Fishing and Hunting Workers

Career Overview

Hunt, trap, catch, or gather wild animals or aquatic animals and plants. May use nets, traps, or other equipment. May haul catch onto ship or other vessel.

Also Known As

• Deckhand
• Lobster Fisherman
• Nuisance Trapper
• Trapper

Alternate Job Titles

• Abalone Fisherman
• Albacore Fishing Boat Crewman
• Alligator Hunter
• Alligator Trapper
• Animal Bounty Hunter
• Animal Damage Control Agent
• Animal Trapper
• Bait Man
• Beachman
• Bird Trapper
• Blue Crabber
• Boat Deckhand
• Boat Puller
• Bounty Hunter
• Bounty Trapper

What You'll Do

In this role, your typical responsibilities include:

• Steer vessels and operate navigational instruments.
• Remove catches from fishing equipment and measure them to ensure compliance with legal size.
• Direct fishing or hunting operations, and supervise crew members.
• Interpret weather and vessel conditions to determine appropriate responses.
• Travel on foot, by vehicle, or by equipment such as boats, snowmobiles, helicopters, snowshoes, or skis to reach hunting areas.
• Select, bait, and set traps, and lay poison along trails, according to species, size, habits, and environs of birds or animals and reasons for trapping them.
• Maintain engines, fishing gear, and other on-board equipment and perform minor repairs.

Emerging Responsibilities

As this field evolves, you may also:

• Operate and maintain drone technology for aerial surveillance of hunting and fishing areas.

Key Abilities

This career requires key abilities in:

• Spatial Orientation
• Far Vision
• Static Strength
• Near Vision
• Trunk Strength
• Flexibility of Closure
• Problem Sensitivity
• Inductive Reasoning
• Arm-Hand Steadiness
• Control Precision

Work Style

People who excel in this career typically demonstrate:

• Perseverance
• Dependability
• Adaptability
• Integrity
• Self-Control

What Matters in This Career

This career tends to satisfy these work values:

• Independence
• Relationships
• Support
• Working Conditions
• Achievement

Education & Preparation

Typical Education: Less than a High School Diploma

On-the-Job Training: Anything beyond short demonstration, up to and including 1 month

Education Details: Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.

Experience Required: Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.

Technology You'll Use

Popular Technologies & Software

• Microsoft Excel
• Microsoft Office software

Tools & Equipment

• Acorn buoys
• Air horns
• All terrain vehicles ATV
• Ammunition magazines
• Anchor chains
• Anchor release hooks
• Anchors
• Arrow pullers
• Arrow rests
• Arrow sharpeners
• Arrow squaring devices
• Arrow straighteners
• Arrow stripping tools
• Bait freezers
• Bait nets

Work Environment

• Outdoors, Exposed to All Weather Conditions
• Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
• Freedom to Make Decisions
• Contact With Others
• Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets

Related Careers

If you're interested in this career, you might also consider:

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Occupational data sourced from the O*NET OnLine database, developed by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration. Wage data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), 2024.