Wildlife consultants are biologists who provide hands-on wildlife management expertise to private landowners, businesses, and government agencies on an independent basis. They earned a median salary of $72,860 as of May 2023, with employment projected to grow 1.5% through 2032. Most positions require a bachelor's degree in wildlife biology, ecology, or a related field, plus field experience.
Imagine combining scientific expertise with entrepreneurial independence-that's wildlife consulting. These professionals help ranchers optimize wildlife populations for hunting operations, assist government agencies with habitat restoration projects, and guide businesses through environmental compliance challenges. If you've got a passion for wildlife science and the drive to build your own practice, this career path offers both conservation impact and professional autonomy.
Wildlife consultants work at the intersection of science and business, translating complex ecological research into practical management strategies. Unlike traditional wildlife biologists employed by agencies, consultants operate as independent professionals or within consulting firms, serving diverse clients with unique wildlife management needs.
Wildlife Consulting: Independent Practice in Wildlife Management
Wildlife consulting is wildlife management delivered on a consultation basis. Rather than working directly for government agencies, wildlife consultants provide technical expertise through private consulting firms. They're paid to solve specific wildlife-related problems, develop management plans, and implement conservation strategies for clients ranging from large landowners to federal agencies.
The consulting model offers flexibility that traditional wildlife careers don't. You'll work on diverse projects-one month assessing deer populations for a Texas ranch, the next designing wetland restoration for a state wildlife agency. This variety keeps the work engaging but requires strong business development skills alongside your scientific expertise.
Here's what sets wildlife consultants apart: they're simultaneously scientists, business professionals, and problem-solvers. You need to understand wildlife ecology deeply enough to design effective management strategies, while also managing client relationships, writing proposals, and running a financially sustainable practice.
How Wildlife Consultants Differ from Wildlife Biologists
While wildlife consultants and wildlife biologists share similar educational backgrounds and scientific skills, their work environments and professional focuses differ significantly. Understanding these distinctions can help you determine which career path aligns with your goals.
| Aspect | Wildlife Consultant | Wildlife Biologist | Wildlife Manager |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary Employer | Private consulting firms or self-employed | Government agencies (state/federal) | Parks, refuges, conservation organizations |
| Typical Focus | Client-driven projects, diverse species/habitats | Research, population monitoring, policy | Daily habitat management, visitor services |
| Client Interaction | High-constant client communication | Low-primarily colleagues and supervisors | Moderate-public education component |
| Business Skills Required | Essential-proposals, budgets, marketing | Minimal-focus on research | Some-budget oversight |
| Income Potential | Variable-depends on client base | Stable government salary | Stable with modest growth |
| Career Flexibility | High-choose projects and specializations | Moderate-within agency priorities | Lower-tied to specific location |
What Does a Wildlife Consultant Do?
Wildlife consultants use their scientific expertise to help clients manage wildlife populations and habitats for diverse purposes. The specific work varies considerably based on client type and project scope, but all consulting work shares a common thread: translating ecological science into actionable management strategies.
Working with Government Agencies
When consulting for state and federal agencies, wildlife consultants typically focus on conservation and regulatory projects. Common responsibilities include:
- Habitat restoration planning: Designing and evaluating projects to restore degraded habitats for endangered species or game animals
- Wildlife population surveys: Conducting field surveys using camera traps, aerial counts, and mark-recapture techniques to estimate population sizes
- Management program development: Creating comprehensive plans to reduce overabundant species (deer, geese) or increase threatened populations
- Environmental impact assessments: Evaluating how proposed development projects might affect wildlife and recommending mitigation strategies
- Regulatory compliance support: Helping agencies navigate Endangered Species Act requirements or other wildlife protection laws
Working with Ranchers, Landowners, and Hunting Operations
Private land consulting represents a significant portion of the wildlife consulting market, particularly in western states. For these clients, consultants often perform:
- Wildlife population optimization: Managing habitats and harvest strategies to maximize trophy animal quality for hunting operations
- Recreational land management: Developing ecotourism opportunities around wildlife viewing, photography, or nature experiences
- Harvest recommendations: Analyzing population data to provide science-based hunting quotas that maintain sustainable wildlife populations
- Pre-purchase habitat assessments: Evaluating land parcels for wildlife potential before clients make significant property investments
- Commercial operation planning: Assisting landowners who want to integrate fee-hunting, ecotourism, or conservation easements into ranch operations, including budgeting, marketing, and safety protocols
Typical Daily Workflow
A wildlife consultant's workday rarely looks the same twice, but generally includes a mix of fieldwork, analysis, and client communication. You might spend mornings in the field collecting habitat data, afternoons analyzing survey results in the office, and evenings writing up recommendations for clients. Report writing is a substantial part of the job-every field visit ultimately generates documentation.
