Wildlife Damage Management, Internet Center for
Date of this Version
April 1991
Abstract
We tested the repellency of chicken eggs, MGK' Big Game Repellent (BGR), coyote (Canis latrans) urine, thiram, Hinder', Hot Sauce Animal Repellent' (Hot Sauce), and Ropey on captive tame elk (Cervus elaphus) in Colorado from December 1990 to February 1991. Coyote urine and BGR performed better than the other repellents for deterring elk from feeding on cubed alfalfa rations. Consumption of cubed rations treated with odor repellents increased from Day 1 through Day 5 of the trial, but consumption of thiram-treated rations decreased. During the second phase of the study, hungry elk consumed significantly more apple twigs that were treated with coyote urine, Hot Sauce, and thiram than did elk that were full fed The repellency of Hot Sauce increased significantly in the second phase when the concentration was increased 100 times above the labeled recommendations and was the only repellent treatment tested that consistently deterred hungry elk from feeding on apple twigs.