I do not stress about competition, good or bad. My blood pressure and business profit. Competition is good because the more the better to spread the word. You are not going to get every job, but when you learn how, you will get most jobs you need to get. That is the tipping point and that is when the fun begins.

Life is a lot more enjoyable when you're not worried about what other people are doing.

Man Oh Man David, this topic certainly got a good workout again. What you said about traps in Georgia pertains to Wisconsin as well. I'm sure the pest control guys never get asked for a trapping license even though they need one. I don't really get too upset because I've probably lost twice as much business to automobiles running over my target animal than I've lost to PC companies! We do like the fact that we all have both licenses. ( Even my daughter )

I have the same problem here in my area. A lot of what I'm trying to build a business on is the same thing that Joe Blow is doing for nothing or doing wrong.

But the core of the problem is is "Education". We have laws, rules and regulations covering what I do but if no one knows what they are, what good are they?

Example: In the state of North Carolina we, as Wildlife Damage Control Agents, are not allowed to relocate any animal in the order Carnivore. That is coons, coyotes, fox, bobcat, marten, mink, skunk and the like. Pretty much, any critter that will eat meat. But... I personally know an Animal Control office with the city who routinely catches and releases racoons! To start with, he's not even supposed to be catching coons! He's dogs and cats! This man should know better but NO ONE has ever told him before me! Now, this man is an employee of the city and has a job that deals with animals. He should know better!

Then, there is Harry Home Owner who's trapping squirrel and rabbit all summer long, hauling them down the road and turning them loose on the ditch bank. Granted, he has a right to protect his property, including his vegetable garden, but he does NOT have the right to dump his problems off on someone else. And I question the validity of his trapping with no permits. That is why I've been train and certified, to write the stupid permit when there is a problem! If Harry can trap what ever, when ever he wants, then why bother requiring me to be certified?

Then there are those trappers who are making a good living trapping beaver for lumber producers and such, year round, and getting paid good money to do it! I was told plain that before I could charge for trapping that I had to be state certified. Not just licensed, but CERTIFIED! I look up these jokers on the states web site and my name is the ONLY one that comes up! So I KNOW they are not certified. I don't blame them, really, cause they don't know any better.

Then there are those who are licensed for something else but think it's their job to do my stuff too. Exterminators are bad for this. They have license to kill bugs but think they can do a bat job too. Or, while they are there poisoning mice they chunk out some snake poison too. I've even seen where they put out poison baits for squirrels. Is any of this legal?

Turn them in? Report them? To who? To start with we don't have enough game wardens. One warden typically covers more than one county. Ours here, covers at least three counties, if not four. Same goes with the other game warden I know east of here. And what makes it worse is, they really don't know all the regulations either. Our Wildlife Resource Commission doesn't teach them the same things they teach us.

I could go on and on but it just gets me all knotted up. What it boils down to is this, legal or not, there are too many yahoos out there doing what I do without the proper credentials or even knowing the proper ways of doing it and no body really cares.

Muddawg, great post and I am truly amazed, and I'll explain why. nearly all the things that are illegal in your state, are legal in mine.

Homeowners have way more rights than licensed hunters or trappers. They can kill nearly everything that is a threat to their property. They can legally, also catch and release ( with permission ) nearly every species of animal. Just to give you an idea of how uninformed our citizenry is, check this out. Nearly all of our hardware type stores sell mole traps and sometimes they even run out. Why? there isn't a mole in the entire eastern half of Wisconsin. I have never seen a mole or even a mole trap set for them.

You would think that such lenient laws would nearly prohibit companies like ours but that is not the case. People have come to depend on plumbers, electricians, landscapers, and a host of other tradesmen. Once you get people to realize that you are part of this group of experts, you're going to be too busy working to even worry about anything else.

In Tennessee you are required to have a wildlife nuisance damage control permit in order to operate an ADC business. You are also required by law to be insured. I won’t hesitate for one second to turn someone in who is operating in my area illegally. This is a business, not a hobby. I have turned in people before in my area and the T.W.R.A put a stop to it. The T.W.R.A does an excellent job at following up on reports and shutting these illegal ADC companies down.

I keep in constant contact with the game wardens and the T.W.R.A officials and they have always encouraged us to keep them posted if an ADC Company is operating illegally. This is a very serious issue and must be treated as so. You can have the mind set of “well there will eventually get caught or I am not worried about them”, but if you do nothing, then nothing will get done.

Well... We just have to keep plugging along, doing what we do.

For the elderly lady on a fixed income, counting on that two or three hundred dollars she gets from selling a few pecans each year, I'm there to do battle with thieving squirrels.

For the young mother, afraid to sleep at night because a snake shed was found in her bathroom, I take flashlight in hand and crawl on my belly under her house looking for it.

For the old man trying to feed himself and his family with a few rows of sweet corn, I still trap his coons.

For the couple deathly afraid of the bats seen fluttering out from the vent to their attic, I come armed with excluders, bat houses and knowledge to put their minds at ease.

For the couple from church that have possums nesting under their storage building, I show up with cages in hand to remove them.

Even for the home owner who's watching the barn that their Daddy built sinking into a gophers den, I'm their again to remove them and fill up the holes under the foundation.

From a beaver filled creek flooding a landowners retirement fund to cattle growers coyote threatened herd, I stand ready to draw that line between Mother Nature and humanity.

These people need me. These people appreciate what I can do for them and for these people I keep doing what I do!

.... Man!.... That would make a GREAT commercial!

Hey Muddawg, our lives on earth are short. When St. Peter asks you what you did in your time here, you're going to be looking a lot better than most of us!

Just being a productive member of society. I didn't say that I did all that for free.

Well we decided to let them take care of themselves and rode by one of them today and the business has closed its doors. Funny how the companies that try to offer their customers 7 different services can't do any one of these well enough to keep its doors open. This company advertised 7 different services and has move on from Coweta county. Guess we made the right call.

I am always amazed at what crummy wildlife controllers most pest guys make; and yet nearly all of us find pest control a cinch!

@Warrior- STAY THE GOOD FIGHT DEVIL!! i have a guy that works for the state in GA, a "treehugger" and a non active mustang Grunt. let me talk to him and see if he can help ya out.

Here in oregon you need to take a test on diffrent anamals that you are targeting , all with fish and wildlife, once pasted you are register with oregon state police. you cant transport no anamals with out a permitt. you must carry your lic,and permitt on you on all jobs. CRITTER RITTERS WCO #100105

blow them in and let the law deal with them

Good thoughts, csims, Wink, Muddawg; I'm kinda with Eric in the "turn 'em in" camp; at the very least, the regulatory agencies - whatever they are called in your state - have a record of the infraction or complaint, and may keep a close eye on the perp's. Eric, I, Wink, Warrior, etc. have done this work for too long and invested too much in education and professional equipment to have Joe PCO trying to do WC.
I heartily agree about the companies that try to do multiple services, and don't do any of them well. Some people will do any darn thing they can charge money for; how often do you see a doctor or lawyer selling insurance or being financial advisors? I think it improves our image to be professionals in one industry only.

Case in point.

Two women who are of the AR thinking, were doing wildlife control work in the Philadelphia area a few years
ago. They were set up in a PGC sting and were fined somewhere between $10,000 and $15,000 for advertising their
busness with out a lisence. It is also assumed that they were not following PGC regs for puting down animals
that are required to be put down by PGC law.

Phil, do you recall this?

pick65

Oh, my... hard to believe AR types would break the law!