Client relationship management takes more time than many aspiring consultants expect. You'll spend hours on phone calls explaining findings, adjusting management plans based on client feedback, and occasionally managing expectations when scientific recommendations conflict with client preferences. The most successful consultants excel at communicating complex ecology in plain language.
Where Does a Wildlife Consultant Work?
Most wildlife consultants work full time, though the structure of that time varies dramatically by season and project. While you'll create management plans and write reports from offices, you'll also spend considerable time in the field assessing habitats, observing wildlife, conducting surveys, and assisting with management implementations.
Field Conditions and Physical Demands
Fieldwork can be physically demanding, especially for consultants whose projects involve working outdoors in all types of weather. You may be exposed to temperature extremes, insects, and challenging terrain. Field days might require traversing rough landscapes by foot, boat, horse, or all-terrain vehicle. Some projects involve early morning or evening work to observe wildlife during active periods, leading to irregular schedules.
If you're consulting on large ranches in the Southwest, expect long days in intense heat. Wetland restoration projects in the Southeast might mean working in humid, mosquito-filled conditions. Northern projects could involve winter fieldwork in snow and freezing temperatures. Physical fitness and comfort with outdoor challenges are essential.
Geographic Distribution and Travel
Wildlife consultants are employed throughout the United States, though opportunities concentrate in western states with abundant rangeland, large private ranches, and extensive public lands. Arizona, Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, Texas, and Wyoming offer particularly strong markets for wildlife consulting services.
Travel is often substantial. Projects may take you to remote locations for extended periods-spending a week conducting surveys on a Montana ranch, or a month monitoring desert bighorn sheep in Arizona backcountry. If you prefer staying close to home, wildlife consulting might prove challenging. However, this travel appeals to many consultants who value seeing diverse landscapes and working with different ecosystems.
Seasonal Patterns and Work-Life Balance
Work intensity fluctuates seasonally. Spring and fall-prime wildlife activity periods-tend to be the busiest seasons for field surveys and habitat assessments. Summer brings vegetation assessments and some species surveys. Winter might be quieter for fieldwork but fills with report writing, planning, and business development.
This seasonal ebb and flow affects work-life balance. You might work 60-hour weeks during peak field season, then have more flexibility during winter months. Self-employed consultants can shape their schedules more than those at larger firms, but client deadlines ultimately drive your calendar.
Essential Skills for Wildlife Consultants
Success as a wildlife consultant requires a unique blend of scientific expertise, practical field skills, and business acumen. You're not just a scientist-you're an entrepreneur who happens to specialize in wildlife management.
Technical and Scientific Skills
Strong technical skills form the foundation of consulting work. You'll need expertise in:
- Wildlife survey methodology: Proficiency with camera traps, distance sampling, mark-recapture techniques, aerial surveys, and track surveys
- Habitat assessment: Ability to evaluate vegetation composition, cover quality, water availability, and other habitat components that affect wildlife populations
- GPS and GIS technology: Using GPS units for field data collection and GIS software to create maps, analyze spatial patterns, and present findings visually
- Data analysis: Statistical skills to analyze population trends, habitat relationships, and management outcomes-usually requiring familiarity with R, Excel, or specialized wildlife software
- Species identification: Extensive knowledge of regional flora and fauna, including tracks, calls, scat, and other sign
Client Communication and Business Skills
Technical excellence alone won't build a consulting career. You'll also need strong interpersonal and business capabilities:
- Client communication: Explaining complex ecological concepts to non-scientists clearly and persuasively, often translating scientific recommendations into practical actions
- Report writing: Producing clear, well-organized documents that balance scientific rigor with readability for diverse audiences
- Project management: Juggling multiple projects simultaneously, meeting deadlines, and staying within budgets
- Business development: For self-employed consultants or firm partners, marketing services, writing proposals, networking at conferences, and building long-term client relationships
- Conflict resolution: Navigating situations where scientific recommendations conflict with client desires or where multiple stakeholders have competing interests
Specialized Knowledge Areas
While broad wildlife knowledge helps, developing specializations often strengthens your consulting practice. Specialized expertise might include:
- Particular taxonomic groups (raptors, ungulates, carnivores, waterfowl)
- Specific habitat types (wetlands, grasslands, forests, rangelands)
- Management approaches (habitat restoration, population monitoring, human-wildlife conflict)
- Regulatory expertise (Endangered Species Act compliance, wetland permitting, NEPA documentation)
Consultants with rare specializations-like bat acoustics or desert tortoise biology-often command higher rates and have less competition for specialized projects.
