After nearly a decade in the farm & ranch real estate business, I made a transition about 18 months ago into working for a farm & ranch lending institution. I did this for financial stability for my family, and it's certainly not a bad job...but ultimately has left me feeling underwhelmed and unfulfilled.

My passions have always revolved around hunting, land, and wildlife conservation. Careers in this field seem few and far between. I'm wondering if anyone here can point me in a direction where I might find some options. I guess the obvious places to look would be with organizations such as Dallas Safari Club, Boone & Crockett, etc... but I'm drawing a bit of a blank otherwise, and I thought someone here on AR might have some advice. I'm pretty open minded, and my education and prior work experience covers a fairly wide range of categories (sales, agriculture, wildlife/hunting, real estate, and finance). I also got into wildlife photography pretty heavily a few years back as well.

I would appreciate any input you gents might have. Thanks in advance.

Texas Parks & Wildlife
LCRA
The Nature Conservancy
Texas Land Conservancy
Temple-Inland

Just a few

Stay out of government.

I do believe that during the mid to later 20th century folks could get a solid career in game or wildlife management. I think that time is passing or past. Today budgets are tight, politics severe and real, make a difference management rare.

Easy examples; there's no good reason for a wild horse or donkey to exist in The West. Federal introduction of wolves and protection of grizzly bears. Natural resource management on public lands.

Me? I'd like to work on a duck club or hunting ranch. Get a job with Ted Turner.

I think better yet, make some money, buy your own place. Dig a duck pond, plant a hedge row for pheasants, maybe some deer feed. Build a few water impoundments for wildlife, get some cattails growing.

https://tedturnerreserves.com/careers/


See link for working at Vermejo Park Ranch. I had the pleasure of going there three times on an elk hunt and once for fishing.

One of my favorite places in the world.


Best of luck.

If you want to get in to the policy and governmental roles, that’s a bit tricky in that those are very bureaucratic institutions and generally you need an advanced degree to get there (at least a masters in wildlife biology- and a PhD is better. Even then you are talking starting at the bottom as far as responsibilities and decision making.

If you already have a family started it will be a significant loss of income for some time.

Private projects range from pretty bureaucratic working for some larger NGO (think Ducks Unlimited) to finding some rich fellow who thinks highly of you and hires you (the Turner example).

One of my undergrad majors was biology with a concentration in wildlife management. I loved it as well, but the career opportunities were very limited.

I wish you good luck with finding something that fits you here, but honestly, it’s a long shot career wise as far as having hands on control of something. Doing academic research would be a bit larger opening, but require considerable academic work before you even get started.