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Turkeys in Suburbia

Turkeys in suburbia? I recently was assisting an individual in identifying some scat on his property. I suggested it could be from a turkey. He was incredulous because he lived in the suburbs. But he shouldn’t have been surprised.

Wild turkey in a residential area. Photo: Stephen M. Vantassel.
Wild turkey in a residential area. Photo: Stephen M. Vantassel.

Turkey populations have thrived in many parts of the country. While many people enjoy watching turkeys strut through their yards, turkeys can cause some conflicts. Particularly turkeys in suburbia.

Perhaps the two most important conflicts are the mess caused by droppings below turkey roosts and damage to vehicles. Turkeys, being able to fly, like to be high during the night. They hang out in roosts and with roosts come droppings. In the woods, the droppings are no problem. Out of sight, out of mind, but in the urban-suburban interface, feces creates problems with aesthetics. 

The other problem with turkeys is their tendency to peck at objects when they see their reflection. In this case, your car may suffer paint damage (and one report I heard the turkey broke a side mirror by pecking it) when the turkey(s) pecked at their reflection. 

What are the solutions to these problems? Roosts can be resolved by cutting the trees or using pyrotechnics to get the birds to move on. Be sure to consult with local authorities before shooting off pyrotechnics. Also never use frightening devices when eggs or young are present. The latter problem can be resolved or at least minimized by not washing your car as often or keeping a dog nearby to keep the birds away from your car. 

Stephen M. Vantassel, CWCP, is the owner of Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC. He helps people restore their balance with nature through publishing, training, consulting, and the internet. He has published numerous articles in trade and academic publications along with several books (http://kingsdivinity.academia.edu/StephenMVantassel). He is a sought after speaker and trainer. Copyright All postings are the property of Stephen M. Vantassel and Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC. Text (not images) may be reprinted in non-profit publications provided that the author and website URL is included. If images wish to be used, explicit and written permission must be obtained from Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC.

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Corrections

Corrections.

Wildlife Damage Inspection Handbook, 3rd ed. by Stephen M. Vantassel.
Wildlife Damage Inspection Handbook, 3rd ed. by Stephen M. Vantassel.

Ugh. They are the bane of every writer. But I must admit that I have made some. Now, I need to make my readers aware of some mistakes in the 3rd edition of the Wildlife Damage Inspection Handbook. Yes, it’s true. I have a made a few errors. Some I was fortunate enough to learn from a couple of critics. At least one, I learned on my own.  

Fortunately, I haven’t found many errors, or perhaps I should say, wasn’t made aware of many. But I do have at least four to account for. If you have purchased the Wildlife Damage Inspection Handbook, 3rd. ed. before 2019, they you should download this errata page from the link below as it will note the corrections. 

 

WDIH 3rd Edition Errata

I have already uploaded changes so purchases made from Lulu in 2019 should be the corrected edition. My apologies. Thank you for your continued support. 

Stephen M. Vantassel, CWCP, is the owner of Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC. He helps people restore their balance with nature through publishing, training, consulting, and the internet. He has published numerous articles in trade and academic publications along with several books (http://kingsdivinity.academia.edu/StephenMVantassel). He is a sought after speaker and trainer. Copyright All postings are the property of Stephen M. Vantassel and Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC. Text (not images) may be reprinted in non-profit publications provided that the author and website URL is included. If images wish to be used, explicit and written permission must be obtained from Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC.

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Pricing

Many wildlife control operators (WCO) wonder how to set up their pricing schedule. It’s a difficult task because there are so many variables in a service business. How do you know where to set your pricing? Plus, to be frank, most people who get into wildlife control did it

Stephen M. Vantassel when he owned Wildlife Removal Service, Inc. in Springfield, MA.
Stephen M. Vantassel when he owned Wildlife Removal Service, Inc. in Springfield, MA. in 1998.

because they like working outside and with wildlife, not staring at a spread sheet. Some WCOs just call the competition and just copy or mimic the pricing of the competition. Copying is one way to do it but the problem is your costs may be much higher than theirs. If so, then you have essentially destined yourself to be underbidding yourself and putting your financial stability at risk. I think there is a better way.

So here are a few tips to help you establish your pricing.
Step 1. Determine what you need/want to make on an hourly basis. Whatever the number is, double it to cover costs of taxes, insurance, and other employment costs. If you want $25/hour you should charge at a rate of $50.

Step 2. Determine how long it takes you to do set up a standard squirrel removal job. Time yourself, as soon as you park in your own driveway and go through the steps of inspecting the house (yours) and setting up the traps. Go through the motions in an honest way. Stop the clock when you have finished with the client (spouse or friend) and put the ladder and equipment back and you get behind the wheel.

Step 3. Determine your home range. Keep in mind that you need to be paid for windshield time. I suggest your prime service area is 30 minutes from your home-base. That means add an hour to a service call because you have to be paid to drive too and from the job site. Add the miles too by converting the miles into dollars using the Federal government’s business mileage deduction number. In 2018, that number is 0.545/mile.

Step 4. Phone time. Customers take time on the phone. Add that in to your initial service.

Step 5. If you want to be thorough, calculate how much your business card, paperwork will cost per client.

Step 6. Add up all the time, multiply it by your service rate and then add the expenses of mileage and materials. That is what you should be charging for your initial visit to the job.

