Career Opportunities - Descriptions
Opportunities for graduates in the Wildlife and Outdoor Enterprise Management Degree Program.
Hunting Preserves and Controlled Shooting Areas
These businesses are licensed by states to allow extended hunting seasons and are associated primarily with gamebird hunting. These businesses usually provide overnight accommodations, food, beverages, guides and dogs and often sport shooting opportunities to include trap, skeet and sporting clays. These businesses can operate on their own land, leased land or a combination of land holdings.
Gamebird Production Companies
These businesses provide an array of gamebirds to support hunting preserves/controlled shooting areas. The North American Gamebird Association is the professional organization that provides educational opportunities through publications and annual meetings and maintains the industry’s ethics code for its 1200 members.
Hunting Resorts/Outfitter Companies
These businesses provide hunting opportunities that can include big game species (both native and exotic/fair chase or high fence), turkey, gamebird and waterfowl, guided, semi-guided and “on your own” hunts plus transportation, lodging, food/beverages and licenses. These businesses can operate on their own land, leased land, public land or a combination of land holdings and accesses.
Guide Service Companies
These businesses are often associated with big game species but some provide guided hunts primarily for bird species. These companies often provide the same services (to varying degrees) as the “hunting resorts” described above.
Big Game Production Companies
The "Cervid" (deer, elk) Industry includes breeding stock producers, trophy hunting preserves, commercial venison producers and commercial scent collection firms. There are over 7800 "Cervid" Farms in the U.S.
Shooting Sports Facilities
Shooting sports facilities of all types exist across our country. These facilities can be operated to accommodate specific firearms (shotguns, rifles, handguns, bows) or to accommodate any combination of the above. These ranges are often, when not “stand-alone facilities,” part of a larger resort complex. A variety of shooting sports associations and foundations provide standards for range development and operations, events and promotion.
Fishing Resorts
Fishing resorts exist throughout North America. These businesses can provide an array of services to include: overnight lodging, food services, guide services, fly in services, rental boats, fuel, bait and cleaning stations. Most resorts offer “multi-species” opportunities for their clients. These resorts usually operate on lakes and rivers that are public waters.
Fishing/Hunting Resorts
Some “fishing resorts” offer seasonal hunting opportunities to extend their annual operating season. These firms frequently provide guide services and land access (private or public) beyond their typical overnight accommodations.
Outdoor Sports/Adventure Companies
These businesses can provide singular outdoor recreation opportunities (i.e., hiking) or a wide variety of outdoor experiences such as white water rafting, wildness camping, bird watching/nature studies, horseback riding, rock climbing. Often hunting resorts will offer the above opportunities during the “off” (summer) months.
