Good morning. I’ve been lurking here for a few years now but don’t post much. I own a large taxidermy and wild game processing business here in the Texas hill country. I do my trapping usually in late winter and early spring. Mostly as a hobby but sometimes to help some friends out on their ranches thinning coyotes and coons. This year our coyote population has exploded and several of my customers have approached me to trap coyotes on their properties to help increase fawn rate survival in the spring. I’ve agreed to trap two places once deer season wraps up. Haven’t decided on the price. The counties I’m trapping in both offer bounties of 150 for livestock association members and 100 per non members so catches would be extra at the end of the month. I’m thinking somewhere in the neighborhood of around 250 for a two week run on each property. I can extend it if things seem like they need more work. I’m basically thinking the 250 will cover fuel and a little bit of time. Am I on the right track or do I need to adjust?

Thanks ahead of time.
David

I would send a private message to Mark June, if he's willing to share any info listen closely. The $150 bounty is insane, I haven't heard of bounties that high before.

Yes sir, llano and mason county. Mason usually pays more than llano on average. Bounty on bobcats too.

$600/day plus expenses.

Right… lol

“Professionals” down here charge $2500 for two weeks and an extra $1K to stay on for another week. And that’s regardless of catch, lol.

That’s pretty good! I don’t do it as a professional but with prices like that one might think about it.

Let me ask this then. As a nonprofessional what would be a reasonable price? Both ranches are on the Mason/llano county line which is about 20 miles from my location. 36 hour trap check, so basically I’d run out every day before or after work.

$150 per coyote bounty? Maybe a dumb question but I don't know anything about bounties.

The livestock association in each county offers the bounty. All members pay a fee that goes in the pot. Coyotes caught on members property pay more than nonmembers but they pay regardless as long as it was caught in the county. There’s a guy from Illinois I believe that I had befriended a few years back that came down every winter and trapped a couple places. Our economy here is largely ranching and deer hunting so the coyotes are wanted to be kept at a minimum. We have a county trapper but it’s only one guy do the impact isn’t that great. Problem here is people used to hound coyote as a part of being a landowner, nowdays guys don’t know how or don’t do it effectively and our population has grown exponentially.

That's pretty darn good.

I remember reading a post from a big time coyote trapper last year. Ask for 600 per day and they will treat you like gold. There will be someone there to open gates for you, get you a place to sleep etc.

Ask for 200 per day and they will clear you out a stall in the barn to sleep in and you can brush your teeth out of the water trough

I remember about 60 yrs ago a pair of coyote ears was worth $2 in Nebraska.

We are a handful of counties that still offer bounties

Oh, HOGWASH with those prices !!!

This what I want!!!

2 FIRST CLASS ROUND TRIP AIRLINE TICKETS FOR ME AND MY GIRLFRIEND TO WHERE EVER THIS PLACE IS.


ALL EXPENSES PAID BY WHOEVER WANTS THE JOB DONE.

UTV TO TRAVEL ON TO HUNTING SITE!

ALL AMMUNITION TO BE SUPPLIED AND PAID FOR BY THE CUSTOMER!

FOOD AND LODGING TO BE PROVIDED FOR!!

DAILY RATE OF PAY : TEN DOLLARS A DAY.!!

For the win

Sell yourself cheap and get treated cheap. If you have profession that is unique, get paid for it. 12-hour days at $50/hour is not big money.

NOBODY IS GOING TO BEAT MY PRICE !!

I hear you but that price won’t fly here.

Also sounds like a good opportunity to make some friends, not everything has to be about money. Where I come from its almost expected that you would more or less apprentice or intern whatever you wanna call it, so they could feel you out. Not sure if thats an option to you, but I certainly wouldnt stick my nose up at something like that. You never know who your friends are until you are in a bind, do a solid for them, theyll do a solid for you.

Are the coyotes a little shy oner there?

In the past, the guys that lived on the ranch I’ve got them setup withmb550’s and toughly them a crash course. They catch regularly now and have taken an interest. The owners I usually work for are absentee and don’t care to learn too much. I know it’s a valued service I just want to feel honest about it at the end. 600 a day here would be unheard of.

They are customers that have become friends. They have seen me trap in the past for different ranches and asked if I’d do the same for them. I’m with you though, just want to be fair. Currently, the two ranches would be about 1800 acres.

Only to calling. A subtle set works great

Heck. you can't even cut up a tree limb. man card revocation!

