Trapping Season is from December 1-February 28 here in Georgia. This is for fur trappers looking to take what the State of Georgia has classified as Fur Bearers species such as Bobcat, Fox, Raccoon and several other species. I am not a Fur Trapper. I am a Wildlife Population Mangement Trapper and Nuisance Animal Removal Operator Licensed and Certified thru the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. Since I have these certifications, I can work year round, outside of the normal trapping seasons to remove Nuisance animals.

 Typically, the fur down here does not prime as it does up North. We also have alot of Sarcoptic Mange to deal with. Fur prices are very low here for that reason. I mention this to make people aware that there are two different types of Trappers. Fur trappers make money off of the fur. They set traps for every fur bearer they can to catch as many as they can in the season provided. Since I am an ADC(Animal Damage Control) Trapper, I am paid for the scouting, setting of the traps and removal of the "target animal", which is mainly Coyotes. Say you are having problems with coyotes on your farm or in your neighborhood killing livestock or pets. Perhaps you are having some even being aggressive towards you or your children. Understand that they carry the Rabies Virus as well as other communicable diseases. You call a Trapper and he says, "I don't charge to trap as long as I can have the fur." That sounds good except what he isn't telling you is that instead of targeting the coyote problem, he is going to be setting for Bobcats, Fox, Beaver and Mink. The reason is that the fur prices for these animals is much higher than that of a mangy coyote. The reality is, he's having a ball doing his trapping but your problem is not being solved. Your problem coyotes are not being trapped out. And worse than that, he is educating the entire coyote population so that if you hire a Pro. ADC Trapper down the road, it will be much more difficult to get those educated coyotes to work a trap and be caught.  

Selecting the right Professional Trapper is crucial to having your Nuisance Animal Removed in a timely manner and can save you hundreds of dollars in the long run. Since first and foremost, I am a Coyote Trapper, let's use this predator as an example. Coyotes are the most difficult animal to trap. They are highly intelligent, suspicious of anything new in their territory and their keen sense of smell is uncanny. Most wildlife control companies concentrate most of their business on bat removal, raccoon removal, snake removal and Exclusion, because this is where the most money is made. Exclusion is the repairing of a structure whereby an animal can no longer gain access. Very, very few are Professionals in the art and science of Coyote Control. These companies have a payroll to make and they are going to target the animals and business that will enable them to make the most amount of money in the quickest time frame. In contrast, Coyote Control work takes time, typically two to three weeks on average. I am in the fortunate position that I have a full time job and run my Wildlife Control Business in the evenings and on the weekends. I do not have the high overhead that these other companies do since I work solo, and therefore, I can pick and choose the jobs that I want to do. I can also provide pricing that is somewhat lower than these other companies. 

So let's run a scenario, say you have been seeing several coyotes laying in your pasture watching your horses or cattle for several days or weeks...or perhaps you've sighted some roaming your neighborhood. What they are doing is watching each one of the animals for a sign of weakness and an opportunity to make a meal of it. The landowner I just helped said that one of his heifers did not want her calf and ran it off. He was watching and when it got close to the woods, two coyotes ran out and killed it right there and began feeding on it...they will target the weak or crippled animal and all that is left is the opportunity. That opportunity may not come for days but it will come and then, that Foal or Calf or Cat or Dog is gone......killed and dragged off in the brush to be consumed in a night or two......this is the reality. Coyotes are Predators and they must kill to survive. Read that last sentence again and let it sink in............The main prey of the coyotes here in the South is White tail deer, voles, mice, rabbits and fruits. If the population of the prey species that the yotes feed on is down one year, they will turn to pets, livestock and carrion to survive. However, if they happen to be cruising thru your neighborhood at dawn or dusk and come upon a cat or small dog that an owner has let out to do it's business, many times they will kill it as a crime of opportunity. I write this to make you aware of your options should you have a Nuisance animal issue. We are coming upon the breeding season for Coyotes in Jan-Feb. Usually, the female will have from 5-8 pups that she will keep in a den for a while and then once they are weaned, she will teach them how to hunt and survive.