highcountry13

is neone in here a wildlife biologist, im almost positive thats what i would like to go to college for and do for the rest of my life it seems like a really neat job and sumthing i would enjoy and look forward to goin to each and everyday. i was just wondering if anybody knew what classes you would have to take and all the specs.

outdoorsman09

i' m not one but thats also the career i would like to go to college for... where u goin... i' m thinkin of vermilion up by ely, mn...good luck and hope u find the info your lookin for

highcountry13

i heard Penn State has one of the best courses in the state but Indiana University of Pennsylvania is my second choice followed by West Virginia University

thundermug

I' m not one but my nephew is. He went to college and got his masters degree and became a wildlife biologist. It is NOT a good paying job. He makes less than teachers, he makes less than construction workers. Very few W.Bios. make good money. It is a labor of love for the many who don' t make much.

Wingbone

I' ve got a degree in wildlife management. For the last 10 years, I' ve been employed as an Environmental Engineering Specialist with the State Dep' t of Ag. For 18 years I was a County Conservationist. I' ve got to say that it has been very enjoyable. Last year I designed a 1/2 sq. mile empoundment for waterfowl that Ducks Unlimited ended up funding. Lately, we' ve been riprapping the Wolf River to develop sturgeon spawning habitat. I can honestly say that with some exceptions, I still get up, looking forward to going to work every day.
The other guys are right. The pay is not good. The hours sometimes suck. There are not many openings, what with tight state budgets and all. However, none of theguys I work with, myself included, got into this for the money.

Straightarrow

I started out studying to be a wildlife biologist quite a few years ago, and switched when I got further information on the lack of jobs and the poor money. Plan on getting at least a masters or a doctorate if you want a good chance to do anything real interesting. You will have to be at the top of your class if you want a chance at one of the few jobs that come available. A good friend of mine who got his degree in wildlife biology, couldn' t get a job and went back to school and became a vet. Only the very best students are accepted into vet school, so even great grades do not guarantee a job.

Cyrus

A good friend of mine has a masters degree and is a biologist for Ducks Unlimited.
He does most of the vegetative work for DU here in Manitoba. He does field work to determine what types of vegetation are in certain areas and then uses a computer and landsat images to generate vegetative maps.
The pay isn' t great but he likes working there. Every spring he is itching to get out in the field and then by the end of summer he is ready for a little desk work. He pretty much spends all winter generating these maps.
The others are right. There aren' t alot of good jobs out there in this field and you pretty much need a masters degree at minimum so plan on being in school for a long time.

PA Hardwoods

PENN STATE not only has one of the best in the state of PA but also the whole country. While there you also would get a chance to deal with some of the best biologists and animal experts in the world. Can' t go wrong with PSU. WE ARE!!! PENN STATE!!!

Roseaukaine

Welcome to the world of poverty! I am a wildlife biologist in La., and after 6 years of college, and 4 years experience, my gross salary is 25K a year. If you do plan on becoming one here is the way to do it right; (1) Find a girlfriend that has a rich family, or who is going to school to be a doctor, MARRY HER! (2) Start studying chemistry YESTERDAY!, (3) Start studying plant biology NOW!, (4) Apply with your local wildlife agency as a student worker/volunteer to gain experience and to get your name recognized - you need a foot in the door - this is the way to get it. I took care of #1 , wish I did numbers 2,3 and 4. Seriously, you can' t manage wildlife of any sort without knowing their diet and nutritional needs, and to do this you have to be able to identify these particular plants in the field (not as easy as it sounds). I love my job most of the time; however, conducting browse surveys in the summer heat leaves a lot to be desired. Good luck!

treeguy

Roseaukaine,

Is there a place on the web to get info on how to identify browse plants prefered by deer? I know some of the obvious ones but would be interested in being able to identify many more prefered plants.