Who's applying? WDFW hiring 2 more wolf trappers.

[Dhoey07]

From reading the job description, it doesn't sound like there is going to be much trapping involved

[uplandhunter870]

It would be a great "foot in the door" type of job. Not only that, but you'd be getting paid to have fun. It would be like getting paid to go hunting.

I hope you at least get an interview. Unfortunately, I bet competition for the job will be fierce.

it would be a great opprotunity, politics aside i would not mind making a career out of dfw, and yeah it would be awesome to get paid to do catch and release hunting all summer long. yeah i bet they get a couple hundred apps the position is taking apps until the 10th im kind of hoping that my background in GIS and GPS gains me a few ladder rungs but i got a feeling that cover letter thing is going to be the death of my application. outdoor skills are pretty easily taught compared to data analysis, i already know how to hunt and track animals (decently) learning to shoot a tranq gun or set a trap wouldnt be all that difficult.

There's the problem right there. See this all the time "Anybody can set a trap, easy peasy" Always voiced by someone that has never trapped.
Trapping wolves especially is not easy. There are very few that are actually good at it and to start from scratch it'll probably take longer to get good at it then to get your Phd in wolfology at Evergreen.

so enlighten me how much more difficult setting a trap is than earning a BS degree. trapping anything is not easy (ever been out played by mice around the house and have the peanut butter stolen but no dead mouse?) and how is a guy supposed to learn how to trap wolves when wolves are a federally protected and listed species    Learning how to trap the wolves is part of on the job training and is the easy thing to learn how to do, yeah successfully capturing a wolf alive and unharmed may be difficult but learning how to do so isnt all that difficult especially for anyone that has any decent amount of experience in the outdoors. if my old man could teach himself how to trap when he was a teenager by reading books and magazines like fur fish and game, im sure i could do the exact same. have you meet some of the people the state hires for jobs like this? not exactly Einstein like rocket scientists

[Northway]

I doubt the WDFW will only hire candidates that have those minimum requirements.

The degree thing they'll probably stick to, but there's folks that work with carnivores who have probably never used a leg-hold trap before.

I'm curious about whether wildlife services requires degrees for their wolf trappers in the NRM or Great Lakes. If they do, then the WDFW could easily try and snag a couple of those folks.

[Northway]

It would be a great "foot in the door" type of job. Not only that, but you'd be getting paid to have fun. It would be like getting paid to go hunting.

I hope you at least get an interview. Unfortunately, I bet competition for the job will be fierce.

it would be a great opprotunity, politics aside i would not mind making a career out of dfw, and yeah it would be awesome to get paid to do catch and release hunting all summer long. yeah i bet they get a couple hundred apps the position is taking apps until the 10th im kind of hoping that my background in GIS and GPS gains me a few ladder rungs but i got a feeling that cover letter thing is going to be the death of my application. outdoor skills are pretty easily taught compared to data analysis, i already know how to hunt and track animals (decently) learning to shoot a tranq gun or set a trap wouldnt be all that difficult.

There's the problem right there. See this all the time "Anybody can set a trap, easy peasy" Always voiced by someone that has never trapped.
Trapping wolves especially is not easy. There are very few that are actually good at it and to start from scratch it'll probably take longer to get good at it then to get your Phd in wolfology at Evergreen.

To completely different things, but it's a complete pain even learning how to consistently trap feral cats! I thought it would be a walk in the park, but I really had to tinker with the trap quite a bit; and by that time the cat(s) get wise to what you are trying to do.

[Houndhunter]

You shouldn't need a degree to do this job, there lies the problem. O well, maybe they'll hire some good guys but I have a feeling they won't

[iusmc2002]

did you see the fine print 

hunters need not apply - all applicants will be check for WILD ID #'s.  Additional prefrence points awarded for 5 consecutive years of WWF, Defenders of Wildlife or Howling for Justice paid membership (must supply certification or wolf adoption papers with application for credit). ranchers or ranch hand need not apply - if you've ever worked on or for a cattle ranch do not apply

I'm such a putz.  I read that and was thinking "WTF?!" and then proceeded to look for that fine print.... 

[uplandhunter870]

You shouldn't need a degree to do this job, there lies the problem. O well, maybe they'll hire some good guys but I have a feeling they won't

you are not required to have a degree. the job posting says HS/GED or Associates with 1 year experience trapping wolves OR a bachelors with 6 months experience.

all having a degree does is cut down the required amount of field experience

[Curly]

The way it reads is that an applicant is required to have:  1) HS degree or GED and 2) Associates Degree in wildlife or fisheries and 3) 6 mo's min experience in trapping

[uplandhunter870]

The way it reads is that an applicant is required to have:  1) HS degree or GED and 2) Associates Degree in wildlife or fisheries and 3) 6 mo's min experience in trapping

my bad, thanks for the correction Curly

[Curly]

The way it reads is that an applicant is required to have:  1) HS degree or GED and 2) Associates Degree in wildlife or fisheries and 3) 6 mo's min experience in trapping

my bad, thanks for the correction Curly

No problem.  I still think it is good that you applied even if you don't meet all their minimum quals.  You never know how many applicants they will get and their qualifications are.  You at least have a shot if you apply.  I hope you get it.

