Im thinking about getting my adc trapping liscense and would like to know what charge for your services

It's "your services" that you price accordingly...not what another experienced trapper charges.

Experienced trappers that get the job done fast and efficiently and use the proper equipment are at a higher level than any new trapper.

If your experience level is minimal you can't expect customers to pay you the same.

You gotta crawl b4 you walk......

9650.00

Or at least that was just one of this month's invoices and I didn't set a single trap or do any exclusion. Matter of fact I mostly sat on my arse.

NWCO work isn't ADC work. Up to you to learn the difference and charge accordingly.

Sounds like one of those wrangling jobs we see on some gas well construction sites. Being on call and on site is not a favorite job of mine. $$ are good if you don't have any other projects to take care of.

Studio work wrangling a film set. Gotta charge enough to cover those lost jobs and then some.

The "C" in both acronyms stands for "Control".
The "W" stands for "Wildlife", the "A" stands for "Animal"...same thing.
The "N" stands for "Nuisance"...a raccoon getting into your garbage; The "D" stands for "Damage"...a raccoon is eating all your sweetcorn. The raccoon getting into your garbage, or eating your sweetcorn both need to be removed.

Please explain the difference, I'm curious.

Traditional ADC is trapping, predators or beaver mainly.
NWCO throws in all other wildlife. Bats, snakes and geese being prime example where traps are not normally used. But these three can be far more lucrative than traditional ADC.

And many coming into this from fur trapping are great trappers but may lack the biological understanding of non furbearers.

I didn't post to disparage but to try to alert that there is far more to what many think ADC work actually is.

Whichever path an ADC or NWCO may choose pricing is what you make it.

Thanks Warrior, great explanation. I didn't think you were trying to disparage. Yes, I am one of those guys coming into this from fur trapping, fortunately my mortgage and bills don't depend on it, more of a hobby for me. Thanks, I appreciate your insight.

I'm just starting out...

I charge $40 to set up...$10/day to service the traps...$50 per groundhog/coon. Beavers and skunks are closer to $100 each. I'm sure in some areas you can get away with charging much more.

Lets not forget the exclusion work.... I've never done any ADC work.. I worked with the ADC people and quoted the exclusion work separately. Being that I understood what needed to be done, what to look for and the timely manner necessary . It worked out for every one.

Trapping of nuisance wildlife in populated areas is a small part of the business. As stated the real $$ is in repair, exclusion and prevention if you can sell it, and you know what and how to do it.

X2

However, you can price trapping to encourage exclusion jobs.

The hardest part of trapping is animals not coordinating with your schedulers. If woodchucks weren’t all discovered in traps when people arrived home from work and it’s time for you to go home, picking up animals would be more fun.

I only do adc trapping and that is Beaver,coyote,fox,bobcats and coons.I charge a 150 to 250 dollar setup fee depending on the location and difficulty.Then it's 25 dollars for every animal removed.

Last beaver job I did was $200 set up and $100 flat tail. Half mile walk back into thick willow swamp mid summer. Caught a 60lb beaver and of course it was the furthest trap from the truck. Next day it was two 40lb beavers. About gave me a heart a tack!

It’s hard to figure out what you have to charge until you have numbers to work with.

Look at plumbers and electricians in your area. Copy their hourly rate. That should get you close until you figure things out.

The landowner pays me 25 and the county pays 50 per beaver.

I was once asked what I charge by an established NWCO/ADC operator. Our conversation progressed to skill level, experience and personal drive. The example he gave was comparing what a lawyer charges per hour for their services. I wasn’t following so he explained it like this. How much does a lawyer charge per hour for their services? $200/hour? $400/hour? At the same time, can that same lawyer remove a mama raccoon with a litter from a fireplace? Or a skunk at 2am from a window well? The obvious answer is”no”. You have a skill and with experience your skill level will increase.

Also, check around with your competitors and get an idea what they charge. If you are only doing nuisance work as a side job or hobby, pricking to only get work will overload your time n a hurry! Also, undercutting those who are trying to make a living quickly makes enemies and bad feelings and may result n you having a less than desirable reputation!

I charge 45 per animal and then varying setup charge. close to home $65, further I have to drive goes up from there. charge less than the competition but not so low that everyone and their mother is calling you. ADC work is valuable and people are willing to pay

I quoted a muskrat job to the homeowners association president that wanted bids to make the adjacent to the pond people happy. I told him my experience, how I would go about it, what would happen to the critters I caught, and $200 fee for a week of trapping, all in an email. Never heard back, if I got the job as low bidder I would have felt under paid.

