As I followed Bill Swan III down the walkway, it was impossible to miss the huge pile of stick and logs protruding from beneath the floating dock. It was clear that beavers had decided to call this dock their home.
"See those bits of white styrofoam floating around," said Swan. "You can't see it but it's likely they've been chewing and have done damage to the floats holding the dock up."
As he reached the outside edge, Swan leaned over the edge and with a smile exclaimed, "Got him!"
Swan is a professional trapper who lives on Signal Mountain and specializes in controlling "nuisance wildlife" in several surrounding counties. His company, Wildlife Removal Services, is one of about 15 companies in the Chattanooga area who provide services specifically dealing with nuisance wildlife.
Beavers usually prefer smaller creeks and shallow wetland areas. It is unusual for them to take up residence in deep water, such as this dock on Chickamauga Lake. Swan says it is just another indicator of how beaver populations are continuing to expand.
"Beavers live in colonies but when they have too many youngsters (kits), some are forced out of the colonies and have to venture out and find their own new territory," he said. "So yes, populations are constantly expanding."
A BUSINESS IS BORN
Swan has been in business, licensed by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, for about seven years. He says the demand these days is huge. He doesn't advertise and doesn't even have a web page, but says he gets all the business he can handle strictly through word-of-mouth and referrals. But he admits the now very successful business came about by accident.
"Around 2015 I did a trapping seminar that was very well-attended," he said. "I guess people left there talking about me and not long after that I got my first phone call from someone who wanted to pay me to trap beavers for him. It just took off from there but I never really intended or expected this (business) to turn into what it did."
The demand doesn't just help support Swan and his family. Now there are about 15 licensed nuisance wildlife businesses in the Chattanooga area alone.
Swan said it didn't hurt that he spent 20 years in the commercial printing business with a background in sales. When he realized nuisance wildlife control could bring in good money, he decided to call on bigger customers - including government organizations - who now keep him on an annual retainer to deal with their continual wildlife issues.
TECHNICAL ADVICE
Perhaps thanks to his business background, Swan prides himself on individualized customer service.
"If someone reaches out to me, my goal is to help them with their wildlife problem, whether they actually hire me or not," he said. "I do technical support at no charge. So, if you're a do-it-yourselfer, I answer my phone and we can discuss some options."
INCREASING DEMAND
According to the most recent posted TWRA report from 2019-2020, animal damage control businesses captured more than 31,000 wild animals in Tennessee. That is 6,000 more than were reported in 2016-2017.
Twenty or thirty years ago there were few, if any businesses dealing with nuisance wildlife. Swan agrees that there is a greater need now than ever before. He says many, if not most, of the nuisance species, such as beavers and raccoons, are classified as "furbearers" because at one time they were highly-sought after for their hides to make clothing. But the demand for fur coats, collars, hats or other fur clothing is now nearly non-existent.
"If beavers were worth $25 a piece, there would probably be people who would come and ask to trap them for free," said Swan. "All these beavers flooding highway right-of-ways wouldn't be there. All these farmers who have flooded fields from beavers building dams wouldn't have a problem.
"At the last fur sale I went to, three or four hundred raccoon hides didn't even sell," said Swan. "People wouldn't even pay a penny apiece for them. Trapping to profit from selling fur is nearly a thing of the past. Trapping for a hobby or for fun, maybe. But for compensation, no. "
Going virtually uncontrolled, raccoon, beaver, muskrat, coyotes and other furbearer populations have exploded. Couple that with suburban expansion - more and more people building homes and moving into rural areas - creates the perfect storm for nuisance wildlife complaints.
"Most people have birdfeeders, bird baths for a water source or feed their dogs outdoors," said Swan. "If you've got a backyard full of woods, you've just created a perfect environment for raccoons or whatever to move in."
NOT JUST A JOB
He says there are very few days that actually feel like "a job."
"It's great. You don't ever feel like you're going to work," said Swan.
But he is quick to point out that there is pressure when you're being paid to deal with unpredictable wild animals.
"Take this dock for instance. If you've got a customer with beavers doing thousands of dollars in damage, but what if I can't catch that beaver," he said. "And I've pulled out all the stops. I've thrown everything in the magic bag but still can't get him. It can be frustrating. I tell people, we're dealing with wildlife. There are no guarantees."
However, Swan successfully trapped two beavers from this dock, likely a male and female who were setting up housekeeping. Subsequent trap nights yielded no more beavers so he hopes, on this dock for now anyway, it is, "Problem solved."
Contact Wildlife Removal Services at 423-240-0719
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