Shelby Shopper Shelby NC
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704-484-1047 www.shelbyinfo.com Our 37th Year • Issue No. 43 • October 29, 2020 FREE EVERY THURSDAY! N.C. TRACTOR & FARM SUPPLY 299 Railroad Ave., Rutherfordton • 828-288-0395 Mobile: 828-429-5008 • mf1dpshehan@gmail.com SALES SERVICE PARTS PROUDLY SERVING RUTHERFORD, CLEVELAND, GASTON, LINCOLN, POLK COUNTIES AS THE AREAS HOMETOWN MASSEY FERGUSON DEALER. IF YOU BUY ANYWHERE ELSE IF YOU BUY ANYWHERE ELSE YOU WILL PAY TOO MUCH! YOU WILL PAY TOO MUCH! ASK ABOUT 0% INTEREST Certified Wildlife Damage Control Agent offers human wildlife capture and removal services By MICHAEL E. POWELL Community First Media When it comes to quicky get- ting pesky critters out of your house or outbuildings, one might paraphrase the old "Ghost- buster's" movie theme song from back in the day, "When there's something weird, in your neigh- borhood (attic or crawlspace), who ya gonna call?" The answer in this case, is, not Ghostbusters, but rather, "Why, you call Scott Bradley, that's who." Mr. Bradley, of Belwood, in Cleveland County, is a Certified Wildlife Damage Control Agent who offers his humane wildlife capture and removal services, and bills himself as an "honest, dependable service," offering, in addition to the critter's removal, but also advice on preventable maintenance, especially when and where the little varmints get in and tear things up or destroy a garden or under the home. He can handle jobs in Cher- ryville and Gaston County, and Shelby and Kings Mountain, in Cleveland County and the local area, he said, adding, "I am certified by the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission (WRC), and am also able to repair any home or property damage caused by the wildlife in ques- tion." When asked how he got into such a job, Bradley said, "I've always been an outdoorsman. I was setting traps for rabbits and mice at the age of eight; later on, for other animals. I read every book I could get my hands on about wildlife and trapping as a youngster. I did some minor fur trapping and selling furs in the '70s." He continued, "After retir- ing as a bridge and roadway inspector for the Department of Transportation (NCDOT), I had a close friend from the east coast that got certified to be a Wildlife Damage Control Agent so he could legally set mole traps for his lawn maintenance business. "He was telling me about all the calls he was getting through the Wildlife Resources Commis- sion (WRC) for nuisance wildlife, so that's what got my wheels turning." Bradley, who has been doing wildlife damage control now for about a year and half, said once he was certified, he didn't do much advertising, adding that he was "surprised at how many calls were coming" his way. "Most of them were from the WRC, local game wardens, and local animal control office's rec- ommendations," he said, adding that most people in need of his services have a nuisance animal causing damage or problems of some sort to their homes or out- buildings. "I have seen some pretty extensive damage to homes, mainly in crawlspaces and at- tics," he said. Bradley said he is certified to trap "all wildlife", except big game animals, such as deer, bears, turkeys, and such. "These are all managed by your local wildlife officers, or game wardens," said Bradley. The only 'critters' Mr. Brad- ley doesn't traditionally trap as part of his license, are snakes. However, he can actually cap- ture them but they have to be relocated. Bothersome insects, he says, are a "totally different certification" and are not trapped or relocated by him. Said Bradley, "We can relo- cate some nuisance birds but federal birds such as hawks, eagles, owls and other raptor birds, or geese require a federal permit, along with the depreda- tion permit, which I issue on-site. I do the process to get a federal permit for any of these birds if they're causing damage." A depredation permit is, as Mr. Bradley describes, a "stan- dard permit issued to a home- owner written by the Wildlife Damage Control Agent, or WDCA. The humane capture of wild- life is something Bradley said the WRC emphasizes. Bradley said in order to be- come a CWDCA, you must complete a two-day class in Ra- leigh, then pass a 100-question written test. The applicant must also have no previous violations noted by the WRC. That agent can be recertified by the NC Wildlife Commission ever three to four years, he added. "As far as I know," said Brad- ley, "there are only two other in- dependent WDC agents in this area. A lot of pest control com- panies have started doing wild- life control in recent years, and large cities such as Charlotte have multiple WDCA's. "I also need to say here and now I, or any of us really, can't legally trap, kill, or relocate wild- life unless they're causing dam- age. I get calls for foxes and coyotes because people are seeing them in their yards now. We try to teach others what their options are." Scott noted that while some customers or clients don't mind the wildlife, they just don't want them to damage or have access See BRADLEY, Page 7 When it comes to trapping pesky 'critters', Belwood's Scott Bradley knows his stuff' Certified Wildlife Damage Control Agent Scott Bradley with a couple of his "critter" traps, which come in various sizes, to accommodate various wild animals. (photo provided) A couple of racoons Wildlife Damage Control Agent Scott Bradly recently caught for a customer whose home was damaged by them. (photos provided