Got offered an ADC sub job.

Was offered some spring ADC work on beavers tonight. Never been paid for trapping, was offered $300/beaver, seems like a decent deal. What say you guys?

Depends on time and effort required to catch said beaver. 300 sounds good.

$300 per beaver? Lol what's to wait for?

Travel time, how long to remove, have they been messed with before, if so that could lead to a full blown summer job depending on how spooked they have become 300 sounds good till ya find out several other novice trappers have been in their before you educating them

My first question when offered such a job is how many others have been there before me, then I start doing calculations on if I want the hassle or not and come up with a price and a list how and for what I will get paid for

Sounds good.

At $300....catch as many as you can

You wont know if this is a good offer or not until you do some beaver recon on site.

Sounds decent but if you start thinking about things that others have mentioned and insurance etc it may not be as good as it sounds
I charge flat rate on beaver jobs. Based on the job. Most of my work is residential though

I'd take it.

Catching "a" beaver is a lot different than Catching "the" beaver. Some good points have been made already. I'd ask some questions.

I don't charge by the animal but rather by the daily commitment or project price. By the animal is ok from time to time, but not as a serious biz platform.
Hire a plumber.... ok, I'll pay you per pipe.
Hire an electrician.... ok, I'll pay you per wire.
Of course not.

If you catch too many beaver early on, they want you to "pull back" and soften the pocket book digging you're doing.
If you catch too few, you're frustrated and they think they got the wrong guy.

Scout it out and give them a price and treat it like a business deal unless you're happy to go trapping.
Oh, and did we remember beavs are not as easy to catch the further you dig into the population.
Ask the folks what they want done as the end goal and then figure out what YOU are worth to pull that off.
Anything else is fine but if you are wanting to treat this as a biz proposition, especially year to year, start off right.

Good luck!
Blessings,
Mark

I'd scout it out and Set heavy after a signed contract.

And dont forget the requirement to return the water levels to natural flow.Sometimes this can be easy other times hard work,but it is the water causing the problem so lowering it is part of the job when doing beaver removal.I always insist that no one else controls the water level except me when trapping nuisance beaver.
By controlling the water level,I can be much more efficient at removing all the beaver.

Boco I think I like dropping the water more than catching the beavers

If they need a sub it's probably not an easy job or they'd do it themselves.

The ranch I’ve been trapping since March had a previous trapper. He would only take the easy ones, and then disappear for the season. I’ve had to clean up his mess to a degree. I’ve only been trapping a year now, I took my 19th beaver (my first 5 were on a different property) and my second otter two nights ago. I try to check my traps every day, and I stick at it.

Thank you to all of you guys for your insights. A lot wise advice in there.

#19

I would make sure I got paid on the spot or that Friday for the beaver I caught. If you catch 10 beaver that’s $3000.00. I bet the guy that is paying you puts the brakes on really fast. You better get it in writing ! MD

Sounds like you’re learning fine

Guy runs a pest control company, has multiple offices. He is high in character, well regarded around here.

That's funny. A guy that runs a pest control company, hiring you to catch his pests?? LOL. Or would you be doing the trapping for one of his clients?

That's what I believe, in writing

That's funny. A guy that runs a pest control company, hiring you to catch his pests?? LOL. Or would you be doing the trapping for one of his clients?[/quote]


I get calls from a local pest control guy every once in a while. He deals with "pests" not nuisance animals. 2 different businesses around here.

19 beaver at 300 a beaver is a fairly good payday.

If you do it for the price per animal, at least get them to admit that "if" you lay 20 dead beavs on their porch, $6,000 isn't an issue.

Had a guy call me once, many moons ago, and offer me $500 per coyote on his ranch. Ok, I said. I'll wade in to this type of $$$....
so I asked him how many "He thought" were on his place.

He said, "One, maybe two."

So I asked him what would happen if I laid 10 dead coyotes on his truck tail gate and he told me he didn't have that many.
3,000 acres.

People is funny when they hold the purse strings.
I've done this 40 years and I'm telling ya...
People is funny.

Unless they are working with the gubmint money. Then they don't care as much when it's not their $$$.

$300 is a good figure and in fact good enough to drill down and investigate. When? How many? Why?

Every contract I get I follow someone who was trapping and charging per animal.
Wonder why that is?

We charge per animal,milage and a fee to drop the water.
Have lots of clients still using the service since we started it in 95.
They are happy and we sure are too.

If everyone's happy with the deal than the deal is a happy deal.

Money payers always keep people working for 'em that work like a mush dog and work on the cheap.

$3000 or $6000 is nothing, compared to the damage beaver can do. I would say if he runs a pest control business, he gets paid well and would guess he does a good job. I think he figures that is how it should be. I would not be scared to work for him.

Wear those buck toothed freaks out!

A lot of folks have answered your question. But it is an open question, in that vain I will say while I don't agree with some of these on a political level, I do respect their professional opinion because I've seen their posts on similar questions and I realize they know what they are talking about.

I've only done one ADC job in my life and it was beavers, I'll never do it again. It was beavers dropping trees on The Wabash river onto a golf course along The Wabash Heritage Trail, I also had a special permit allowing me to shoot them from a boat or shoreline, If I wanted. Not even trapping. As a nuisance animal. (Lot of old money) on that golf course cleared a lot of hurdles.

Now for my opinion, if I were you I would use an old bidding formula of mine learned from an old contractor. Go to the job do the math and find your comfortable dollar amount, double that, and add 10%. Then see where you are. If you can live with that get it in writing, go to work. Just my opinion, others will have their own.
Case

Not quite-they stick to the professionals who always get the job done right,and dont mind paying big money for a service they can count on

I figured you were handing matters as a professional would and that you brought your savvy to the beav roundup.
Great employers are wonderful to work for on an annual basis as we can depend upon them and they depend upon us.
Win-win.

