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Trapping skunks #6541074
05/20/19 05:48 PM
05/20/19 05:48 PM
Joined: May 2019
Posts: 7
IN
J
Jay McDowell Offline OP
trapper
Jay McDowell  Offline OP
trapper
J

Joined: May 2019
Posts: 7
IN
I'm new to trapping and my town has a skunk problem. What would be a fair amount to charge per a skunk removed?

Re: Trapping skunks [Re: Jay McDowell] #6541083
05/20/19 05:54 PM
05/20/19 05:54 PM
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 34,760
Central, SD
Law Dog Offline
trapper
Law Dog  Offline
trapper

Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 34,760
Central, SD
Figure what your skunks average is size wise and essence amounts and go from there! I trap them for free and make the money marketing them.


Was born in a Big City Will die in the Country OK with that!

Jerry Herbst
Re: Trapping skunks [Re: Jay McDowell] #6541089
05/20/19 06:02 PM
05/20/19 06:02 PM
Joined: Jan 2017
Posts: 10,063
Marion Kansas
Y
Yes sir Offline
"Callie's little brother"
Yes sir  Offline
"Callie's little brother"
Y

Joined: Jan 2017
Posts: 10,063
Marion Kansas
Check on the ADC forum. Those guys make a business of that work.

Re: Trapping skunks [Re: Jay McDowell] #6541094
05/20/19 06:09 PM
05/20/19 06:09 PM
Joined: May 2019
Posts: 7
IN
J
Jay McDowell Offline OP
trapper
Jay McDowell  Offline OP
trapper
J

Joined: May 2019
Posts: 7
IN
Ok, thank you.

Re: Trapping skunks [Re: Jay McDowell] #6541158
05/20/19 07:43 PM
05/20/19 07:43 PM
Joined: Jun 2016
Posts: 13,964
Michigan
T
Trapper Dahlgren Offline
trapper
Trapper Dahlgren  Offline
trapper
T

Joined: Jun 2016
Posts: 13,964
Michigan
make sure your state laws you may have to be license ADC to charge in Michigan you do

Re: Trapping skunks [Re: Jay McDowell] #6541167
05/20/19 08:05 PM
05/20/19 08:05 PM
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 8,763
East of the Mason-Dixon Line
DelawareRob Offline
trapper
DelawareRob  Offline
trapper

Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 8,763
East of the Mason-Dixon Line
(c) Skunks
Service rate: $50/hr
Cost of job hourly: how long it will take you
Drive time: mileage to AND from job
Total time x hourly rate:
Plus mileage: .545/mile
Plus supplies: minimum $100
Repair materials: how will you stop them from coming back
Minimum Total: add all that up, it is what you charge...


Who is John Galt?

You don't rise to the occasion, you fall to the level of your training.

Semper Paratus
Re: Trapping skunks [Re: Trapper Dahlgren] #6541170
05/20/19 08:08 PM
05/20/19 08:08 PM
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 8,763
East of the Mason-Dixon Line
DelawareRob Offline
trapper
DelawareRob  Offline
trapper

Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 8,763
East of the Mason-Dixon Line
Originally Posted by Trapper Dahlgren
make sure your state laws you may have to be license ADC to charge in Michigan you do


This also!

http://wildlifecontroltraining.com/


Who is John Galt?

You don't rise to the occasion, you fall to the level of your training.

Semper Paratus
Re: Trapping skunks [Re: Jay McDowell] #6541196
05/20/19 08:57 PM
05/20/19 08:57 PM
Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 2,050
Mass
TDHP Offline
trapper
TDHP  Offline
trapper

Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 2,050
Mass
You can put a price on paper that'll make ya feel good, but if the residents you're catering to can't afford the services or they handle their own critter control, you will sit idle for a while. You need to determine a baseline with the community you are trying to service, and keep in mind if the community is low income your prices may need to fluctuate for services to be rendered. Vicious cycle, but I've gotten a lot of work that way and it continues to come in steadily. You need to know when that time is though, can't cut breaks all the time.


