Hi to everyone on this Category.

I was just wondering how many of us are on this board. I am a professional Wildlife Biologist, and also I work on population management. My primary responsibilities are mitigation for forest operations and T&E Species. I have experience in game animals [birds and mammals]as well as the rarer species. It seems that there are becoming fewer of us biologist that are also hunter. Let me know how many are here and what you all do.

I am new to the field but hunting is my greatest passion. I gave up a $70000 annual salaried job in Seattle to go back to school and involve myself with wildlife management. I am finishing at U. Idaho this May and starting my Ph.D. at WSU working on a project where we are looking at levels of hybridization between mule deer and whitetails and if the levels are significant, whether the lack of anti-predator behavior in hybrids may be contributing to law fawn survival in mule deer during the first weeks post-parturition. (This would show up as low mule deer survival because we believe most of the hybridization occurs male whitetail-female mule deer)

I just wrapped up a project where we determined which species of carnivores and mesocarnivores could be detected through non-invasive genetic sampling and DNA sequencing of hairs collected in 7 different National Parks.

Gotta' say-- their are a lot of Gray Foxes in the Southwest!

IV

I am a retired wildlife biologist with 38 years of experience in the management and research fields. I have worked on research projects on big horns, geese and pheasants. I have had experience in management of all wildlife species in Idaho except caribou.

465H&H

Great to hear from you two. I alway wonder how many professional biologists actual hunt. Most of my 15 plus crew members that I supervise do hunt, but almost all of the new staff do not. Seems the newer generations do not?

Here at UI at least, I would say more than 50% of the grad students (in Wildlife) are avid hunters, but at the same time, most only hunt deer- elk- turkeys- etc. and do not coyote, varmint, cougar, bear hunt etc. They agree with the legal right of those that do-- but for their own personal moral reasons do not. I think its cool-- their are very few "100% anti-hunters" because I think they all (most) realize that a lot of funding comes from hunting/conservation organizations. The best way to keep them on our side is to keep with the tradition of conservation by hunters. I've seen students show up here and try and convince everyone about the "evils of hunting" and within a few weeks they pretty much realize that way of thinking is incorrect and "ain't gonna' fly..."

I am in the wrong state!

333_OKH

You just figured that out?
\
465H&H

Well with over 150 years of history in just this county it seems early to bail out on the State right now, unless someone knows a great position for a T&E species manager.

Hey 333_OKH. Connecticut pays Wildlife Biologists very well,and their always looking
for experienced Staff.

Sorry to but in as I can only claim myself as a wannabe biologist 9 couldn't cut the academic mustard) but did take the wildife management cousre and was pleased to see a lot of our kind in the room. I only paid attention to that becase I had heard of the same trend.

I both envy and have a lot of respect for you fellas.

7mm. guy

quote:

Hey 333_OKH. Connecticut pays Wildlife Biologists very well,and their always looking
for experienced Staff.

I had never thought about changing sides of the country, but it is always an option. Everyone thinks California is beaches and desert, but attached in my part of the country.

Having lived in California Years ago,I had
forgotten how nice parts of the state were.
I always liked the area around Big Sur.

Hey 333,
I'm a research wildlife biologist with the USFS. Most recently I've been working with lynx and and other species here in western MT. Contemplating a move to the State, I have been increasingly interested with game/furbearer management issues. I think you're right about the decreasing proportion of folks in this profession who are avid hunters themselves though support for the sport (at least within my circles) is still high. The decrease is most notable within the graduate student ranks, that track is becoming so competitive that I think successful applicants are more and more apt to be professional students who may not have made as much time for extensive field work/hunting as their predecessors.

I too am a wildlife biologist with a doctorate and I hunt. I have a faculty position and teach applied population ecology at a university in Sweden (although I am from Canada and have also lived in the US).

John

I am not a wildlife biologist, just a hunter and ameteur naturalist, that has been a zookeeper for the past 24 years. JMO on the situation is that the younger folks coming up thru the ranks, have no background with the role that hunting plays in the whole scheme of land and wildlife management. Of your new co-workers, have you ever asked them if they have read "Sand County Almanac" by Aldo Leapold.