Wildlife Consultant Salary and Job Demand
What is the Average Wildlife Consultant Salary?
Wildlife consultants fall under the broader Bureau of Labor Statistics category of zoologists and wildlife biologists, who earned a median salary of $72,860 as of May 2023. However, consulting salaries vary considerably based on experience level, client base, and whether you're self-employed or working for a firm.
Entry-level consultants (0-3 years) typically earn $45,000-$55,000 annually while building their skills and professional networks. Mid-career consultants (5-10 years) with established client relationships generally earn $60,000-$80,000. Senior consultants and firm principals can earn $85,000-$110,000 or more, particularly those with strong reputations and specialized expertise.
Self-employed consultants face more income variability than firm employees. You might earn substantially more in good years but less in slow periods. Your earning potential correlates directly with your ability to secure and retain clients, meaning business development skills significantly impact income.
What is the Job Demand for Wildlife Consultants?
Employment of zoologists and wildlife biologists is projected to grow 1.5% from 2022 to 2032, slower than the average for all occupations. Despite limited overall growth, about 1,500 openings are projected each year, primarily from workers retiring or changing occupations rather than new job creation.
Opportunities at consulting firms that primarily serve government agencies will depend heavily on public funding for conservation and environmental projects. Federal and state wildlife budgets fluctuate with political priorities, directly affecting consulting demand. Economic downturns can reduce private landowner spending on wildlife management services as well.
However, certain consulting niches show stronger demand. Climate change adaptation, habitat restoration for endangered species, and human-wildlife conflict resolution represent growing practice areas. Consultants who develop expertise in emerging challenges-like managing wildlife in increasingly fragmented landscapes-position themselves for better opportunities.
Competition for consulting positions remains strong. Candidates with practical field experience gained through internships, technician positions, volunteer work at wildlife rehabilitation centers, or graduate research projects will have the best prospects. Building a professional network through The Wildlife Society and similar organizations also proves valuable when seeking consulting opportunities.
How Do I Get a Wildlife Consultant Degree?
Wildlife consultants typically earn bachelor's degrees in wildlife biology, the most direct educational path for this career. However, several related majors can also prepare you for consulting work, each offering slightly different emphases.
Comparing Degree Options
While wildlife biology remains the most common major, these alternatives also prepare students for consulting careers:
- Wildlife Biology: The most direct path, focusing specifically on wild animal populations, behavior, and management. Provides the strongest foundation for consulting work.
- Ecology: Broader emphasis on ecosystems and species interactions. Excellent preparation, particularly for consultants interested in habitat-level work.
- Zoology: Animal-focused but may include more emphasis on physiology and captive animals than field management. Still provides strong scientific grounding.
- Rangeland Management: Particularly valuable for consultants working with western ranches and livestock operations, as it combines wildlife ecology with grazing management.
- General Biology: Provides solid scientific foundation but requires supplementing with wildlife-focused coursework, internships, and field experience.
Regardless of major, your degree program should include coursework in animal behavior and physiology, disease ecology, genetics, population dynamics, and parasitology. You'll also need chemistry, mathematics, and statistics courses. Study pollution and land use issues affecting wildlife, as you'll address these problems as a consultant.
Some students take specialized courses in particular taxa-mammalogy, ornithology, herpetology, ichthyology-especially if they plan to focus on specific animal groups as consultants.
Should You Pursue a Master's Degree?
A master's degree isn't required for most wildlife consulting positions, but it offers several advantages. Graduate education deepens your expertise in specialized areas, builds your professional network, and provides research experience that strengthens your consulting credibility.
Consider a master's degree if you want to:
- Specialize in a particular taxonomic group or ecosystem type
- Work on more complex conservation projects requiring advanced research skills
- Eventually lead consulting teams or start your own firm
- Compete for federal agency contracts that often prefer advanced degrees
However, don't pursue graduate school immediately after your bachelor's degree unless you're certain about your specialization. Many successful consultants recommend working as a field technician for 2-3 years first, gaining practical experience and clarifying your career interests before committing to graduate study.
Gaining Critical Field Experience
Here's what many students miss: field experience matters as much as coursework, possibly more. Clients hire consultants to solve real-world problems, and they want evidence you can handle fieldwork challenges, identify species accurately, and operate equipment competently.