Smile, you're an expert!
http://tdhpwildlifecontrol.webs.com/
Re: Trapping skunks [Re: Jay McDowell] #6541208
05/20/19 09:11 PM
05/20/19 09:11 PM
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 45,266
james bay frontierOnt.
B
Boco Online content
trapper
Boco  Online Content
trapper
B

Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 45,266
james bay frontierOnt.
Gouge them the same as they gouge you for town taxes.


Forget that fear of gravity-get a little savagery in your life.
Re: Trapping skunks [Re: Boco] #6541214
05/20/19 09:17 PM
05/20/19 09:17 PM
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 8,763
East of the Mason-Dixon Line
DelawareRob Offline
trapper
DelawareRob  Offline
trapper

Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 8,763
East of the Mason-Dixon Line
Originally Posted by Boco
Gouge them the same as they gouge you for town taxes.


I don’t have to pay town taxes.

I do pay county property tax which is about $1000 a year and don’t forget state income tax of about 6.6%. Oh, and geez, federal looks to be around 22%.

Seems fair, as long as everyone pays some.


Who is John Galt?

You don't rise to the occasion, you fall to the level of your training.

Semper Paratus
Re: Trapping skunks [Re: Jay McDowell] #6541277
05/20/19 10:40 PM
05/20/19 10:40 PM
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 34,760
Central, SD
Law Dog Offline
trapper
Law Dog  Offline
trapper

Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 34,760
Central, SD
Money to be made in the "critter proofing" also a little cement here or some screening can bring in a little more that way.


Was born in a Big City Will die in the Country OK with that!

Jerry Herbst
Re: Trapping skunks [Re: Jay McDowell] #6541320
05/21/19 12:01 AM
05/21/19 12:01 AM
Joined: Jul 2017
Posts: 2,672
Ohio
W
Willy Firewood Offline
trapper
Willy Firewood  Offline
trapper
W

Joined: Jul 2017
Posts: 2,672
Ohio
Add up all costs of running a real business - there are MANY, and apportion it to an hourly rate. Include pay for yourself, profit for the company, money to pay taxes, and don’t miss a cost or you will go out of business.

Tonight at 9:30 someone called me to go right then to catch or trap a big raccoon that was acting strangely. They feared for the children, wife has a cat, husband was scared and worried. “IT IS A HUGE RACCOON!” I told her a price and explained it. She said hold on while talk with husband. She came back and said they will handle it another way.

I would rather not go work than go work to lose money. I sometimes help people for free and add extra days on a job for free, but when it is my idea, not because somebody lowballs me.

Around here country people are completely unwilling to pay for professional trapping services. Heck, a visit to the vet better be under $25 or the will just shoot the dog.

Trapping is a real business. Real business principles apply. Hire an accountant to save you tax money. Hire a lawyer to set up a limited liability company, help with liability insurance selection, and write up a set of custom business forms and agreements to cover all aspects of your business. Hire someone to create professional quality ads. Consider the market. How much do you need to charge? How much are they willing to pay?

I frequently get calls from a person referred by a past customer. This person wants that same great service. I listen and we discuss the situation. Early on I ask the location. For example a large church has a 5 acre recreation field for softball, soccer, picnics, and whatever else. They are overrun with groundhogs. The trustee who called said that the problem was bad 5 years ago so horrible now. I explained that I would quote a price but since it is a 2 hour drive each day for 5 days that adds up to 10 hours of driving time. Since there are only so many work hours I would include an element for that in the price. Plus fuel, wear and tear on vehicle. He said that certainly makes sense. I suggested that they find someone closer. He said they tried that a few years ago and the person caught nothing. He asked that I send a proposal to be reviewed by the church board. Of course I never heard from him again.

Good luck with this business. If you do it do it as a real business.



