Business Hunting/pest control

[Zombiphobia]

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/297720/wild_hog_problem_in_texas.html?cat=8

I keep hearing about the wild hog problem in Texas, for example, and I'm curious, what would it take to go into business helping land owners manage the issue?
I don't mean paying to hunt, I mean accepting payment to scout the land and eliminate problem animals by means of trapping and shooting. I'm talking fully licensed and insured to be entirely legal and eliminate liability.

Also, what would be a fair price range?

Edit: this thread has, as of this edit received 30 views and no replies so I'm adding to it:

To the Texas landowners who are having problems with property damage, WOULD you hire someone who was licensed and insured against liability provided a reasonable fee was negotiable to come and help you eliminate some of the problem aniamls?

 

[Zombiphobia]

Any Input? Anybody?

 

[NOLAEMT]

considering that many of these farmers get people to pay them to hunt the land. I don't see much of a market for what you're proposing.

 

[Zombiphobia]

yes, but as mentioned in other related threads, an issue with that is liability and I'm talking about real pest control, not recreation.

And considering the magnitude of the problem...it's worth asking about it.

 

[country boy marksman]

I want to do the same thing here in NW Florida and S Alabama. I have absolutely no idea where to start though, except that first I'm going to talk to friends and family with farmland and see if they need my "services", and then ask them to refer me to their friends. As far as legality, price, licensing, etc. is concerned, I have no idea what to do besides make friends in the LEO and "game warden" business and ask them what to do.

 

[MattTheHat]

I don't think most folks could afford to pay for feral pig removal. Once you eliminate one population, it's only a matter of time before the next group moves in. Paying for removal would literally be a money pit.


-Matt

 

[Sky]

I am sorry I do not have the youtube address but you can do a search and come up with something. There is a group South of Dallas that you pay to go on a guided hunt with them. The hunts are done at night with night scopes and they supply the weapons (ARs I think). Do not know how successful they are, nor what they charge. But if I remember right it was not cheap.

 

[788Ham]

I think Zombiphobia hit the nail dead center! Liability is going to be the big thing!! These farmers not knowing you, there's 90% of the fight right there, you fall out of your tree blind and your buddy blows your leg off while the pig chases you, hmmmmm, bad juju! On one of the threads on this forum, the guy was asked about 50 times to come help them with the pigs, NOPE, don't want your help! I realize most hunters aren't gonna blow up everything that runs by, but a dead cow or horse is gonna get you throwed out too. JMHO.

 

[dubbleA]

$150K-$650K for a helicopter
$45K-$75K for truck/trailer
$5K for a few AR's/sights
$$$ for lots of ammo
other expenses such as shooters, lodging, insurance, fuel, mechanical up keep etc

Sometimes there are surcharges for fuel and ammo, our rate is $450-500hr.

 

[Zombiphobia]

788Ham, exactly. My family here in N Florida is into farming and I understand first hand the issues with having ppl come onto the land to hunt, shoot etc.. you can have problems most ppl wouldn't ever think of.
Some fool steps in a pot-hole and twists his ankle and expects you to pay for it because "you shoulda had your land level".. or he leaves your gate open a cow gets out and a car hits it.. well its YOUR cow so YOU're responsible for reparing/replacing that car, or he accidentally shots a cow o the neighbors land and since you failed to guide this guya nd show him where your property line ends and inform him of the neighbors and so on.. well it could be on you. And if the fool gets tusked by a wild boar... well why did you not prevent it? Was he aware this could happen? And so on.. and so on...

This is where a legal liability protection clause comes into play, especially in wide open spaces where bullets can travel far. I'd expect some sort of certification showing I understand the local/state laws, various liabilities, and so on, am safe with firearms and so forth, backed by a written notarized agreement stating the property owner is not liable for my or my crew's possible screw-ups and then an insurance package to boot with a modest 'removal/extermination' fee. I'm not the kind of guy to rip someone off taking advantage of this kind of situation.

My thinking is that if someone were to provide this kind of service, under full legal/insured backing it could work out fairly well in favor of the landowners.
I have several ideas that would aid a LOT in the riddance of these nuisance pigs, but on the chance someone else with a better head start catches on.. I'm not sharing those ideas just yet.

But yes, in essence, the primary reason why land-owners are concerned with letting someone come onto their land to shoot them, even as destrucitve as pigs are, is because this trigger-happy stranger could end up costing the land owner a lot more than the hogs ever could. Unless of course this stranger is a licensed and insured, legit service provider who is not trying to empty the land-owners' pockets.

 

[ghostwriter]

It wouldn't be too hard to get a business liability policy to cover say 5,000,000 in liability. That should just about cover the neighbors cow or the offending car wreck from rubber neckers. As far as using a chopper to fly over the laand looking for a pig, well... that's pretty high end don't you think? Not really necessary. You can walk out the area for sign, find the paths, set up some trail cams, hit it at night with about $4,000 in nightvision optics on a high powered rifle (suppressor optional) and eliminate as many wild pigs as you could find. Shouldn't be too hard to find a farmer or rancher to cooperate. even fish and game or wildlife officials should be pretty receptive if you keep them in the loop so they can provide their superiors with head counts and other biological data.

 

[788Ham]

Yes ghostwriter, you're correct in that regard........ however, by the time the game & fish dudes & dudettes get through anal-izing things to death, about every aspect under the stars, the hogs are still tearing this guys place to shreds! As Zombiphobia knows, having lived there many years, one yokel can ruin everything in one half crazed moment with a firearm, or as was stated also, letting a cow out and a car hitting it, "Its not my cow that got hit". Precisely, thats why you eliminate any outside problems from the beginning, keep the yokels out and take care of things "your way" ! JMHO