Lets increase taxes to fund the government to compete with private companies. Sounds like the American way.

http://helenair.com/news/local/county-ca...1a4bcf887a.html




Robb you were an inspiration. Thank you for your dedication the the industry. You will be missed.

It's interesting to note that they are choosing to tax themselves to pay for the services they are receiving. That in itself sounds like the American Way, at least the one I would like to see.

I'd really like to see the numbers. Are they footing the full bill?

The head tax which used to be common in nearly every western state county isn't a new thing. It is meant to supplement the cost sharing of a county/federal funding that is going to support the damage control agent. Though if the head tax base is large enough it can sustain entire employees.

This should be a model more folks can wrap their minds around as the ranchers are paying in directly, though when they hire WS through a typical county contract again it is the community tax money that is paying a portion of the cost share and again this is based on rural communities where the money is all tied to the local ranchers/farmers who pay into the tax base, as do other local people who are tied to the industries in these small towns and areas.

Oh deer.

http://www.newsday.com/long-island/towns...2?firstfree=yes

USDA Wildlife Services exposed: 12 Million in your tax dollars unaccounted for.

Here is a pdf to the recently leaked internal audit.

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B69WClhgOm5XR0VhYVNtcUpxRUk/preview?pli=1

FREE WILDLIFE CONTROL.........

http://www.newsmax.com/US/investigation-wildlife-services-abuse/2014/01/05/id/545297

any one see HSUS kill numbers for last year?

Take some time to read this and then contact the author or post your concerns on here;

http://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2431&context=etd

Why all the old posts wildlifeus? Sacbee has been posted here before by Robb, the masters study posted was over a year ago, head taxes are a long standing deal and the ranchers are actually paying in themselves, municipality asking the govt. to reduce their deer herd, not out of the ordinary in a case like this.

If I had to list you 100 things that effect my business and ability to gain new clients and expand, you wouldn't see any govt. agency on the list, not WS, not the IRS or even the G&F.

There are so many aspects to running a wildlife control business that every new guy/gal has to learn that I always have to pause as I see this issue raised and think to myself, "is the average operator losing work to wildlife services?"

I know folks who have true concerns for large contracts at airports, railroad and municipal and county work for beaver, birds, etc.... Yes there are issues that could be sorted out and clarified that would help both sides of the fence work better together without the strife.

However, I'll say it time and again, the average operator on this forum is not losing work to WS and if we could manage to poll everyone with a shingle out about their top 10 constraints in growing their business, I bet you'd only see them in the list of about 5-10% of operators at best.

******

I would encourage anyone and everyone who truly feels in their area they have an issue with WS to go in and talk with the district supervisor or even call and go meet with the state director and voice your concerns.

We all know we can write anything we like in this or any other forum without change coming from it. Why not go straight to the horses mouth in your area and find out where the common ground is, where the competition issue might be and voice that concern to them directly?

Otherwise we just get to re-read what has been posted on here about WS over and over again in the last 3-4 years, I believe all who are common to this forum have read it all and know where they stand, so no further influence is happening.

If you want something to happen, go locally and make it happen!

Justin

Do you close your eyes when you "pause"?
I am putting them back on here because a lot were lost.

Would seem you are recreating the threads that were either deleted or were dropped for some other reason?

Is that the gist of it?

Anyone on this forum or with a computer can setup a google news alert and read all the news they want whenever
WS is mentioned, just seems you are recreating the same old threads, am I wrong?

By the way wildlifeus, can you state your name, at least with Robb and others I always knew who I was talking to on here.

Justin

Yes that us what I'm doing. I like to have a link to give people so they can find all to stories in one location. I took a break during the holidays and my thread got deleted for some reason (again).

You may not think it is worth the effort but there are hundreds of WCO's out there that are concerned. My efforts have had an effect. Have you noticed that there are hardly any news articles on specific WS jobs? That is because when I find them I not only post them here I send them to nwcos in that area so they can try to get the work. Or at least they can see what they are missing. I has certainly had an effect. Either they are doing less work or they are trying to keep a low profile.

It would be great seeing how good you are with google alerts if you could help post on this tread.

On another more productive note; I did a FOIA request for a list of all the projects usda has done in your state for the last year.
I'm not sure how big the program is in your state but it will be interesting to see how much potential revenue they are taking from you.
I should have something in a month or two.

Your humble servant,
Cody

Cody, Thanks for the confirmation of who I am speaking to. I remember you had a WS in the news thread didn't realize it was deleted.

I would say to remember that all job postings are regulated by federal job posting regulations. Jobs that must
be posted are in the way they must be, no change due to pressure, or anything of the sort, the answer is actually budgetary, nothing more, nothing
less. You should know that with last years federal budget tie up and things grinding to a halt there are very few agencies adding staff. I still have links
to jobs from WS, BLM, USFS, USFWS and others that I get regularly and there simply are a lack across the board.

Why would I do google alerts, when any guy interested can simply put his own together and get them, simple enough, can be used for wildlife in their area, or things related to anything at all they care about. I believe this issue is an important one for a small percentage of NWCO's in certain business models that overlap with WS traditional workload that was there before the industry climbed to what it is now. You actually confirm this when you say "hundreds" of these folks are concerned. I know operators in the midwest who have hundreds of operators just in one county registered and unregistered so again, not a majority of the industry.

*****

To your note about sending a FOIA request to my WS state here in NM. I could save you time and the taxpayers money and the folks I worked with all the paperwork effort by just walking in the office and visiting with my old boss, or any supervisor.

Disappointing to hear that you need to send these requests that are much akin to things done by anti groups that just cost money and waste time. Do you have a particular thing you are fishing for? Do you have a vested interest you are trying to uncover, or maybe a colleague moving here that you are trying to uncover the buried ADC gold for?