I have been in business for 4.5 years and still struggle with the "sweet spot." This will be first full calendar year in business full time.

Starting out my prices were low, you have to pay for your experience and lower prices help you get work and gain experience. However, low prices are not sustainable unless you are doing this for beer money or you enjoy living in poverty. One of the convenience store chains in my area starts everyone off $17.50/hour. If I am buying equipment, driving to your house, and climbing on your roof; I'm going to make more than that an hour.

If you are charging customers you are a business and should be set up as one. This includes paying taxes.

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Example: Karen sees a groundhog going under her shed and wants it gone. She is 35 minutes from your door and is 18 miles away. You are trapping for 7 days.


Lets say I'm charging $100 set up fee. . . .



Day 1- set up and you chat with her about the problem. She shows you a couple of other holes around the house. You are there an hour. You go home

Day 2- No catches.

Day 3- You haven't caught anything and you wonder why. You go back out and look around to see if the animal didn't dig next to your trap. Things look okay and you leave.

Day 4- No catches.

Day 5- Nothing yet, so you go back out and you see a dead groundhog in the road about a block away from her house. You make an adjustment and leave.

Day 6- Nothing

Day 7- Both you and Karen are sad that nothing was caught. You pull your traps and leave, or maybe you wait a day or so.
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Time:

So, in this example you made 4 trips, you spent 1 full hour on set up, plus smaller chunks of time on reassessments. Let's say you spent a total of 2 hours onsite

35 minutes one way = 70 minutes round trip x 4 trips = ~4 hours 40 minutes of your time driving + 2 hours onsite = 6 hours 40 min of your time


Fuel:

I get ~17 miles/gallon

18 miles one way = 36 miles round trip. This is a bit more than 2 gallons/round trip x $3.85/gallon = $7.70/ round trip in fuel x 4 trips = $30.80 in total fuel costs

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Your $100 set up fee:

$100.00 - $5.66 (6% sales tax in PA) = $94.34

$94.34- $30.80 (fuel) = $63.54

Sometimes I will get cantaloupe or produce to use with my commercial bait/ lure. $63.54- $2 = $61.54

$61.54 / 6 hours and 40 min = ~ $9.24/ hour BEFORE you pay any income tax

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Obviously, if you catch the groundhog it will bump you up. If you charge $50/head

$150- $8.49 (6% sales tax in PA) =$141.51

$141.51- $30.80 (fuel) = $110.71

$110.71- bait = $108.71

$108.71 / 6 hours and 40 minutes = ~ $16.32/hr


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Keep in mind you will have other expenses- buying traps, bait, insurance, vehicle maintenance, and etc. It costs money to stay in business!

NWCOA - Nuisance Wildlife Control Operators Association is a good place to start. I am not sure if they offer their general (basic) course online or not. When I took it, it blew my mind. It's not fur trapping!

I charge mileage and per animal killed/removed.
If they need carpentry work or fencing etc to eliminate re infestation they can call a carpenter or farmhand.

A good rule of thumb is figure out what you think is a good price schedule, then add 25 %, then double that amount. You may then be able to keep gas in the truck, you and your kids fed, and your wife off your tail. Maybe.

For the guys charging per animal, how do you expect to stay in business when you only catch 1 or two critter a week or no critter at all off that job? This business- its not fur trapping it's a service, charge for your time or service trips.

I get paid for killing animals,not riding around sightseeing.,Thats how.

I agree, you must charge for every trip made to the place of business for whatever the reason. If you don't or if you are trying to work on a flat rate service fee, many times that will not pencil out at the end of many jobs. Just too many variables that can arise on this kind of work. That is why many who try to transition into the ADC field don't make it. You need to be a businessman as well as a trapper or you better stay with your primary income job.

Bob could you give an example ? Thanks

Mole contracts are bid for a period of time. Usually, a setup fee and a pre-determined number of visits for trap maintenance and animal removal. For flying squirrels if you have nailed the entry/exit points correctly they can be bid on a flat rate price in many cases. We don't set traps in attics or in homes/businesses as a rule. Too difficult to do service call arrangements.

You must also always explain to the customer before any work begins that wildlife work is not a perfect science and things do not always go as planned or as expected.

Greys and Red squirrel jobs are bid a setup fee and a per trip fee for removals and trap adjustment visits as needed. Ground animal work can vary but typically it is all based on a setup fee and a per trip fee basis as needed for wildlife removal or trap maintenance.

Thank you Bob for your time and example.