Boco, I wasn't referring to you sir, when I typed my post.
I was referring to the masses who jump at a chance to earn not much and stay in that no keel, worn out canoe lake after lake after lake.

Blessings!
Mark

do you like to trap can you get that fur trapping it might be a good chance to get your foot in the door if your good there will be more jobs in the future and higher paying ones i can see trapping coming to this i think you should do what you think you should do and not what others think good luck

Good post! A few things come to mind... some have been referred to already. Charge a set up fee it protects you at least for travel expenses and lost time....in case of a nightmare of a job. Next, set a time limit...ie. one week or ten days etc....again protecting yourself in case of a situation that you got bad info. You can always contact the client and communicate what you’re finding...make slight changes.
This guy needs to be on board before you take the job on.

Mark, situations like this one is how I learned best...anxious trapper that loves to trap and get paid, got over his head and had to figure out how to solve the problem. Might have initially lost a few dollars and time but eventually learned from the best teacher...the animals themselves.

Great point about the limit.
When we contract for nuisance beaver job,the contract is limited to 5 trips and expires in 2 weeks from the day it is signed.
Our trappers complete over 90% of the beaver contracts within the limit.
If any unforseen circumstances arise and the job cannot be completed within the parameters of the contract,a new contract(an extension) can be issued for the same location by mutual agreement between the trapper and the client.

I like to trap, yes I’ve found it to be some thing I enjoy. I am spoiled in where I get to trap. Russell Osbourne, Jim Bridger, and the Crow People all trapped here. Captain Clark came through here on his return route from the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Beaver are still rich here. I took my 20th beaver last night since February of 2021. I get move just up river and trap a major river island to extend my trap line. I have a profitable way of disposing of my carcasses, I get a x-$$ per carcass that the aforementioned pest control guy uses to trap problem predators, win-win. Now I get to sub on traps on my own terms, and get the aforementioned cash. We are surrounded by multi million dollar high end ranches and retired bankers, they don’t want to deal with these problems and will pay to have it done. I am getting my cut. Thanks to all for your insightful tips, opinions that flow like water through the dam.

You can make money at that price, You do need to ask what is the finial product. Most of the beaver or all. You will need to know exactly what is expected so you know what to deliver

Awesome

Got my 4th 50 pounder last night, and 21st beaver overall

I always look at the job first. My standard is $100 per day to trap plus mileage. If it looks like a single or pair of beavers I tell them in advance it will cost them three days work, even if I can't catch them in three. So far I almost always do.

Pay day. Dropped off 3 beaver carcasses today with the would be contractor I’ve described, got my $100/carcass and then found a double in my traps, another $200 day.

wheres the tail on the bigger one?

What happened to $300 per beaver?
Why now only $100?

I learned early on to operate my wildlife business as a business.
My charges are similar to Mark June’s for similar reasons.

Plus additional charge if more distance (fuel, mileage, wear & tear, and maintenance) than the standard distance upon which my standard rate is based.

I’m also confused. Is someone getting paid $300 per then paying you $100 per?


Do enough individual jobs and you’ll find $300 is too expensive at times, just right sometimes, and not enough sometimes, much of this depends on particulars such as driving distances and headcount. The thought of seeing how many can be caught from as many places as possible sounds like a lot of fun (a lot), even at much less than $300 per. Just trapping to trap, really. Enjoying it all. Catch most, sometimes all, but not being required to stick out the most problematic singles? Fun. This also lays the groundwork for the real problem beaver trapping that’s almost certainly to follow, because nuisance trapping is not fur trapping. At times it may seem the same, but it’s not. Someone else hitting them before you get there with or without your knowledge in combination with a per beaver rate is a recipe for hurt if you’re sticking it out to the last one, especially if you’re traveling long distances and have considerable expenses.


People hear a price for completed beaver work and may say “well that’s $xxx per beaver!” The problem with that thinking is that they don’t realize the beaver was the cheap part of that equation. It’s the vehicle note, mileage, insurance, equipment, time away from other work, and other expenses that go into it. The beaver that matters in flood relief is the last one, period, and they’re not all equal.

Sorry for the confusion, I see that now. So here’s how it goes for me right now. I was indeed offered some sub work for $300/beaver this coming spring when the work load is too much for the neighbor to the ranch where I trap. That same neighbor owns his own wildlife control company. Right now he needs carcasses for bait for problem predators so he is paying me $100/beaver carcass. This spring will be the $300/beaver rate but only when I am specifically I trapping for him. These beavers I am trapping currently are for my personal use. I am collecting pelts to make a blanket for my bed and other hunting gear.

Wow!

It was flopped down along the ground in a stiff position from rigor, this picture show the tail, but it was a medium beaver so not that remarkable.

Sounds like double talk from the pest control guy.

...and probably still nothing in writing

Perhaps. So far he’s honored his word. Never asked for it in writing, don’t really need it.

I do nuisance wildlife full time. Self employed. If I subbed or hired someone and they aired our business online, even if they didn't name me, we would be done. No hard feelings just done.
Hope this turns into a good regular deal for you. All good information being given especially Mark June's info. Grounded in reality

Yes

Heard.

I wish you luck either way. If you’re enjoying what you do and able to cover your costs enough to make it worth it, then you’re doing just fine and doing better than most.


If you’re still having fun, thats as good as it gets.

a good read . lots of good imfo, sounds like your happy and that all that really matters

^^^^This^^^ is spot on accurate!