Certainly, there is more to say here but the above material gets you started. For info on the role of depreciation see Depreciation

Stephen M. Vantassel, CWCP, is the owner of Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC. He helps people restore their balance with nature through publishing, training, consulting, and the internet. He has published numerous articles in trade and academic publications along with several books (http://kingsdivinity.academia.edu/StephenMVantassel). He is a sought after speaker and trainer. Copyright All postings are the property of Stephen M. Vantassel and Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC. Text (not images) may be reprinted in non-profit publications provided that the author and website URL is included. If images wish to be used, explicit and written permission must be obtained from Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC.

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Tweezers

Tweezers

Those of you that have been following my work know that I have a strong interest in wildlife damage inspection and investigation. Well one aspect of wildlife damage inspection is having quality equipment. Tweezers are an important tool that helps enhance inspections. I like PockeTweez which can fit right on your key chain. It’s small and convenient, because chances are you carry your keys with you all the time.

PockeTweez is an easy way to carry tweezers.
PockeTweez is an easy way to carry tweezers.

I like to have tweezers, like PockeTweez for two important uses. First, tweezers help you grasp items that are too small for your fingers. I have fat fingers or at least wide ones. It’s often difficult to grasp small items without using a tool to help me get the right angle so I can pick it up. This is where tweezers are extremely useful. They are extensions of your hands only thinner. Don’t believe me? Try to pick up an insect or small seed off the ground and see how easy it is.

The second reason for tweezers is just as important but I think it is actually more important. That reason is disease safety. Let’s face it wildlife control is a dirty (i.e. germy business). You shouldn’t be touching things with your bare hands and you often shouldn’t be touching them even if you have protective gloves. Distance as they say is your friend. Tweezers give you distance to pick up insects (like ticks and flies) that can carry biological nasties. Also tweezers can be used to tease open scat (be careful of wind direction as you don’t want to aerosolize infectious agents which you then inhale). Keep in mind that if you use tweezers to handle nasties, don’t leave it on your key chain and put it back in your pocket. Doing that is not only gross it’s unhealthy.

Whether you carry them in your inspection kit or on your person, be sure to have tweezers around.

Note, I have not been compensated for this blog. 

Stephen M. Vantassel, CWCP, is the owner of Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC. He helps people restore their balance with nature through publishing, training, consulting, and the internet. He has published numerous articles in trade and academic publications along with several books (http://kingsdivinity.academia.edu/StephenMVantassel). He is a sought after speaker and trainer. Copyright All postings are the property of Stephen M. Vantassel and Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC. Text (not images) may be reprinted in non-profit publications provided that the author and website URL is included. If images wish to be used, explicit and written permission must be obtained from Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC.

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Company Brochure

Does your wildlife control company provide customers with a company brochure? If it doesn’t, I think it should. Company brochures are an inexpensive form of advertising for your customers. Company brochures, when they are well done, show your company is professional and not just someone who decided to start “trapping.”  When I ran Wildlife Removal Service, Inc. in Springfield, MA, I created my own company brochure. It consisted of three 8 1/2 x 11 inch sheets of paper stapled together with a copy of my business card. It covered a variety of topics. One reason why I loved that brochure was that many customers would read it while I was inspecting their house and thereby would not be bothering me.

Stephen M. Vantassel when he owned Wildlife Removal Service, Inc. in Springfield, MA.
Stephen M. Vantassel when he owned Wildlife Removal Service, Inc. in Springfield, MA. in 1998.

What should your brochure contain? I suggest the following elements:

  • Company Name, address, contact information, including e-mail, phone, and website. If you have a Facebook page or other social media accounts, include them too.
  • Brief history of the company. Don’t write the great American novel. Just provide a little information about your company. Personalize it. The goal is to help bond the company with your client. It’s here that you want to highlight the owners and/or the technicians. I understand spotlighting technicians can be tricky as you don’t know how long they will be with your company. But many wildlife control companies are run by owner-operators so take the opportunity to highlight the owner(s), you. Do you help with little league? Have interesting, non-controversial hobbies? Include them.
  • List services your company provides. Here is where the brochure becomes a sales brochure. Be sure to use excellent photos. Show customers before and after images and warn them about potential problems that are common in your area and how your company helps resolve those problems.
  • Highlight important wildlife laws. This suggestion may be a bit controversial. But I think it should be added to your company brochures. I included laws because a lot of my customers didn’t know that Massachusetts regulations prohibited the translocation of wildlife. Yet, despite this fact, I encountered many clients who told me that the “other” wildlife control company promised they could release the problem animal elsewhere. My response was well if they said that they were either lying to you or breaking the regulation. I didn’t ask them to take my word for it. Rather I provided them with a copy of the state regulations for them to read on their own.

Why not give this business idea a try. See if it helps you grow a stronger business.

Stephen M. Vantassel, CWCP, is the owner of Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC. He helps people restore their balance with nature through publishing, training, consulting, and the internet. He has published numerous articles in trade and academic publications along with several books (http://kingsdivinity.academia.edu/StephenMVantassel). He is a sought after speaker and trainer. Copyright All postings are the property of Stephen M. Vantassel and Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC. Text (not images) may be reprinted in non-profit publications provided that the author and website URL is included. If images wish to be used, explicit and written permission must be obtained from Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC.