Government hunters

[bob baldwin jr]

I was curious being an east coaster :

How many Govt Hunters do we have on this forum?

How many western States still use the services of a GOVMINT HUNTER ?

What are the most common species or issues that they have

[coastrangecathunting]

My dad was a gov. trapper untill 1986 . Back then there were alot of sheep ranches around here and coyotes and bear were the main focus . The lion population was very very low around here then maybe 1 or 2 a year would kill. The sheep ranches are no longer around like they used to be so the trappers dont go after the coyotes like they should that is why the deer population has dropped so bad in my prof. opotion . They go after the bear pretty hard for the timber companies for pealing there trees. the lion population has grown and is also hurting the deer heards.
The gov. trappers get calls for opossum,coons,skunks,pigeons,crows,beaver,cats, coyotes,bear, and what ever else someone calls about. I grew up hunting with my dad and learned more about dogs and trapping by the time i was 10 than most people will learn there whole life i was very lucky to have such a great dad to learn from.

jc

[Benny G]

Bob,
I would be surprised to see many on here. I would be even more surprised for them to say so.

As for the states using them, I would guess that you are NOT talking about trapping, but are asking about hunting with dogs? Are you referring to lions and bears, or dogs in general? There are a lot of guys that use coyote decoy dogs for their work.

I am, by no means, an expert, but I do know that California, Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas use dog men for predator control.

[bob baldwin jr]

Bob,
I would be surprised to see many on here. I would be even more surprised for them to say so.

As for the states using them, I would guess that you are NOT talking about trapping, but are asking about hunting with dogs? Are you referring to lions and bears, or dogs in general? There are a lot of guys that use coyote decoy dogs for their work.

I am, by no means, an expert, but I do know that California, Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas use dog men for predator control.

Benny G : I probably should have stated Govt : Hunter /Trapper to include hounds also . I was assuming it was a west coast type deal . not sure how it is handled on say a private ranch in say Montana/ Wyoming for sheep farmers as opposed to livestock depredation on say BLM land. I also am assuming that from another post someone said the Bears were causing a lot of Tree Damage .Not sure what the difference between here " Northern Maine " about 90% commercial forest land and out there would be ,unless you are referring to BLM or National Forest land . I find the topic to be quite facinating . Thanks for all imput

[dubl_t]

This might be an interesting post to watch. In OR, there are the "gov trappers", but right now it's a heated subject. Not the biggest hot topic in OR Natural Resource politics, but up there. The reason is funding, where it's coming from, and lion hunting in general.
Regarding private vs public land, I believe they hunt both sides of the fence, as the animal belongs to the state, and usually it's the land-owner calling and giving permission (if that answers your ??).

Jc, interesting observation on coyotes vs. deer. OR blacktail population is way low and everything I've read about the problem is regarding habitat loss, lack of logging, and lions, even though the west-side coyote population has to be extremely high. It's not unusual to see 'em in daytime now.

[festus]

Coyotes are a lot harder on the deer population than alot of people seem to think or realize. I know coyotes are brutal on the fawn crop around here in my area.

[BEAR HUNTER]

Coyotes are a lot harder on the deer population than alot of people seem to think or realize. I know coyotes are brutal on the fawn crop around here in my area.

Yes they are. Here in sunny Ca our poor deer population just doesnt stand a chance. With a boat load of lions, coyotes,hunters and bear our herds are being wiped out. We have a booming black bear population. They are hammering the deer. Our government is cutting funding for government hunters/trappers. Alot of counties cant afford to pony up the extra money so they are going by the wayside.

[oswald]

fed govt hunt/trap jobs are not just out west. had a friend in college get one in NC to primarily trap beavers. airports in the northeast use them to control birds. florida has hog hunters. the best ones are out west imo. probably have a better chance of winning the lottery though.

[Big Mike]

I know of two gov' trappers who have and use hounds in NM.

Most of the Gov trappers focus in Southern NM is coyotes. Depending on the area there is some bear and lion work

[bob baldwin jr]

iS IT BASED ON HOW good YOU ARE OR HOW connected you are

[Big Mike]

For the gov trappers its more based on what kind of depredations happen in there district.

Since bear and lions are a protected species, Game and Fish is in control of the permits. The only time Gov hunters get to use there dogs on bear or lions is when livestock is killed and a permit is issued.

Most game and fish guys have a few local hunters with hounds that help them for free with depredation, and that's is based on how good they are and how trust worthy they are

[Rebel3]

I worked as a goverment trapper a year ago in northern wisconsin mostly trappin bear and relocating them but also did a little beaver trappin for them.

[Mr.pacojack]

Every state has government hunters or trappers. They are protecting the airports,crops,flocks and heards, Roads, ponds, streams, and people. Just about anything that can be solved between animals and man,a government hunter is used for.

[Mr.pacojack]

Since bear and lions are a protected species, Game and Fish is in control of the permits. The only time Gov hunters get to use there dogs on bear or lions is when livestock is killed and a permit is issued.

That may be the case there but not anywhere else I have heard of(Cali,Utah,Idaho,Colorado, Nevada, Montana). I will have to check but I don't think it is that way there either. Most states are pretty uniform.
But if they are state trappers then they might have to answer to the local game and fish.

[bridges331]

I have a buddy who is a gov. hunter and he and his partner hunt everything that is a problem from coyote to bear, lion, bobcat, birds, coon. I mean everything. They are mainly running hounds on lion and coyote. They hunt nv, az, and ca.