We had some raccoons in our yard that seemed very unafraid of people so I got nervous and contacted ACS. Their pricing was totally reasonable and they dropped off a humane trap the next day and put it in the back of my yard. They caught 7 raccoons in 9 days - I couldn't believe how many there were in my yard! Norm was professional and very brave. I'd use them again, no question. They were great. read more

Animal Control Specialists - The 6th raccoon ACS caught in my yard - Pest Control Near Me - Wauconda, Illinois

Refreshingly honest vs. other companies we talked to. High integrity, did great work, more reasonably priced too. Definitely recommended.

Hired to remove squirrels from our attic. Left specific instructions with Norm about location of the traps ocation as our house has 2 distinct unconnected attics. The traps were set on the wrong side of the house and after calling several times they came out to move them. While on the wrong side of the house there was a squirrel captured. When they arrived at the house my wife again mentioned to them that the traps were on the wrong side of the house and she was met with derision and rudeness. When moved to the right side of the house they captured two more and after 2 days said they wouldn't be catching anymore. They quoted me on the phone $50 to repair each of the three dormers on the correct side of the house. While I clearly wanted all three dormers repaired and had told them to proceed, I noticed they had only repaired one. Received a bill for $440 which included $165 to set the traps $75 four each of the squirrels captured and $50 to repair the dormer. Since they only fixed one I elected to pay the bill less $75 for the squirrel caught on the wrong side of the house (There was no attic entry on that side). . I remitted the payment in a timely manner with a written explanation as to why I deducted the $75. Received a follow up bill with a finance charge and an increase in the charge for dormer repair to $155! I called today to again explain the reason for my payment being less than the now increased bill and was told you pay the entire amount anyway. So this is a business that is disorganized, I think dishonest, and willing to increase charges for services by 300% without any communication. While I'm sure this is a difficult service to provide I would most certainly suggest you find someone other than animal control specialists to provide it. read more

I think there must be a mix-up with this Company & another one. I have had nothing but wonderful experiences with them. I have used them with my tenants & for my Clients. I'm really surprised by the negative ratings. Call the 847-512-4980 number. The other number seems to be a $ making referral business. read more

This is our second round with ACS. Last year the pulled 9 squirrels out of our roof when we first moved in. This year, a mama skunk decided to have babies under our front stoop. The removed the mom last Tuesday and now two babies. We've worked with three different techs during the process and everyone has been very nice. This is not fun work. Think if part of your job duties or risks everyday were getting stung, bitten or sprayed by a skunk, etc. I've been trapping and releasing the chipmunks myself as well as a few squirrels. But I don't really want to mess with Pepe Le Pew (sp?)! read more

Over the phone they told me that setting up the trap is $135 and it will include the first chipmunk. They also told me to call on Sundays to advise them that there are no chipmunks so they do not have to come or else they will charge me. They also never told me about other charges. Here's what the bill looked like. Setup trap = $135 - Ok Picked up one chipmunk = $65 - Not Ok as this should have been included in the setup trap. Any other chipmunk above and beyond the first one is ok for $65 each. Covered Hole = $65 - THey never told me about this charge. Okay I understand that they need to charge to cover the hole but they should have let me know in advance. Also I think $65 is a liitle bit much for covering a small hole. I could have done it myself for $5.00 Sunday trap check: $15 - NOT OK as I called Sunday and talked to their answering service. I called to complain and they were adamant about the charges. They eventually took the Sunday trap check after debating with the guy. Be very careful with this company. Or use someone else. read more

We had a really good experience with this company. We had a squirrel that had gotten into our house, and it took a while to find. They were helpful and very sympathetic. Not only did they come out to diagnose the problem, but they accompanied my wife back into the house when she was nervous about going in alone. read more

We had a nursing skunk under our deck. We could see where the skunk had dug a hole to find her way under. ACS came promptly and set up a trap that left her (and her kits, so we thought) no place else to get out. We caught the mother the next morning. A day later we had juveniles walking across the deck in daylight (they didn't yet know they were nocturnal.) ACS came the next morning, identified a second point of egress, and set up a second trap. By the end of the week we had caught nine juveniles, including one that was picked up by hand wandering the deck. They even came on the weekend after we left a message. We have been skunk free for a week, just in time for summer! Throughout the process ACS was professional, informative, and thorough. Pricing is a bit high but no more than the competition. Better to pay than to suffer. read more

Used these guys more than once; this last time was for skunk removal. Very nice and professional, website has a lot of info and tips, definitely recommend. read more

Their initial visit was January 28th where the technician immediately discovered a squirrel entering into my attic fan. He set some traps and put an indicator over the fan to tell if there was any activity. By the 8th there were 4 squirrels caught and the attic fan covered by a fence type cover. This is my first experience with any type of business like this. It's really hard to tell you how I feel other than the results achieved. Technically I was completely at their mercy. Not because of them but becausr this was a completely new experience. They did exactly what they were supposed to do. Service was prompt. Technician was informative polite and all the other stuff you need when someone visits your home. I will have to see over the next few weeks and months if I hear any more noise. Please excuse my talk-to-text. read more

I had these guys come back and trap another skunk in my yard. What a great company. Easy to work with, professional, and they know what they are doing. Anytime I have a critter problem they will be my first call. Thanks again. read more

I'm so disappointed with this company. They came out and charged us $125.00 to leave a cage to catch a raccoon that is in our attic. The tech put it on our roof with no bait in it. The raccoon is in our attic and ripping it apart. We could hear it. I called at 7:30 in the evening and spoke with an operator who said someone would call us right back. Forty-five minutes later I had to call again and the operator said she would page the tech again. Still waiting for someone to call. If you are reading this do yourself a favor and call a different company. Very Disappointed! read more