Start building field experience as early as possible:
- Undergraduate internships: Seek paid or volunteer positions with state wildlife agencies, federal land management agencies, wildlife rehabilitation centers, or consulting firms during summers
- Technician positions: After graduating, work as a wildlife technician for 1-3 years before pursuing consulting positions. These entry-level roles build essential skills while you decide on specializations
- Volunteer projects: Assist with bird banding, turtle nesting surveys, or other volunteer monitoring programs to demonstrate commitment and gain experience
- Undergraduate research: Work in a professor's lab conducting wildlife research, learning data collection and analysis protocols
The strongest consulting candidates often have 2-4 years of field experience before securing their first consulting position, demonstrating competency across multiple species and ecosystems.
Timeline to Enter the Field
Expect 6-8 years from starting your bachelor's degree to securing an established consulting position:
- Years 1-4: Bachelor's degree with summer internships
- Years 5-6: Field technician positions (1-3 years)
- Years 7-8: Entry-level consulting position or master's degree (if pursuing)
Self-employed consulting typically requires 8-12 years of experience building reputation, skills, and client networks before you can sustain a practice independently.
Degree Options for Wildlife Consultants
Wildlife Consultant Certification
The Wildlife Society administers optional Associate Wildlife Biologist� and Certified Wildlife Biologist� credentials. While not required for consulting work, certification demonstrates professional competency and adherence to high ethical standards-qualities that matter when competing for clients and contracts.
Certification requires a combination of verified experience, documented wildlife management instruction, publications or reports, formal and informal continuing education, and professional service contributions. Many established consultants pursue certification to enhance their professional credibility, particularly when seeking government contracts or working in competitive markets.
The Certified Wildlife Biologist� credential, the more advanced certification, requires at least five years of professional experience and demonstrated contributions to the profession through education, publications, or leadership roles in professional organizations.
Career Path and Advancement
Wildlife consulting offers multiple pathways for career growth, though advancement looks different than traditional agency careers with defined promotion tracks. Your progression depends on building reputation, expanding expertise, and gradually taking on more complex or lucrative projects.
Entry-Level: Building Your Foundation
Most consultants start as field technicians or junior consultants at established firms, typically earning $40,000-$55,000. You'll spend considerable time collecting field data, assisting senior consultants, and learning client interaction skills. This apprenticeship phase-usually lasting 2-4 years-builds the practical expertise and professional contacts essential for advancement.
Focus on developing reliable field skills, learning to write clear reports, and understanding how consulting projects flow from initial client contact through final deliverables. Watch how experienced consultants handle challenging client situations and navigate competing interests.
Mid-Career: Establishing Your Expertise
After 5-10 years, mid-career consultants (typically earning $60,000-$85,000) lead their own projects, maintain direct client relationships, and often specialize in particular practice areas. You might focus on a specific region, species group, or management approach, building a reputation as the go-to expert for certain project types.
At this stage, you're developing your own client base and might begin considering whether to stay with your current firm, move to a larger consulting company, or start your own practice. Many consultants negotiate profit-sharing or partnership arrangements with their firms during this career phase.
Senior-Level: Leadership and Specialization
Senior consultants and firm principals ($85,000-$110,000+) typically focus on business development, project oversight, and complex problem-solving rather than routine fieldwork. You might manage teams of junior consultants, secure large contracts, or serve as the expert witness on controversial projects.
Some senior consultants transition fully into firm management, spending more time on business operations and less on wildlife work. Others maintain hands-on involvement with select high-profile projects while delegating routine work to junior staff.
Specialization Options
As your career progresses, developing recognized expertise in niche areas often proves lucrative. Specialized consultants might focus on:
- Endangered species: Becoming the regional expert on specific threatened species, handling Section 7 consultations and habitat conservation plans
- Human-wildlife conflict: Specializing in reducing conflicts between wildlife and agriculture, development, or recreation
- Restoration ecology: Focusing exclusively on habitat restoration design and implementation
- Urban wildlife: Managing wildlife issues in developed landscapes, a growing consulting niche
- Climate adaptation: Helping clients prepare wildlife management strategies for changing environmental conditions
Transitioning to Independent Practice
Many consultants eventually establish their own practices, typically after 10-15 years of experience. Self-employment offers maximum flexibility and potentially higher earnings but requires managing all business aspects-accounting, insurance, marketing, equipment maintenance-alongside wildlife work.
Successful independent consultants need substantial professional networks, established client relationships, and enough financial reserves to weather slow periods. Start by taking small side projects while employed, gradually building your independent client base before making the full transition.
What Kind of Societies and Professional Organizations Do Wildlife Consultants Have?
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - This bureau within the federal Department of the Interior ensures that all wildlife laws and restoration projects are being properly enforced and executed. They're an excellent resource for information on wildlife conservation strategies and current wildlife regulations affecting consulting work.
