Managing vertebrate pests has been a neglected topic of research in sustainable agriculture. Conventional approaches, often reactionary rather than preventative, have failed to provide sustainable solutions. Indeed, conventional control through density reduction often involves battling natural ecological processes. Agricultural practices may improve habitat quality for vertebrates that then become pests. Density reduction, but without a concomitant reduction in carrying capacity, may stimulate density-dependent reproduction and survival, rapid recolonization, or both; thus, vertebrate pests often show remarkable resilience in recovering from density reduction. Effective management of vertebrate pests in agricultural systems should incorporate knowledge of temporal and spatial dynamics of pest species.