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Old 12-10-2006, 08:10 PM
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wyotimberghost
 
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Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: WYO
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Default RE: Jobs in the wildlife management fields

During the summer, I work for a guy who has his master's in wildlife and fisheries biology management. I think he may also hold some sort of degree in rangeland management/watershed ecology. His business manages the wildlife and fish on a large ranch, contracts out to coalbed-methane and oil companies to do surveys of threatened species on drilling areas(raptors, sage grouse, mountain plovers, swift foxes, etc), contracts out to coalbed-methane companies to spray noxious weeds on all developed areas (well pads, roads, pipeling right-of-ways), and sprays noxious weeds for multiple ranches.

I spoke with one of the main professors for the University of Wyoming's wildlife and fisheries biology management program about the job outlook in his field of work last month, and his response was something to the effect that job growth was no better than average, but it wasn't expected to fall any in the future. He said that several of the government agencies that hire wildlife biologists are expressing interest in many of the graduates of Wyoming's program. So if you get a degree in that field, finding a job should not be a problem.

One thing the professor did say is that if you go into this field of work, don't expect to make much money. And don't expect to do much hunting yourself. He did say the work is a lot of fun.

Until this past semester, I thought I wanted to major in Wildlife and Fisheries Biology Management or Rangeland Management/Watershed Ecology because I have a real passion for the outdoors and all the recreational opportunities that the outdoors have to offer. But then I found a different major that interested me just as much, and the job outlook in this field is much more promising. It'll even allow me to work outside. I can hunt and fish on the weekends.
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