- The Wildlife Society - This nonprofit conservation society provides continuing education, networking opportunities, and career resources for wildlife professionals. They host annual conferences where consultants connect with potential clients and stay current on the latest research. They also administer the professional certification programs discussed earlier and offer excellent resources for students pursuing wildlife careers.
- Zoological Association of America - This nonprofit organization provides current information about best practices in zoological and wildlife-related fields, including evolving ethical issues relevant to wildlife management and conservation.
- Society for Range Management - This organization focuses on rangeland-arid and semi-arid lands covered by native grasses and shrubs used as grazing areas for livestock. Since rangeland also supports important wildlife species like sage grouse and pronghorn, and wildlife consultants often work on these landscapes, this organization's conferences and job board offer excellent opportunities for consultants specializing in western ecosystems.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to become a wildlife consultant?
Most wildlife consultants need 6-8 years from starting college to securing an established consulting position. This includes four years for a bachelor's degree, followed by 2-4 years gaining field experience as a technician or entry-level biologist. If you pursue a master's degree, add another 2-3 years. Starting your own independent consulting practice typically requires 10-15 years of total experience to build the reputation, skills, and client network needed for a sustainable business.
Do I need a master's degree to be a wildlife consultant?
No, most wildlife consulting positions only require a bachelor's degree in wildlife biology or a related field. However, a master's degree can provide advantages when competing for certain positions, especially those involving complex conservation projects, endangered species work, or federal contracts. Many successful consultants recommend working as a field technician for 2-3 years before deciding whether graduate school fits your career goals and specialization interests.
What's the difference between a wildlife consultant and a wildlife biologist?
While both careers require similar education and scientific expertise, the key difference lies in employment structure and focus. Wildlife biologists typically work directly for government agencies (state or federal) conducting research, monitoring populations, and implementing agency priorities. Wildlife consultants work for private firms or independently, providing expertise to diverse clients-including government agencies, but also ranchers, businesses, and private landowners. Consultants need stronger business development and client management skills, while agency biologists focus more on research and long-term monitoring programs.
Can I specialize in certain types of wildlife as a consultant?
Yes, and developing a specialization often strengthens your consulting career. You might focus on specific taxonomic groups (raptors, large carnivores, waterfowl), particular habitat types (wetlands, rangelands, forests), or management challenges (endangered species, human-wildlife conflict, habitat restoration). Specialized consultants often command higher rates and face less competition for niche projects. However, starting out with broad generalist skills helps you secure diverse projects while you determine which specialization aligns with your interests and market demand.
How do wildlife consultants find clients?
Client acquisition involves multiple strategies. Many consultants build their client base through professional networking at conferences like The Wildlife Society annual meeting, maintaining relationships with former colleagues at agencies who contract consulting work, and developing a reputation for quality work that generates word-of-mouth referrals. Some consultants market through websites, social media, or speaking at landowner workshops. Government contracts often require submitting competitive proposals in response to requests for proposals (RFPs). Building long-term relationships with satisfied clients who provide repeat business becomes increasingly important as your consulting career progresses.
Key Takeaways
- Dual expertise required: Wildlife consultants need both strong scientific skills and business acumen. Technical excellence in wildlife biology must be paired with client communication, project management, and business development abilities to build a successful consulting practice.
- Varied work environment: Expect a dynamic career splitting time between fieldwork in diverse conditions and office-based planning and reporting. Seasonal work patterns, irregular schedules, and substantial travel to remote locations are common, making this career ideal for those who value variety and outdoor work over routine.
- Competitive but rewarding financially: Wildlife consultants earned a median salary of $72,860 in 2023, with earning potential ranging from $45,000 for entry-level positions to $110,000+ for experienced specialists. Income varies based on experience, specialization, client base, and whether you work for a firm or operate independently.
- Extensive preparation needed: Plan for 6-8 years from starting your bachelor's degree to securing an established consulting position, including 2-4 years of field experience as a technician. Independent consulting typically requires 10-15 years of experience to build the reputation and client network needed for a sustainable practice.
- Job growth slower than average: Employment is projected to grow just 1.5% from 2022-2032, with about 1,500 annual openings nationally. Opportunities depend heavily on government conservation budgets and private landowner spending. Building specialized expertise in emerging areas like climate adaptation or human-wildlife conflict resolution improves job prospects in this competitive field.
Ready to pursue a career in wildlife consulting? Explore accredited wildlife biology, ecology, and conservation programs that can prepare you for this dynamic and rewarding career path combining scientific expertise with independent professional practice.
2023 US Bureau of Labor Statistics salary and job growth figures for zoologists and wildlife biologists reflect national data, not school-specific information. Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed January 2026.