This company is very professional and humane, and we highly recommend using them in you're in the same situation as we were (a nest of skunks under a shed in our backyard)! They came and set up traps right away and kept us informed of the problem of catching the mother and her kits. Once trapped, they came right away to remove the animals so they didn't die in those traps. The service and understanding of how to remove these animals that you can't have near your home was excellent! A+++++ read more

Looking at the website you're thinking these guys are it. I did too initially and they do a pretty good sales pitch. Their pricing is at a median level in comparison to other pest / wildlife control services. The initial estimate is $155 dollars. For each pet captured and disposed of, whichever way, $55 dollars (each). (Depending on animal and season all control services offer euthanasia or relocation.) They set up traps at entry / exit areas and will check them daily. If you need any repair they will offer you an estimate so you can take care of it elsewhere or for a nominal fee take care of it for you. Even if you don't want their help, they can do the estimate and tell you how to take care of the problem. I didn't end up with this company, the website stated a 24 hour emergency service / answering service which wasn't available when I called or called back during the holiday weekend. In the future, I would consider their service. read more

These guys came in my house for less than 2 minutes, told me I had birds in my chimney that they couldn't do anything about and charged me $145. I made the appointment with the understanding that they would put a screen on my chimney after the birds migrated and of course upon arrival they told me they couldn't do it for the type of chimney I have and it'd be an additional $150. Don't use these guys. Call someone else. read more

$205 for just an inspection, no traps. And the tech did not even want to look in the attic. He was going to come back later, I'm sure for another service charge. i suggest shopping around. read more

I've used this company several times in the past few years since I rent a house in Glenview that seems very susceptible to everything from raccoons in the walls (they chew through the roof) to birds making holes in the wooden siding and moving into the walls. They are great at what they do. They respond quickly, take care of the problem, and their prices are reasonable. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them to anyone and everyone. read more

We hired Animal Control Specialists to remove some troublesome raccoons from our attic. I called them around 8:30am and they came out that same day to get started. While the raccoon went around the trap the first night on the second night they had it! After a couple of days more of trapping to make sure there wasn't another one they put a protective screen over the damaged vent. I hope I never need to hire them again but if another raccoon decides to break in I know who too call. read more

STAY AWAY FROM THIS COMPANY! I contacted them to remove a dead skunk, set traps, and install fencing/screening in a 6 ft area so other rodents could not have access under my home. The initial fee was $120; I knew where the dead skunk was located and the probable point of entry, and where to install the screening. The technician came to my home the next day and said that he could not retrieve the skunk and had return to install screening. After paying I was informed there would be an 8 week delay for the screening installation, and that they would not install traps because there was "no evidence of any skunks"! I suppose they didn't consider the dead, rotting skunk I called them about or perhaps were too incompetent to find evidence of the living skunk walking around my lawn a few days later. I advised them this delay was not acceptable and was them promised they would return in 8 days. 15 days later I hired a different company and all the work was done the very next day. I think Animal Control Specialists are SCAM artists, they took my money and ran. I tried for two weeks to contact John Hagen, the owner, but he refused to call me back. I would have preferred to handle this with the company but their lack of professionalism forced me to expose them on Yelp. Stay away! read more

This was our third time using Animal Control Specialists. The first time, a few years ago, they came and retrieved a dead skunk from under our back stoop. Another time he set a trap for skunks but there were none. When we called him last week he came out when he said he would. He inspected the entire circumference of our house, even getting down on the ground to check under our bay windows. He set a trap but there was nothing in it. He just came back to install a screen around our front step to prevent skunks from getting under there. He has been courteous, friendly, and professional. read more

They will solve your skunk problems. Some of their staff need a class in customer service.

Had a skunk smell issue that was absolutely awful. They came out by 10AM the day we talked, found the dead skunks under our deck and had everything squared away in less than an hour. Robert was professional and very kind, and I cannot recommend this company enough if you have skunk issues. Thank you so much for your help! read more

The WORST customer service. Had them out about 2 months ago and spent a fortune having them secure the areas of concern. Now I have another animal in the attic and they won't come without recharging. I called 4 times to get this info. Do not use them read more

It's a bad sign when the owner responds to a woman's question addressing her as sweetheart. The initial visit was fine, but they came back an week later and installed sheet metal on my roof without my consent. Came back a day later, removed and told me now I might get water in my attic. There was no point of entry so I do not know why the sheet metal was installed . I called for an explaination and was met with a condescending attitude with no answers. DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY!!! read more

We paid $75 for a guy to come out, walk around our shed and tell us that he could dig a trench and bury fencing to keep out skunks. The cost of that visit was to be applied to the balance once the work was done. We were told that they would get to it early the next week. They did not call or come back for a week. The next week, I called and was told that we were next. That week has passed and they are not here. I suggest going with someone else as we have decided to do. A waste of time. read more

Professional, quick, and knowledgeable. The guy who came out ensured we would never have squirrels in our attic again. Highly recommend!

Nothing nastier than the stench of skunk inside the house. My nose narrowed down the location to under the concrete front porch. Called Animal Control Specialists, they explained the process and fee structure and were out the next day to evaluate the situation. Traps were set and skunks were caught...the mother right away and the younguns a few days later. They do exterminate the skunks...no relocation services on skunks. The tech was professional and again explained the process...he would come out once a day to check the trap and on Sundays I would need to check the trap and give the office a call to give them an update...fair enough...every one needs time off on the weekend. Plus it helped that I could see the trap from a comfortable distance. The tech also explained how ACS could install underground fencing to prevent future homesteading by the skunks or other burrowing rodents...no hard sell...just the offer of the service. Also let me with an information sheet about skunks. Once the skunks were removed, the tech backfilled the hole and the house was stench free once again. This company is now in my contacts list...just in case. read more