What Do Hunters and Trappers Do (including Their Typical Day At Work)

Job Description

Hunters and Trappers hunt and trap wild animals for human consumption, fur, feed, bait, or other purposes. They also patrol trap lines or nets to inspect settings, remove catch, and reset or relocate traps.

Other tasks include:

• Obtain permission from landowners to hunt or trap on their land.
• Travel on foot, by vehicle, or by equipment such as boats, snowmobiles, helicopters, snowshoes, or skis to reach hunting areas.
• Skin quarry, using knives, and stretch pelts on frames to be cured.
• Maintain and repair trapping equipment.
• Scrape fat, blubber, or flesh from skin sides of pelts with knives or hand scrapers.
• Obtain required approvals for using poisons or traps, and notify persons in areas where traps and poison are set.

We asked Hunters and Trappers how satisfied they are with their job. Here is what they said.

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62% of them said they were satisfied with their job and 57% said they find that their job makes the world a better place or helps to make someone else’s life better.

Typical Day At Work

On a daily basis, Hunters and Trappers patrol trap lines or nets to inspect settings, remove catch, and reset or relocate traps. They kill or stun trapped quarry, using clubs, poisons, guns, or drowning methods.

A typical day for a Hunter and Trapper will also include:

• Skin quarry, using knives, and stretch pelts on frames to be cured.
• Trap and capture quarry dead or alive for identification, relocation, or sale, using baited, scented, or camouflaged traps, snares, cages, or nets.
• Scrape fat, blubber, or flesh from skin sides of pelts with knives or hand scrapers.
• Remove designated parts, such as ears or tails, from slain quarry as evidence for killing bounty, using knives.
• Travel on foot, by vehicle, or by equipment such as boats, snowmobiles, helicopters, snowshoes, or skis to reach hunting areas.

We asked some Hunters and Trappers a few questions to find out what else does their work day look like. Here is what we found.

	Do you have telephone conversations everyday in this job?	25% said yes
	How important is it to work in a team in this job?	0% said very important
	Do you have group discussions everyday in this job?	3% said yes
	Do you talk or work with customers everyday in this job?	22% said yes
	Do you have to deal with angry customers everyday in this job?	3% said yes
	Do you have to make decisions everyday in this job?	19% said yes

Other responsibilities

Besides their typical day, Hunters and Trappers also train dogs for hunting. They may also release quarry from traps or nets and transfer to cages.

On a weekly to monthly basis, Hunters and Trappers Obtain required approvals for using poisons or traps, and notify persons in areas where traps and poison are set. They might also Track animals by checking for signs such as droppings or destruction of vegetation.

In addition, they Participate in animal damage control, wildlife management, disease control, and research activities.

Although specific duties may vary, many of them Cure pelts with salt and boric acid.

To some Hunters and Trappers, it is also their responsibility to Remove designated parts, such as ears or tails, from slain quarry as evidence for killing bounty, using knives.

Working life

More than 40 hours per week

Irregular work schedule that changes depending on weather conditions, customer demand or contract duration.

In a typical work week as a Hunter and Trapper, you can expect to work more than 40 hours per week.

Is this right for me

People who are suitable for this job tends to like work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They like working with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery..

They also like working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. They like searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.

You can read more about these career personality types here.

Explore other careers

http://www.bls.gov/OOH/farming-fishing-and-forestry/fishers-and-related-fishing-workers.htm

http://www.uscg.mil/nmc/

http://www.wheretohunt.org/

http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/fishing/