[Humptulips]

It would be a great "foot in the door" type of job. Not only that, but you'd be getting paid to have fun. It would be like getting paid to go hunting.

I hope you at least get an interview. Unfortunately, I bet competition for the job will be fierce.

it would be a great opprotunity, politics aside i would not mind making a career out of dfw, and yeah it would be awesome to get paid to do catch and release hunting all summer long. yeah i bet they get a couple hundred apps the position is taking apps until the 10th im kind of hoping that my background in GIS and GPS gains me a few ladder rungs but i got a feeling that cover letter thing is going to be the death of my application. outdoor skills are pretty easily taught compared to data analysis, i already know how to hunt and track animals (decently) learning to shoot a tranq gun or set a trap wouldnt be all that difficult.

There's the problem right there. See this all the time "Anybody can set a trap, easy peasy" Always voiced by someone that has never trapped.
Trapping wolves especially is not easy. There are very few that are actually good at it and to start from scratch it'll probably take longer to get good at it then to get your Phd in wolfology at Evergreen.

so enlighten me how much more difficult setting a trap is than earning a BS degree. trapping anything is not easy (ever been out played by mice around the house and have the peanut butter stolen but no dead mouse?) and how is a guy supposed to learn how to trap wolves when wolves are a federally protected and listed species    Learning how to trap the wolves is part of on the job training and is the easy thing to learn how to do, yeah successfully capturing a wolf alive and unharmed may be difficult but learning how to do so isnt all that difficult especially for anyone that has any decent amount of experience in the outdoors. if my old man could teach himself how to trap when he was a teenager by reading books and magazines like fur fish and game, im sure i could do the exact same. have you meet some of the people the state hires for jobs like this? not exactly Einstein like rocket scientists

To begin with wolves are not a federally listed species through out their range. If you have some experience trapping them in AK, ID or MT so much the better but your attitude implies I'll just go out and learn. That will take time and in the meantime you are not going to be catching wolves if that is your job. In fact you will probably be educating them about traps which will make it all the more difficult.
Go take some, one on one training in the field from an experienced wolf trapper but don't think for one minute that qualifies you as a wolf trapper. Time and experience might make you a good one.
There is a big difference between trapping a mouse or beaver and muskrats or even coyotes and going after wolves.
Coyotes are generally considered to be the toughest to trap in the lower 48 and there are a ton of guys chasing them but there are damn few ever get to be really good at it. Wolves are a step up from there.
You'll learn but the first lesson will be how little you know.

[uplandhunter870]

i get what you're saying Humps, i do. and ill be the first to admit that i know nothing about trapping wolves but im more than willing to learn and should i be fortunate enough to get an interview for this position i can guarantee that the question will be raised ill say the exact same thing to the interviewer. I honestly dont see a problem with having the attitude of "yeah as of right now i know nothing about (fill in the blank) but im more than willing to learn to become proficient at this position". im my 27 years on earth having the attitude of being willing to learn how to something new has gotten me a lot farther in jobs and life than the attitude of "i dont know how so find someone else" that a number of my friends have.

I realize my post probably came off as sounding flippant and arrogant that was not my intention and i apologize. but what irritates me the most with trying to find a "real" job as a soon to be fresh graduate is that there was a time where every member of this site and every person in society knew absolutely nothing about their current profession and the only way they learned what they know now is someone sometime in their lives took a chance on them and showed them the ropes and taught them what they knew, thus making them competent at their trade. and these days employers seem to have forgotten that completely and expect you to fill each and every qualification at or above their stated level, thus making finding a "real" job G** d**n impossible. this job is for a Biologist 1 thats an entry level biologist, not a seasoned veteran.

youre absolute correct not all wolves are listed by the feds, alaska certainly not and ID and MT are only relatively recent de-listings but as for washington they still are a federally listed species and aside from state and federal agencies no one is allowed to trap them thus as someone that grew up in washington how are you supposed to get experience trapping wolves, legally? put your life on hold and move to a state that allows the legal trapping of wolves, live there for the required time to become a resident and then hope to find someone willing to take a newbie under their wing for a season or two just so you can meet all the requirements for a 6 month job where at most youll make 22k before taxes and do this of course after youve completed and associates program at the minimum?