If you’re already getting $150 for each coyote and based on how many sets you’re putting in, charge a setup fee and per catch if you’re that good.

I work a full time job and just trap on the side. At the plantation I’m paid hourly even when trapping…but I have a lot of perks there too, lol.

The other places are a $50 setup fee, $50 per big critter, $25 per small critter. I’m trapping everything. They’ll generally let me know what they have on camera and where they’ve seen critters.

Biggest property is only 2500ac the rest are under between 500-750ac. Been trapping these places for years so I pretty much know where to set. I’m not in it to feed my family, just to cover my turkey trips.

If I get a call on a place I really don’t want to trap I just double everything and if they agree, fine. If not that’s ok too. You build relationship with folks and other perks come along…fishing, hunting, tips, etc. I’ve never got the total money I send them a bill for, it’s always more. I take pics of every catch and keep a pic with each documented catch in my notes section on my phone. I send pics at the end of each week just to keep them informed. Probably isn’t necessary, but there was a “well known” trapper around these parts that got got when he couldn’t produce any critters after reporting outrageous numbers.

I'm based out of San Saba, just north of you. Your time/skillset is worth something, as is your investment in equipment and bait lures truck wear and tear, gas ain't cheap! I charge accordingly, as others have said, charge low and they either don't expect much or disrespect your efforts. 1800 acres would be around $200 daily rate on my ranches. I charge a bounty fee also but the association will cover that for you.

I have decades of experience as a fur trapper and a professional trapper.
Here is my take on charging private landowners for trapping services.
Hopefully this will help some people to understand.
In my wildlife business I trap professionally.
Nuisance animal trapping and predator management trapping.
I have excellent people skills, excellent trapping skills, and excellent equipment to accomplish the goals.
I know what I need to charge to cover expenses and also what I am worth and expect to be paid.
When I make a quote for my services, I always explain the charges, but will never defend the charges.
If a customer thinks my price is too high, I tell them to call me when their project is more important and financially valuable.
I also tell them that if they hire someone else who fails, and they then want to hire me, the price will be higher because the work will be more difficult.
I treat my customers with courtesy and respect, and yes my customers treat me with courtesy and respect.
They also recommend me to other landowners.
High standards of honesty, integrity, courtesy, discretion, and professionalism are components of the services that the landowner customer is purchasing.

So what would your charges be?

So how many of those association members will let a guy onto their property? For 250 a tail if the coyotes are there, that would work. If not there, well thats a different story. Every cattleman in the world claims to have a coyote infestation problem if he hears one yodel twice a year.

I stay on the ranches 24/7 so my time is priced as such. I don't work on a per animal basis because a plumber doesn't work per pipe and neither does an electrician work per wire hung.
I have either a daily rate or a project fee structure and I don't work cheap because 14 days on the road sleeping in someone else's bunk isn't hobby trapping...
I have a vocation and it's called trapping.

Same as a welder, or a construction person.
My truck is expensive. My trailer and buggy are expensive. My traps and gear are expensive.
So it is with those who are serious about what they are and do.
If this is a one and done deal, than whatever, however is workable.

Almost every trapper I follow has priced themselves INSANELY too cheap.
If you bust butt, have them pay you as such.
If you catch $200 worth of bounty fur per day and if I was on that ranch for 24 hours, I'm clocking in at $8+ per hour.
Ah, no way.

Blaine, you get paid like an attorney. And you should. I get paid like a trapper should whose top-shelf in what they do.
If you're not yet top-shelf in what you do, get there asap.

Blessings,
Mark

I was gonna say, 1800 acres ain’t much!

I Can tell you first hand. Coyote bountys in West Texas DONT allways get yoy paid ! Becarefull ! Read the fine print !! Some countys want let = a professional collect bounty. ONLY land owner ! BUT its in fine print. Have turned in 20 coyotes to find out = O we have been broke since = August. Thanks for telling US that. I speak FIRST hand about being beat out of 2000 grand on 100 dollar West Texas coyotes. Do with this info as you will. Get a good daily rate. And go catch coyotes

This is the kind of information I was looking for. Thank you to all that replied. This isn’t a full time gig for me, just something I have done on the side and thinking about maybe turning it in to something. All info is appreciated.

You already have been given good advice and I have no clue what to charge, BUT...................................................



