC permit needed | - refer to note 4 - Contact a local DEC Wildlife Office |
Notes
The following notes apply to specific areas in the tables above.
- Note 1 - Hunting license is required to take with a bow or firearm
- Note 2 - May not use ferrets, fitch-ferrets, or fitch to take
- Note 3 - If taking during the closed hunting or trapping season, it must be buried or cremated immediately
- Note 4 - may be taken during the hunting or trapping season for that species.
"Nuisance" or "Damaging"
- Nuisance Wildlife - A wild animal that may cause property damage, is perceived as a threat to human health or safety, or is persistent and perceived as an annoyance. Examples include a skunk or fox living under the porch or shed. If an animal is not causing any concern, for example, it is simply passing by, is observed only once or twice and does not cause any harm, then it should not be considered a nuisance.
- Damaging Wildlife - A wild animal that damages property, for example, digs up your yard, eats your landscape plants or vegetable garden, kills or threatens your livestock or pets, fouls your lawn, eats the fish in your pond, damages your home, etc.
If you are unsure of whether an animal is a "nuisance" or "damaging" in any circumstance, please contact your local DEC Wildlife Office
Additional Resources
Visit DEC's main Nuisance Species webpage with information and links to multiple helpful resources.