I see a lot of young folks coming out of our Univercities today that do not get the training in the use of hunting as a management tool, as they used too. I feel that it is a change in mind set, that if left alone, nature will correct itsself. I am probably wrong on this, just think of it as a laymans way of trying to give an answer of what may be wrong.

Some may argue about the "professional part" and not strictly "wildlife", but the business card says Biologist.

Mostly wetlands, t&e, and a lot of NEPA.

At the risk of being flamed by some of the more vehement anti-fed, anti-wolf, anti-spotted owl, anti-deer management, anti's, I will come out of the closet as a wildlife manager. Have worked in Texas, Georgia, Colorado and Oklahoma - for a private hunting club, Department of the Army, and Fish & Wildlife Service. I'm delighted to see others with similar vocations - and dismayed that there aren't more!

I have noted a decline in the number of hunters among the ranks. I have even noted an increase in anti-hunters employed by government resource agencies. I don't think you need to be a card carrying member of the hook-n-bullet club, but if you don't participate (or oppose participation), how will you ever understand the folks who underwrite your job?

I'd write more - but it's turkey season!!!!

I work primarily in migratory bird habitat mgt. on a national wildlife refuge in Arkansas. Have been working in natural resource mgt, since 1974. Been catching and killing critters since I was about 6. Am 54 now and legally blind so I don't catch and kill as much as I used to.

I have noticed the same trend as Acer, and it spooks me just a bit. Some of those types I can comfortably converse with and with some I just have to avoid.

Hunting is a solid tradition in the Southeastern U.S. and we don't see as many tree huggers in the profession as one encounters in the Northeast and elsewhere.

In college I spent more time on the water or in the woods than in the classroom. I didn't want school to get in the way of my education. Merg

I started out in wildlife,then realized it was BUSY in the fall.Too busy to hunt as much as I wanted.Switched to fisheries in the 80s,now I'm hitting 60+ hour weeks this time of year.And OFF,burning up my accrued comp time, in the fall!

quote:

I think you're right about the decreasing proportion of folks in this profession who are avid hunters themselves though support for the sport (at least within my circles) is still high. The decrease is most notable within the graduate student ranks, that track is becoming so competitive that I think successful applicants are more and more apt to be professional students who may not have made as much time for extensive field work/hunting as their predecessors.

Great comments by all and I am sorry I stopped looking at my post. I will never say the anti-spotted owl comments since I am the principle wildlife "MANAGER" for a timber company and responsible for the project manager and crew of our owl crew.

Huge distinction between wildlife biology and wildlife management, but no one makes it anymore. Most majors have been changed to biology, but I am trained to manage wildlife and its habitat as a resource while it is being utilized. I might add I have gotten damned good at it thanks to a great group of young men and women who work for me. I am actually a lot younger than my counterparts here in the private industry and government agencies. Thanks to the crew!

Did I mention that about 75% of us hunt....Men and women included. We have even made a few Boone & Crockett contributions in the last 5 years.

I'm a graduate wildlife mgt biologist from the Univ of AZ who was never employed as such instead I spent approx 37 years as a deputy probation officer in NYS & CA chasing two legged wild critters.Like to hunt,fish,etc.What a farce over the spotted owl.Spoke to another biologist about the birds need for first growth timber when he told me there is a population in a Pasadena City Park in Calif and all the trees are ornamentals.

Specialist in tropical reseach ecology- was oc of the biggest wildlife research centre in Africa - Hostess Nicol research station aka Sengwa Wildlife research. 250sq miles of my own little large mammal experiment area. no hunting, no tourists! National Park on one boundry, safari area on the second and tribal land under community based hunting round the rest.

In case I have not posted it here. I am a biologist for a timber company and a very unpopular one at that! I am proud of the work I do, and unlike what you read, I have full rights to do the research that needs done to protect areas that need protected regardless of where they want to cut trees. I am happy to see that so many sportsman are also from my field. My family is primarily loggers, ranchers, and craftsman. Good day!

