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What They Do

Fishing and Hunting Workers Career Video

About This Career

Hunts, traps, catches, or gathers wild animals or aquatic animals and plants. May use nets, traps, or other equipment. May haul catch onto ship or other vessel.

This career is part of the Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources cluster Natural Resource Systems pathway.

A person in this career:

  • Patrols trap lines or nets to inspect settings, remove catch, and reset or relocate traps.
  • Obtains permission from landowners to hunt or trap on their land.
  • Travels on foot, by vehicle, or by equipment such as boats, snowmobiles, helicopters, snowshoes, or skis to reach hunting areas.
  • Steers vessels and operates navigational instruments.
  • Skins quarry, using knives, and stretches pelts on frames to be cured.
  • Maintains and repairs trapping equipment.
  • Scrapes fat, blubber, or flesh from skin sides of pelts with knives or hand scrapers.
  • Puts fishing equipment into the water and anchors or tows equipment, according to the fishing method used.
  • Maintains engines, fishing gear, and other on-board equipment and performs minor repairs.
  • Sorts, packs, and stores catch in holds with salt and ice.

Working Conditions and Physical Demands

People who do this job report that:

  • You would often handle loads up to 50 lbs., sometimes up to 100 lbs. You will need a lot of strength at this level.
  • Work in this occupation involves use of protective items such as safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hearing protection, a hard hat, or personal flotation devices
  • Conditions are very hot (above 90 F) or very cold (under 32 F)
  • Work in this occupation involves using your hands to hold, control, and feel objects more than one-third of the time
  • Work in this occupation requires being outside most of the time
  • Work in this occupation involves standing more than one-third of the time

Working in this career involves (physical activities):

  • Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching
  • Seeing clearly at a distance
  • Seeing clearly up close
  • Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying objects
  • Using abdominal and lower back muscles repeatedly or over time without tiring

Work Hours and Travel

  • Irregular hours
  • Overnight travel
  • Weekend work

Specialty and Similar Careers

Careers that are more detailed or close to this career:

  • Commercial Fisherman
  • Commercial Fishing Vessel Operator
  • Deckhand — Performs a combination of duties aboard watercraft, such as dredges, ferryboats, scows, and river boats.
  • Fisherman
  • Nuisance Wildlife Trapper
  • Urban Wildlife Damage Control Specialist
  • Fur Trapper
  • Wildlife Control Operator
  • Trapper

Contact

  • Email Support
  • 1-800-GO-TO-XAP (1-800-468-6927)
    From outside the U.S., please call +1 (424) 750-3900
  • North Dakota Career Resource Network
    ndcrn@nd.gov | (701) 328-9733

Support