I have done some skunk and coon trapping for my gramps and a couple neighbors and thought maybe I could do a little to make some extra money to put in our savings as well as buy some more cages to run a line next winter.

The questions I have mostly pertain to how you charge. I have heard of charging per animal, but I have also heard the better way is just weekly rates.
How do you guys charge and and what amount?

The animals I would be looking to trap are coons, skunks, grey fox, and squirrels. As well as snake removal.

What is your daily job like? When are busy and slow times? Also, if I have the trappers liscence do I need a business lisence?

Is there any tips or setups that you would like to pass on. I wont be starting till january probably.

If you are going to do it just for extra money,in most cases you will be working to cheap. Keep track of all cost and time etc. Time is money, if driving or making sets or getting rid of animals. I got a navagator (spelling?)and was that a wake up call as far as driving time and setting traps etc. I have a set up charge + per/aminal+ millage. I am not in a high price area. Would have a hard time making a living in my area at the work load I take on. No bee's, bats, beaver, coyotes. JMO
Ev

Most of your legal questions need to come from California regarding licenses.

Pricing is either by the animal or windshield time +time on Job

I have spent a lot of time looking to get some of the most basic questions needed to start a new wildlife control business.
I and several others helped me put them in a set of podcasts located on this page.

http://animalremovals.net/starting-a-nwco-business/

Join NWCOA (nwcoa.com), get with Robb on info and advertising, join a state association.

Anyone else wanna share there exact rates? Slow and busy times of year? Most common job?

We're on opposite sides of the country and what works for me might not work for you but...

I charge $75 setup fee and $50 per animal caught for squirrels, skunks and raccoons.

I also offer five days of trapping for any or all of the above mentioned species for $350.

For beaver I charge $100 setup and $100 per animal. Same for coyote.

All prices are negotiable depending on circumstance.

I don't do exclusions.

March through October is my busy time although beaver can last 'til hard water.

I charge depending on distance to the job. Setup fee is $89.99 to $129.99, per animal is usually $69.99 and that'd for skunks, woodchucks, raccoon, possum, squirrel, etc...Coyotes start at $250.00 set up. Bats are a whole other pricing system. Rodent box programs I do for $49.99 a month on residential homes, plus the cost of bait. May be too high, may be to low, but it works for me.

why the .99 tyson?

The guy that trained me does .99....I don't really have any other reason than thats how I've done it since I started. I suppose whole numbers would be easier to work with. I guess I've never really gave it much thought.

I know you dont do exclusions, but what is an exclusion?

I charge by my time on the property, time it takes to
get to and from the property, the use of my professional equipment and EXPERIENCE.

I put down enough equipment to do the job the quickest. I would rather get it done in two trips and not six trips.

I charge one price irregardless of the number of animals trapped per trip.
When your busy its to block time to expect that same rate of money.

Trip fee vary based on distance under 10, 20, 30, 60, 90 miles.

Set ups are a minimum of two hours time.

I don't try to work for everyone that has my phone number either.

I don't negotiate price

Throw Back, what part of the state are you in?
Most cities require you to have a business license and a federal employer i.d. number(free online). If you have a ficticious business name you will need to file that as well and have it published in a newspaper. It is smart to get liability insurance and commercial auto insurance as well. If you auto insurance were to find out that you were using your rig for business they can deny the claim, then you are sol.
Best way to find out prices in your area is to call your competition and ask, I never did that I just came up with something that works for me. Remember in CA you need written permission to trap on someones property so you will need a contract or a permission slip signed and you must carry it with you on the job. Im sure there is more but I don't have the time. Aaron

An exclusion is your attempt to keep animals out. It could be fixing holes in a building, installing hardware cloth to keep animals from going under structure, putting netting up, installing chimney caps or vent covers, fencing an area, etc. Anything to keep the animals out.

Probably just semantics but when we refer to exclusion, that usually means putting a one-way door up to let the animals out, but not back in. Everything else is called something else. capping, closures, trenching, screening, etc.

Not Quite Paul- Animal Proofing best defines exclusion to me.

Per the dictionary this word has latin origins and means literally to shut something out since the Middle Ages and today it means to shut out and block an entrance.

ex·clu·sion   [ik-skloo-zhuhn] Show IPA
noun
1.
an act or instance of excluding.
2.
the state of being excluded.
3.
Physiology . a keeping apart; blocking of an entrance.

Origin:
1375–1425; late Middle English < Latin excl&#363;si&#333;n- (stem of excl&#363;si&#333; ), equivalent to excl&#363;s ( us ) (past participle of excl&#363;dere to shut out; see exclude) + -i&#333;n- -ion

I am up past sacramento.

Anyone have any setups they would like to share. I uses cage only. My main setup has just been baited near chicken coops or using a trashcan and slide the trap in

Try using some drift fencing. Do you have any comstock traps? If I have some trap shy coons I use a dog sized trap with a piece of ply wood resting on the pan, so when they get part of the way in they are caught.

Nice to see another Californian round here.

Let's start with the legalities. Here, you must be certified by the state as a Wildlife Damage Control Agent. That's a two day class and 175.00 fee and we must be recertified every three years. Check with your wildlife commission for details in your state.

Next we'll talk about charging. This is a professional service business just like any other. Check and see what the average service call for plumbers, electricians and appliance repair are in you area and base your fees from that. Example; I do pluming repair as well as ADC work. My service call for a plumbing repair job, if it doesn't run over an hour, is 85 dollars. My set up and inspection fee for ADC work is 85 dollars, for the first hour. Any exclusion work, damage repair and such is priced by the hour just as if it were a plumbing repair or light construction job.

Multiple day lines, I've got set fees for a set number of days OR a set up fee and a per animal charge depending on what I'm trying to catch. If you can give the customer a choice of straight fee or per animal fee, that gives him the power to decide your rates and many will jump on that thinking they may be getting a deal.

Squirrels and snakes will be the majority of your calls. I also offer my customers extra services in these cases. Exclusions are a great money maker for us. Seal up the holes and you get paid whether you catch the critter or not. I also offer deterrents, in many cases. It's easy to sell a sulfur dusting to someone who is afraid of snakes. I know that the jury is still out on if this even works or not, but it gives the little old lady some piece of mind and helps her sleep better at night. There fore she is more than willing to pay you even if the science has not been proven and you make no guarantees.

Don't forget to sell a product line with your business. I build and sell bird houses, and bat houses. A bat house is a wonderful tool when excluding bats from an attic because it gives the bats another roosting option. Some folks will buy them to get the bats out of their house but keep their bug eating benefits in their back yards. I also sell deer blinds and towers and, for a fee, will set them up and help the hunter set up his next hunt. This even includes, if the hunter wants to pay me for it, the planting of feed plots and the cutting of shooting lanes and walking paths.

Big game is NOT covered under my permit but it's perfectly legal for me to assist the home owner in deterring deer, bear and other large woodland creatures from their back yards or even farm fields.

Point is, the more wildlife services you can offer, the more likely it is that your business will succeed. It's gonna take some time but do good work, treat your customers fair and before long, you'll name will be spread out there.

Good luck.