New to this site. I am a retired Wisconsin Conservation Warden. It was a great, rewarding careerand I reccommend the field of Natural Resources to all young people with those interest. Salaries and benefits are getting better, retirement has been great for 18 yrs. I have a son that followed in my footsteps and proud of that. Now if we could get the politics out of management think how great it would be.

quote:

Now if we could get the politics out of management think how great it would be.

I would love that! If we could manage the wildlife and natural resources the way that we have been taught, it would eliminate a lot of the hassel. Instead, here in California, we leave it to the common vote of the people to decide how it works. We might as well introduce species like happened in Australia, because we are creating such an unnatural environment here.

What peeves me is the boards of stupidvisors get to overule the Dept of F&G on doe hunting.

I think there may be more here but a lot of us "lurk".......I am pretty leary of going into pblic debate's about managment ...I get into enough of that at work.

I think about 80 ro 90% of my counterparts in my department hunt and or trap. The few I know that do not hunt have never turned down meat.............

I have two friends that are retired Wildlifers from MN. They saw the big difference in the "kids" that were coming into the profession as city kids(now) vs. farm kids. They thought that farm kids knoew where their food came from, the other kids didn't. YMMV

-phil

Great to see so many professionals on the board. I'm new to this site and it looks great!

JIM
www.DeerNut.com
BenOttoPubs@aol.com

Considering the strong hunting tradition in the US it surprises me that you are finding the same problems that we have here in the UK. Nature conservation and landscape protection is almost wholly funded, managed and staffed by people who either do not understand or who actively oppose field sports. As a conservation manager and keen hunter I have therefore become adept at swimming upstream and being the lone voice. There is a particular kind of silence that comes over a management committee when the lone hunter voices a "wise use" opinion! The divide between conservation professionals and the field sports community is very damaging and I am working slowly to bring people together, when they realise that they have a great deal in common the outcomes can be really gratifying.

quote:

Originally posted by Cranborne Chase:
Considering the strong hunting tradition in the US it surprises me that you are finding the same problems that we have here in the UK. Nature conservation and landscape protection is almost wholly funded, managed and staffed by people who either do not understand or who actively oppose field sports. As a conservation manager and keen hunter I have therefore become adept at swimming upstream and being the lone voice. There is a particular kind of silence that comes over a management committee when the lone hunter voices a "wise use" opinion! The divide between conservation professionals and the field sports community is very damaging and I am working slowly to bring people together, when they realise that they have a great deal in common the outcomes can be really gratifying.

Amen! I live this every day!

Where did each of you go to school, im currently at auburn working on a bs in wildlife

I did my undergrad (B.S. Wildlife Resources) at University of Idaho

Masters at Washington State University

PhD (in progress) at Washington State University

Good luck in your program!

IV

I am a Wildlife Biologist/Forester working as a consultant for private landowners.

I'm a UT-Knoxville grad, with 25 years in state and federal service, biologist for VA Game Dept 12 years, then 13 years a Natural Resources Manager on special ops bases for DOD in Texas, Virginia and NC. Now I build guns and write for Krause Pubs.

graduated with a BS as a Vandal in '95....

Now quite a bit farther north and farther west.

-phil

BSc. and MSc. from the University of MT, Missoula. Currently working as a wildlife biologist for MT Fish Wildlife & Parks. 1.7 million acres of God's country in west central MT. Never a dull moment...

quote:

Originally posted by snowcat:
BSc. and MSc. from the University of MT, Missoula. Currently working as a wildlife biologist for MT Fish Wildlife & Parks. 1.7 million acres of God's country in west central MT. Never a dull moment...

Even at 36 I could use a new job like that.....just 12 years in here. I also worked as a forester in my early years.

B.S. in Zoology and MS in Widlife Biology from University of Montana in Missoula.

465H&H

Hi, I work in landscape protection in England, have been a professional wildlife biologist in UK and Republic of Ireland for about 20 years.

hi all. just checking in again.