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What is a wildlife technician and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read
Quoted Expert
Chris Stockdale
introduction image

Wildlife technicians assist biologists and conservation scientists with wildlife management and research. They work in many environments, but they most frequently work in wildlife management areas, fisheries, hatcheries, and other related locations. Most are employed by state departments of fish and wildlife.

Their main duties include assisting with research projects designed by wildlife biologists, collecting biological specimens, and surveying animal populations. Although, they also compile data for evaluation, maintain and calibrate scientific equipment, and write detailed reports on finding and caring for animals that have been captured for observation in a lab setting. An associate's degree is the minimum educational requirement; however, a bachelor's degree is preferred and gives the candidate the best chance to find a desirable position.

The position comes along with monetary compensations along with spending time with and caring for animals. The average hourly salary of a wildlife technician is $11.68. This amounts to $24,299 annually. The career is likely to grow another 7% in the following years and produce over 5000 jobs within the United States.

What general advice would you give to a Wildlife Technician?

Chris StockdaleChris Stockdale LinkedIn Profile

Lead National Recruiter, Forest Service

Be open to various opportunities, and take chances on occupations and locations that you may not have considered before. Many of our opportunities are rural, even remote locations, near our national forests and grasslands. You may have studied environmental sustainability, agriculture, or natural resource management - but we need many forestry technicians to work in our timber programs and learn how we carefully manage (to include harvest and timber sales) our natural resources in a sustainable way. You may have a degree in geology, physics, or other physical sciences - we need engineering technicians to help with forest roads and other environmental projects. Your first position likely will not be your last position with us; starting a career with us, you will have the opportunity to grow and contribute in several ways. Your first job with us is building on a foundation that can help get you where you want to be professionally, and you may not even know where that is yet.
ScoreWildlife TechnicianUS Average
Salary
2.6

Avg. Salary $33,462

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level
4.9

Growth Rate 9%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity
8.2
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 2.16%

Asian 10.11%

Black or African American 10.83%

Hispanic or Latino 14.39%

Unknown 5.85%

White 56.66%

Gender

female 33.51%

male 66.49%

Age - 37
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 37
Stress Level
4.9

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity Level
7.8

Complexity Level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance
8.1

Work Life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Wildlife Technician career paths

Key steps to become a wildlife technician

  1. Explore wildlife technician education requirements

    Most common wildlife technician degrees

    Bachelor's

    70.8 %

    Associate

    14.2 %

    High School Diploma

    6.3 %
  2. Start to develop specific wildlife technician skills

    SkillsPercentages
    GPS9.48%
    Hand Tools8.29%
    Harvest6.90%
    Data Entry6.18%
    Wildlife Habitat5.90%
  3. Complete relevant wildlife technician training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New wildlife technicians learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a wildlife technician based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real wildlife technician resumes.
  4. Research wildlife technician duties and responsibilities

    • Lead fish exclusion and relocation efforts, using backpack electro fishing gear.
    • Research new techniques to properly manage invasive species such a common carp.
    • Perform automated DNA and RNA extraction of clinical specimens.
    • Collect and process biological samples for epidemiology PCR and RT-PCR studies.
  5. Prepare your wildlife technician resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your wildlife technician resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a wildlife technician resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose From 10+ Customizable Wildlife Technician Resume templates

    Build a professional Wildlife Technician resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Wildlife Technician resume.
    Wildlife Technician Resume
    Wildlife Technician Resume
    Wildlife Technician Resume
    Wildlife Technician Resume
    Wildlife Technician Resume
    Wildlife Technician Resume
    Wildlife Technician Resume
    Wildlife Technician Resume
    Wildlife Technician Resume
  6. Apply for wildlife technician jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a wildlife technician job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How Did You Land Your First Wildlife Technician Job

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Average wildlife technician salary

The average Wildlife Technician salary in the United States is $33,462 per year or $16 per hour. Wildlife technician salaries range between $25,000 and $44,000 per year.

Average Wildlife Technician Salary
$33,462 Yearly
$16.09 hourly

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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