Though I don't work for them, I know not only what they do but anything new that comes up as they are still my friends and colleagues.

*****

You picked a state to FOIA where the state director is fully invested in making sure private companies are always brought up wherever applicable. I saw that as an employee and I continue to see it now. Waste of time, money and just in general without merit.....

You will ultimately come back and report all the species and issues I know they work on, for all the people I know they work for, and none of it is something I need or desire in my business.

My biggest competition in my area is currently critter control, a few pest control firms who do lots of bird work and ultimately out of state companies that bid on commercial bird work and come to the area without me ever seeing the jobs come up.

As a small business my struggle like most startup nwcos and even those established is in advertising against the onslaught of other companies. The govt. doesn't even come up on my radar.

Tell me again how I'm losing out all these $$$ to WS?

Justin

Very well said Justin!

Adam

Hey Cody, do a list of all the WS projects in Wisconsin. We have a Wisconsin Wildlife Control Operator's Association meeting coming up in February and I want to impress everyone with how intelligent I am. ( Probably because they need some shock and awe )

Is USDA wildlife Services trying to "help" our industry or make their own agency stand stand above the rest of the WCO's?

Here is an example of them requesting special treatment while leaving us behind. I guess it is a good way of getting rid of their competition.

-------
Wildlife Control Options Expanded for Authorized Federal Personnel
At the request of the United States Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services Unit and United States Department of the Interior’s Fish and Wildlife Service, regulations are modified to allow Federal Government employees to use rifles to control nuisance or problem wildlife. Using rifles of a designated caliber and type is allowed when authorized by the Division of Fish and Wildlife Director and under a State of New Jersey Depredation Control Permit, Special Wildlife Permit and/or a Federal Fish and Wildlife permit that is co-signed by the Division. Caliber and type of rifles are specified on the permit and may include .22 caliber rifles, other caliber rifles or an air rifle of .22 caliber or smaller. Use of rifles is anticipated to include controlling migratory birds and mammals causing damage to crops or posing a threat to public health or safety on areas such as airport runways or due to a special reason such as controlling predators that threaten an endangered species. This change will provide additional management tools to authorized Federal personnel that will be more effective and less of a noise disturbance to the public.

http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/news/2004/gamecd04approved.htm

I will Put it in for you Paul, but it is not likely that we will have a response by the date of your seminar.

Cody,

That is not WS trying to make a rule change that leaves out our industry, that is simply them getting a waiver for the use of those firearms for the work they are doing under that agencies laws and rules.

Any NWCO doing work in the same state with a permit, could indeed ask for the same exemption. I have seen plenty of local, state and regional occurrences where folks I know got waivers to use firearms of various types within areas otherwise unlawful to the rest of society.

Do you expect that WS should have asked for anyone calling themselves a nuisance wildlife control operator to be included in the exemption or allowance?

How would this work, if you have a permit, or do you just need a shingle saying you are a professional wildlife control operator?

There are folks doing suburban urban deer work that are nwcos and I'll bet they had to get their own piece of paper based on their own personal credentials.

This is the agency asking for a statewide waiver for this firearm type and use for their personnel which fall under their policies, rules and laws.

Justin

Want to be sure the way I state this analogy works for folks.

If I Justin Stevenson go and get a permit to use a rifle in an area I would otherwise be prohibited to, and I show my credentials whatever they may be
for being professionally able to do so, should I be applying for one for all NWCO's in my industry in my area?

I don't think so.... Could anyone apply for a similar waiver? Yes they could and it would be within the jurisdiction of the governing body to decide if
they qualify to have it.

Just wanted to be sure that example was clear.

This is a rule change not a permit. Your scenario doesn't apply.

It is still a similar scenario and ultimately looks like US Fish and Wildlife Service need to go on your list to strike too since they co-supported the action
of the request.

I was hoping you might tell readers what you interest is in relation to you and your business model? I thought I'd made a mistake the other day and you were another Cody, as I thought you lived in NY, but see your profile shows AL which is confusing, but maybe you moved.

Is your axe to grind started by a bad boss you had when you worked for WS or that you want the fed competition out of the lucrative airport hazard work you do?

Not saying your wrong either way, just wondering where your drive seems to come from on this?

As a permitee and some one who gives assistance to private citizens when seeking a Migratory Bird Depredation Permit, The above section that WildlifeUS posted apears to be a section of the MBP which outlines which methods or tools can be used in accordance to the depredation permit. This is something I help with on a regular basis when completing a Form 37. If this is believed to be an exemption only available to WS and its employees, this is just not true. Any one applying for a Depredation permit can ask to be allowed to use a specific tool if desired, the US Fish and Wildlife Services Permitting department then desides to issue a permit with those requested provisions or rejects them and adds their own set of previsions. THIS IS AVAILABLE TO ALL WHO APPLY!!!

We have a professional deer removal service come to our city and shoot silenced weapons in non-discharge of firearms areas. Would their permits come from the Feds, the State, or just locally?

Don't get the wrong idea. I have no fight with them at all. For what they charge, I don't know how they make much profit. The only thing I envy is their top of the line equipment.

The cities would grant exemptions for discharging firearms if operationg inside city limits, the harvest permits would come from state game agencies.

Many cities require WS to apply for exemption permits for discharging firearms, and removal of deer will require permits from state game departments.

I have never applied for exemptions, they must do things differently in your country.

It is a city thing in Virginia. No problems in rural counties.

Interesting; now I'll have to ask the chief of police how it works in our city. No problem, he goes to our church and my daughter went to school with his wife. ( Wait a minute; how old am I? )