Wildlife Control Operator (WCO)

Oregon’s permitted wildlife control operators are an individual, business owner, or the business owner’s designee charging a fee to control furbearers, unprotected mammals (excluding moles) and western gray squirrels causing damage, creating a public nuisance or posing a public health or safety concern in incorporated city limits and associated urban development areas. They are permitted by ODFW and governed by a set of rules.

What should you do if you have a nuisance problem?

If you are experiencing wildlife causing a nuisance you may contact a permitted wildlife control operator or contact ODFW if you wish to conduct the trapping yourself. A WCO permit is not required for the onsite capture and euthanasia of species defined as “predatory animals”. 

• Local and regional offices

“Furbearers” means beaver, bobcat, fisher, marten, mink, muskrat, otter, raccoon, red fox, and gray fox.

“Predatory animals" means coyotes, rabbits, rodents (except beaver), feral swine, Starling, House sparrows, and Eurasian Collared Doves which are or may be destructive to agricultural crops, products and activities.

“Unprotected Mammals” means badger, coyote, gophers (Thomomys bottae, T. bulbivorus, T. mazama, T. talpoides and T. townsendii), moles (Scapanus townsendii, S. orarius and S. latimanus), mountain beaver (Apolodontia rufa), yellowbellied marmots (Marmota flaviventris), nutria, opossum, porcupine, spotted skunk, striped skunk, and weasel. For any person owning, leasing, occupying, possessing or having charge of or dominion over any land (or an agent of this person) who is taking or attempting to take coyote, gophers, mountain beaver (boomer), marmot, nutria, or porcupine on that property, these six species are considered to be predatory animals.

Prohibited species listed in OAR 635-056-0050 such as Nutria, Eastern Gray Squirrels, Eastern Fox Squirrels, and Virginia Opossum must be euthanized and cannot be released onsite.

Wildlife Control Operators