FRAC LIVES MATTER
Re: Trapping skunks [Re: Jay McDowell] #6541333
05/21/19 01:33 AM
05/21/19 01:33 AM
Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 2,050
Mass
TDHP Offline
trapper
TDHP  Offline
trapper

Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 2,050
Mass
Regardless of adding up all your costs, if you do business in an environment that can't support your numbers, you aren't going to make money.


Smile, you're an expert!
http://tdhpwildlifecontrol.webs.com/
Re: Trapping skunks [Re: Jay McDowell] #6541334
05/21/19 01:54 AM
05/21/19 01:54 AM
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 45,266
james bay frontierOnt.
B
Boco Online content
trapper
Boco  Online Content
trapper
B

Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 45,266
james bay frontierOnt.
Make sure you charge enough so they don't keep bothering you with stuff like that.


Forget that fear of gravity-get a little savagery in your life.
Re: Trapping skunks [Re: Jay McDowell] #6541444
05/21/19 10:08 AM
05/21/19 10:08 AM
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 1,228
wantage n.j.
E
eric space Offline
trapper
eric space  Offline
trapper
E

Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 1,228
wantage n.j.
I always charged a flat rate per job, not a per animal captured rate. I did start out charging per animal but I learned quick that if I said I caught 6 (lets say) groundhogs but the homeowner only saw 4 in traps when he left for work in the morning he would complain about the price and bad mouth me all over town. If I charged him a flat rate (lets say $400.00) to catch all the groundhogs, there was no complaints that he did not see all that were caught.

Re: Trapping skunks [Re: Jay McDowell] #7496702
02/15/22 06:54 AM
02/15/22 06:54 AM
Joined: May 2019
Posts: 7
IN
J
Jay McDowell Offline OP
trapper
Jay McDowell  Offline OP
trapper
J

Joined: May 2019
Posts: 7
IN
Does possum make a good bait since it's naturally oily from fat?

Re: Trapping skunks [Re: Jay McDowell] #7497072
02/15/22 12:44 PM
02/15/22 12:44 PM
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 34,760
Central, SD
Law Dog Offline
trapper
Law Dog  Offline
trapper

Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 34,760
Central, SD
Originally Posted by Jay McDowell
Does possum make a good bait since it's naturally oily from fat?



Not high on my list of baits lots of better choices out there fish if no cats marshmallows if cats are around are my top picks.


Was born in a Big City Will die in the Country OK with that!

Jerry Herbst
Re: Trapping skunks [Re: Jay McDowell] #7497096
02/15/22 01:06 PM
02/15/22 01:06 PM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 23,797
Wisconsin
T
The Beav Offline
trapper
The Beav  Offline
trapper
T

Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 23,797
Wisconsin
Charge a set up fee then tac on a per animal charge. Don't do any ADC job for FREE.
One of my Rat jobs I charge $500.00 to set It up and $10.00 per rat.


The forum Know It All according to Muskrat
Re: Trapping skunks [Re: Jay McDowell] #7497114
02/15/22 01:17 PM
02/15/22 01:17 PM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 5,190
MN
M
Mark K Offline
trapper
Mark K  Offline
trapper
M

Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 5,190
MN
Originally Posted by Jay McDowell
Does possum make a good bait since it's naturally oily from fat?



If you make a carcass dump in the middle of the winter out in the boonies, the beaver and muskrats will be the first to go. Then the mink and other stuff. The coon and possum will be the last thing to go, if they go at all.

Re: Trapping skunks [Re: Jay McDowell] #7497140
02/15/22 01:41 PM
02/15/22 01:41 PM
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 673
Southern Wisconsin
F
Fishdog One Offline
trapper
Fishdog One  Offline
trapper
F

Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 673
Southern Wisconsin
You need to show up and charge for setting up or you may not get paid at all. I also charge for non-target animals, I am cheap for my local area but charge more if I have to drive out of town. I am picky about what I go out for, I will not get on the roof, do bats, domestic animals, and it doesn't matter if I may sell some fur out of it, that will be bonus money.


Born twice, die once
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