Kane & McHenry County, Illinois
Wildlife in your home? Find out what it is, and who to call.
The Wildlife Line is a free field guide for homeowners in Kane and McHenry County: what's making the noise, what not to do tonight, and who to call. Our advertiser, AquaText Inc., is an IDNR-permitted wildlife control operator that removes the animals and seals the way they got in.
Step one
What are you hearing?
Pick the closest match. Sound alone can't always settle it. Droppings, chew marks and the way in usually do, and that's what an inspection is for.
Most likely
A raccoon.
Raccoons sleep in the den by day, which is when you hear them moving and chattering, and go out to feed at night. Mothers have their young in April and May, often in attics and chimneys.
- Stay out of the attic and keep pets away from the area.
- Don't block the hole. If young are inside, the mother may chew her way back in.
- Don't clean up raccoon droppings bare-handed. They can carry a rare but dangerous roundworm.
- Raccoons are protected in Illinois. Trapping one yourself takes an IDNR permit first.
Most likely
Squirrels.
Gray and fox squirrels are out during the day, busiest in early morning and late afternoon. Inside, you may hear them rustling in the nest at night, then nothing once they leave to feed.
- Look for a small chewed hole in the eaves, fascia or soffit.
- Squirrels chew siding, insulation and wiring.
- Don't seal the hole while they're inside. If babies are in there, the mother may chew her way back in.
Possibly
Flying squirrels.
Flying squirrels are the only squirrels active at night. They're small, about two ounces, and they move into attics and walls.
- Small, light scratching that goes on day and night may be mice instead. Mice are a pest-control job, which this guide doesn't cover.
- An inspection settles which it is before anything gets sealed.
Most likely
Bats.
Insulation muffles bats, so many people only find out when they see them. Watch your roofline from about half an hour before sunset until dark.
- Every bat in Illinois is protected. They're excluded, not trapped or killed.
- From mid-May to early August the young can't fly, so sealing them in is restricted by law.
- Found a bat in a room where someone was sleeping? Don't let it go. Call your doctor or the county health department.
Most likely
Birds nesting in a vent or the attic.
Starlings and house sparrows are the usual suspects. They get in through vents and build nests in attics.
- Dried droppings and nest material can carry disease, and air through a vent can carry it inside.
- Many native birds are protected, so not every nest can simply be pulled out.
Most likely
A skunk, groundhog or opossum.
A hole about four inches across under a deck or porch is often a skunk. A big hole, ten inches or more, with a mound of dirt is usually a groundhog.
- Never block a hole that might have babies behind it. Skunks have their young in May and early June, groundhogs in April and May.
- Keep dogs away from the deck edge after dark.
Step two
Where in the house is it?
Animals get in through the same few weak spots. Scroll down through the house.
The roofline & eaves
Gaps where the roof meets the house.
- Eaves and soffits are a prime way in
- A small chewed hole points to squirrels; a big torn opening points to a raccoon
- Bats fit through a gap about the width of a pencil and leave dark smudges around it
The attic
Thumps, chatter or scurrying overhead.
- Heavy thumps and chattering, often in the daytime, point to a denned raccoon
- Rustling that stops once they head out points to squirrels
- Paths in the insulation, droppings and chew marks tell you who's been there
Inside the walls
Scratching you can follow along a wall.
- Squirrels and flying squirrels move from the attic into wall spaces
- A new bad smell can mean animals are living inside, or one has died there
The chimney
Scratching or chirping in the flue.
- The usual suspects: raccoons, squirrels, starlings and chimney swifts
- A mother raccoon will raise her young in a chimney if she can't find a better den
- Close the damper and don't light a fire
The deck, porch & shed
A hole at the edge, a smell underneath.
- Skunks, groundhogs and opossums den under decks, porches and sheds
- Hole size helps tell them apart
- Once it's empty, buried wire mesh along the edge keeps them out
Overnight
What's on the roof between dusk and dawn.
Raccoons, bats and squirrels are everywhere in the Fox Valley. Typical Illinois counts are 9 to 45 raccoons per square mile; parts of Kane and McHenry have recorded about 100.
~100
raccoons per square mile, the fall count recorded in parts of Kane and McHenry County (Wildlife Illinois).
About our advertiser, AquaText Inc.
- Call or send a request.Buttons marked Ad go straight to AquaText Inc.
- They inspect and explain.The inspection is free. They tell you what's there, how it's getting in, and what it will take.
- They do the work.Before starting, they get your written OK and explain the plan and the cost, as Illinois rules require. Then removal and sealing the way in, under their Illinois DNR permit.
Plainly: The Wildlife Line is a separately owned, advertiser-supported information site, not a wildlife company. We don't trap or remove animals. AquaText Inc. advertises here, does the work and sets the price. You never pay us anything, and you can hire any operator on the Illinois DNR list. How the ads work.
Safety first
When it's not a removal job.
Bitten or scratched?
Wash it with soap and water right away, get medical care, and report it to county animal control: Kane 630-232-3555, McHenry 815-459-6222.
Bat where someone was sleeping?
Don't let it go, and don't damage its head. It may need testing. Call your doctor or the county health department. Bats are the main rabies carrier in Illinois.
Injured, orphaned or acting strange?
Injured or orphaned wildlife needs a licensed rehabilitator. A wild animal that stumbles or seems tame: keep kids and pets in and call animal control.
Where this guide covers
Kane and McHenry County, along the Fox River.
From Hampshire and Pingree Grove east to Elgin, down the river through St. Charles, Geneva and Batavia to Aurora, and north through Huntley, Crystal Lake, Algonquin and Woodstock.
Kane County towns · McHenry County towns · Aurora · Northwest Cook County · DeKalb County
{FORM}Questions people ask.
Is The Wildlife Line a wildlife removal company?
No. The Wildlife Line is a separately owned, advertiser-supported wildlife information site. Its advertiser, AquaText Inc., an Illinois DNR-permitted wildlife control operator, does the inspections and the work and sets its own prices. You never pay The Wildlife Line anything. About this site and our advertiser.
What areas does this guide cover?
Homes in Kane County and McHenry County, Illinois, including Hampshire, Pingree Grove, Elgin, St. Charles, Geneva, Batavia, Crystal Lake, Huntley, Algonquin, Woodstock and the Kane and DuPage County parts of Aurora. It also covers nearby towns in DeKalb, DuPage and northwest Cook County: DeKalb, Sycamore, Schaumburg, Hoffman Estates, Hanover Park, Streamwood and Bartlett.
Can I trap and relocate a raccoon myself in Illinois?
Not without a permit. Raccoons are protected in Illinois, and a homeowner needs a Nuisance Animal Removal Permit from the Illinois DNR before trapping one. Licensed operators can't move a raccoon off your property either: by rule it's released within 100 yards, taken to a licensed veterinarian-rehabilitator, or euthanized. Sealing the way in is what solves the problem.
What animals doesn't this site cover?
Mice, rats and insects are pest-control jobs, so this site doesn't cover them. It focuses on raccoons, squirrels, bats, skunks, opossums, groundhogs, birds in vents and similar wildlife in and around homes.