If it was me doing the trapping
I would figure out what it was going to cost me weekly, gas, trapping supplies (disposable stakes/lure/bait/urine/etc), add some wear and tear on vehicle (oil change/tire wear), figure out what my time was worth (what could you be doing if you were not trapping someone else's problem coyotes and what that would pay) and add some money for what you are going to tear up (I can guarantee I will tear something up)
It will surprise you how much money it takes to operate, then add how much you want to pocket and charge that.
Definitely keep all the bounty $$ for yourself

And all of that would be if I could trap from my truck. If I have to ride a ATV/UTV around in the cold and rain checking/setting/ resetting traps double it

Good luck

This is kinda what I was thinking. I’ll be trapping from the truck, ranch roads mainly.

Well that didn't pan out lol. It appears some chose to chest puff instead of actually answering the OP's question. If I could help I would.

I going to say this again. BE Careful of bounties ! Read the fine print ! Make sure you will get paid. Re~embersments may NEVER come. The forms you fill after the ears are punched MAY suddenly change. OR the county MAY suddenly run out of = alicated money for the coyote bounty. On other words = Until they hand you a 150 dollars. You ant got squat

Yes sir I know some counties like to slip out on the fine print, ours aren’t like that. They pay for what we turn in and have for at least the last 20plus years I’ve been here.

Good! Glad to here. I may have some work around the that area in the future. Have been ask about trapping a place. In that general area. Will see.

There’s plenty of room. Not many people trap around here anymore. Mainly snares in the fence but that’s about it.

Thanks for the info. Done this most my life. Im 50 now. Can honestly say = You get = Lots of tire kickers in this bussiness! LoL! Will see if he calls back

If you do end up out this way give me a shout. There’s always guys looking for a good trapper around here. I just do it as a hobby for the most part but a man could stay busy if he wanted to

Thanks. Was recommended by a friend. Had 1 conversation with the man. Waiting for his = hunters to get done. Will see saw some pics. Looks like pretty country. Worked = South Texas. = Central/ West Texas. Now in West Texas close to New Mexico line. I enjoy the country in Texas. Its a nice change to Alabama pine trees. LoL!

Yes sir. I have a place south of alpine. Completely different country

I will tell you in the beginning I charged by the animal, But once demand, reputation and my skill set improved I felt confident charging by the day. It’s tuff to get a daily rate if you can’t produce. I say charge by your confidence and your skill set.

Went to see MR Roy McBride afew weeks back. Got to stay and visit with him and a friend for a few hours. Bought myself = # 8 LPC with Teeth for my cabin. Beautiful country. WISH i had the time of afew days to see = Big Bend National Park!!!

You're usually off in the woods instead of on the fairway and this post fits that mold to a tee. I did give him excellent advice. And I didn't get any PM from him. You think I'm gonna post 40 years of business gatherings here Catch? Why in the name of 22 would I share that online?

Tell you what. You get out there. You make it happen. And then you post it all online.
I answered the OP's question.
Not yours sir.

And with no expertise in these matters, per your post, sit this one out a while and see if you can't comment.
While those of us who do these sorts of things do.

Good post steeltraps! Steeltraps is VERY good at what he does and that's why he can charge what he does.

Most who do this line of trapping a lot don't share what we charge online. Any of us, who trap as a vocation and not as a hobby.
Why would we? Are all the carpenters listing what they get to build a house online? Or the welders?
I'm a hand shake guy. You call me, we chat a minute, and then I give you - the owner - my fee. Not the hired hand. Not the manager. The dude or dudette with the checkbook.
And ANY animal hide, skin, bounty, fee, skull, horn, etc. is EXTRA. Not part of my fee.
Does anyone build variables like that into their line of vocation? If they do, they go outta biz real quick.
Hides are extras that I cash as I can, where I can.

Sounds like the OP is just getting started and in that I say, charge what you want to be known by....
cause they'll tag a number to you and that number will have legs.

Blessings,
Mark

It was one of the McBride that tracked and killed the lion that attacked me in big bend National park. I’d have to look back and get the first name. He used to handle all the lions out there for TPW.

You are correct in all you info and I appreciate it sir. Thank you for your response.

When I was a kid I was attacked by a lion in big bend National park. 1984. I was the first lion attack in the parks history. It went after my little brother and I threw him towards my parents and yelled lion. It hit me from the back biting down on my skull and gripping me in the shoulders and legs with its paws. Took 14 operations to make me as ugly as I am today. Scalped me like an Indian would have. McBride was the man that tracked the cat down and killed it the next day. I have been going back out there ever since. I bought a place between Big Bend state and National park, built a little cabin on it and go several times a year.

Yes sir