Just like with fishing and hunting, I began trapping as a youth.
By now, I have trapped nearly all of the furbearers that are available in North America… even the timber wolf, and the wolverine. My specialty is animal damage control. If you have property, and you’re having a problem with beaver, raccoon, skunk, fox, coyote, mink, pigeons or other nuisance animals – I’m your guy.
The most common problem that clients run into is with nuisance beaver. Because of many years with lousy fur prices, very few trappers are taking the time to pursue them – thus, they spread like wild fire. By now, they are in almost every lake, river, creek, swamp, ditch, or wetland – and if there is a small amount of water, they will make it bigger and deeper. These busy little buggers will damn up waterways and flood your property, or they will come into your property and literally mow down valuable trees – making a huge mess. I’ve even seen them block drainage ditches in farm country, flooding large parcels of acreage, and causing tens of thousands of dollars in crop damage.
Other problems I commonly see are raccoons, skunks and woodchucks getting into garbage cans, destroying gardens and crops, or burrowing under buildings. With skunks – add the stink to the problem.
When clients have farm animals – especially chickens, ducks and geese – predators like mink, weasel, fox and coyote can wreak havoc. They may snatch them one at a time, or go on a killing spree, and leave the dead scattered. If you’ve experienced this, you know what I mean when I say, it can be really sad and disheartening.
I use a variety of methods to remove nuisance critters, and I handle every job on a case-by-case basis. I take great care not to risk catching non-target species– especially cats and dogs. Whenever possible for beaver, I use the conibear trap underwater. Depending on the situation, I may also use snares, live trap boxes, or leg holds. I check my traps daily, and follow the law.
Nuisance Wildlife Damage Control is an important part of wildlife management on your own land.
Nuisance Animal Damage Control Consultations
Typically, there is a short consultation so that I can get an understanding of your needs. Most of the time there is a setup fee, and then a charge per animal that I remove. Much of the cost may depend on how far I need to drive to help you accomplish your goals. The closer the better, but there isn’t always a professional trapper within easy reach.
You will see in my photos that I enjoy involving the youth in all the sports and hobbies that I do. I believe firmly in bringing up the next generation to love the outdoors. They also tend to love it, and find it very interesting. It’s very satisfying for me to grow up as accomplished individuals, and know that I had a hand in it.
Occasionally, I will run into a person who wants to learn how to trap for themselves. I want you to know that I am an experienced teacher, and I especially enjoy teaching people how to trap, how to target specific species, and how to do this for themselves. This type of situation would be under the consulting portion of my business, and can be done in person, over the phone, or over a zoom-type meeting.