I am trying my God's honest to be a contributing member of society and applied for a job that i meet most of the qualifications, no one that applies for jobs meets every qualification to the T, although unfortunately for me and possibly fortunately for you and everyone else that believes if you dont meet every single listed qualification a person should not be considered for a position i doubt we will have to worry about my inadequacies of trapping wolves because if you read the job announcement it pretty well sounds like whom ever wrote it already has their two candidates in mind. i mean honestly who has a HS degree/GED and Assoc. degree and 6 months experience trapping wolves? oh yeah, whom ever the hiring authority for the position is trying to throw a bone to. the good ole boy system isnt dead its just less blatant and more subtle.

[KFhunter]

did you see the fine print 

hunters need not apply - all applicants will be check for WILD ID #'s.  Additional prefrence points awarded for 5 consecutive years of WWF, Defenders of Wildlife or Howling for Justice paid membership (must supply certification or wolf adoption papers with application for credit). ranchers or ranch hand need not apply - if you've ever worked on or for a cattle ranch do not apply

I'm such a putz.  I read that and was thinking "WTF?!" and then proceeded to look for that fine print.... 

oops - sorry about that 

Yes it was a joke and my humor is dry and at times, problematic.

I thought the spelling errors would tip people off that it was a joke 

[JLS]

I am trying my God's honest to be a contributing member of society and applied for a job that i meet most of the qualifications, no one that applies for jobs meets every qualification to the T, although unfortunately for me and possibly fortunately for you and everyone else that believes if you dont meet every single listed qualification a person should not be considered for a position i doubt we will have to worry about my inadequacies of trapping wolves because if you read the job announcement it pretty well sounds like whom ever wrote it already has their two candidates in mind. i mean honestly who has a HS degree/GED and Assoc. degree and 6 months experience trapping wolves? oh yeah, whom ever the hiring authority for the position is trying to throw a bone to. the good ole boy system isnt dead its just less blatant and more subtle.

And sometimes the "good ole boy system" rewards people that have paid their dues, working a job that they were very much overqualified for but they had to take as an entry level position.  I think many of us have applied for positions that were written with someone specifically in mind.  If you're good enough, you can still get one of those.  A word to the wise though, in a competitive job market you absolutely CANNOT leave out stuff as simple as a cover letter.  Your application packet should absolutely wow the heck out of the screening committee.  If it doesn't, you already lost your first chance to get to the front of the pack.

Good luck!

[KFhunter]

It would be a great "foot in the door" type of job. Not only that, but you'd be getting paid to have fun. It would be like getting paid to go hunting.

I hope you at least get an interview. Unfortunately, I bet competition for the job will be fierce.

it would be a great opprotunity, politics aside i would not mind making a career out of dfw, and yeah it would be awesome to get paid to do catch and release hunting all summer long. yeah i bet they get a couple hundred apps the position is taking apps until the 10th im kind of hoping that my background in GIS and GPS gains me a few ladder rungs but i got a feeling that cover letter thing is going to be the death of my application. outdoor skills are pretty easily taught compared to data analysis, i already know how to hunt and track animals (decently) learning to shoot a tranq gun or set a trap wouldnt be all that difficult.

There's the problem right there. See this all the time "Anybody can set a trap, easy peasy" Always voiced by someone that has never trapped.
Trapping wolves especially is not easy. There are very few that are actually good at it and to start from scratch it'll probably take longer to get good at it then to get your Phd in wolfology at Evergreen.

so enlighten me how much more difficult setting a trap is than earning a BS degree. trapping anything is not easy (ever been out played by mice around the house and have the peanut butter stolen but no dead mouse?) and how is a guy supposed to learn how to trap wolves when wolves are a federally protected and listed species    Learning how to trap the wolves is part of on the job training and is the easy thing to learn how to do, yeah successfully capturing a wolf alive and unharmed may be difficult but learning how to do so isnt all that difficult especially for anyone that has any decent amount of experience in the outdoors. if my old man could teach himself how to trap when he was a teenager by reading books and magazines like fur fish and game, im sure i could do the exact same. have you meet some of the people the state hires for jobs like this? not exactly Einstein like rocket scientists

To begin with wolves are not a federally listed species through out their range. If you have some experience trapping them in AK, ID or MT so much the better but your attitude implies I'll just go out and learn. That will take time and in the meantime you are not going to be catching wolves if that is your job. In fact you will probably be educating them about traps which will make it all the more difficult.
Go take some, one on one training in the field from an experienced wolf trapper but don't think for one minute that qualifies you as a wolf trapper. Time and experience might make you a good one.
There is a big difference between trapping a mouse or beaver and muskrats or even coyotes and going after wolves.
Coyotes are generally considered to be the toughest to trap in the lower 48 and there are a ton of guys chasing them but there are damn few ever get to be really good at it. Wolves are a step up from there.
You'll learn but the first lesson will be how little you know.

I think with tracking collars (enable patterning) and trapping near denning sites early summer pretty much anyone could do it with basic trapping knowledge 


No it wouldn't make a good "fair chase" trapper, but it'd suffice for WDFW's purpose.