How would one go about becoming a ranch manager? I got a buddy that is thinking about changing careers and head towards a job that he knows he will love, even though the pay might not be there. He has hunted all his life and knows basics about management of his own place but he has never taken any kind of classes or has a degree in wildlife management.

My question is...

-How do you get your name out there?

-Where would be a good place to start?

-He knows he is not going to become rich doing this, but what kind of pay should he expect for a new ranch manager?

-And of course, any tips or leads would be helpful to get him started.

Your buddy is going to have a rough time finding a job as he will be going up against folks with multiple degrees and experience, not to mention connections.

Any way for him to go back to school and get a degree? Volunteer to help so he can gain experience apart from his own land?

He's got a long row to hoe....

Tarleton used to (in the late 90's) have a certificate program for Ranch Management. I think it was 6-9 months. I'm not sure if they still offer it. If they still do, it would be a much faster and cheaper way to get started. But those jobs still don't pay anything.

And you would be competing against people with actual degrees. That said, I think this is a case of who you know, rather than what you know.

It's always better to inherit or marry into these kinds of gigs.

"wildlife" management or "ranch" management?

Pretty big difference in the two.

On the ranch management side, I think TCU had a degree plan years back but I have no idea if they still do.

I was telling him that It wouldn't be an easy job to get into. I was thinking its more of the type of job that you are born into or married into like MommaBear said.

I think he was leaning more towards the wildlife management side although he did grow up working cattle on his family ranch. So he does have a little knowledge in both.

I have a few friends who manage ranches, none of them had a degree of any sort. All three got the job by word of mouth and being well respected in the hunting and farming aspect. It can be done but I bet it is really rare...I think the two friends got their jobs because of the first.

I completed my MS at TAMU in "Rangeland Ecology and Management" prior to attending law school. Its a great program with great people.

One of my buddies got a job managing a portion of the King Ranch right out of the program...

If interested, tell your friend to contact Urs Kreuter.

Kreuter's rangeland management class was on of my favorites.

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On the ranch management side, I think TCU had a degree plan years back but I have no idea if they still do.

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Its a certification program - not a degree.

If interested in pursuing a degree in something similar to "ranch management", look up Utah State University, Tech, and (of course) TAMU.

Utah State and TAMU are by far and away the leaders in the industry.

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Kreuter's rangeland management class was on of my favorites.

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I went to South Africa with his study abroad course as an undergrad and he was my advisor during grad school.

Still speak with him frequently.

Hes a hell of a guy.

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He has hunted all his life and knows basics about management of his own place but he has never taken any kind of classes or has a degree in wildlife management.

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Last thing and then Ill shut up:

Your buddy sounds like he may be more geared for wildlife management. Depending on his location and willingness to relocate, I can recommend several wildlife management companies.

To start, have him contact David Braun at Plateau Land and Wildlife Management.

David is good people and looking for help right now.

Is he interested in low-fence wildlife management, or high-fence? They are two different beasts and are very different as far as management principles go.

Chase Clark at Artemis Outdoors would be a good person for him to talk to- they do have internships which usually lead to full-time positions somewhere. Internships usually pay in the $1000/mo range but housing is provided.

As for a FT manager- it depends on what amenities the ranch provides. Usually housing, phone, & truck. On top of that, you could probably expect to get ~$20k a year depending on the ranch.

Things to think about:

Health insurance is rarely provided.
There are few, if any, vacations in ranching
If you get fired/layed off, you not only lose your income but also your home as well.


FWIW, I went to school with the intention of going into wildlife management. I quickly realized that I could either do something that I really enjoy, and have no time or money to do anything else; OR I could work outside of wildlife and get to spend more time and money actually having fun doing wildlife related stuff.

I know a lot of guys who are making a very decent living in the deer industry as ranch managers, but most have paid their dues long ago. The good 'ole boy system is very real in this industry and it is very difficult to break into if you don't have someone to crack the door for you.

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FWIW, I went to school with the intention of going into wildlife management. I quickly realized that I could either do something that I really enjoy, and have no time or money to do anything else; OR I could work outside of wildlife and get to spend more time and money actually having fun doing wildlife related stuff.

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Same here, graduated in May with Wildlife & Fisheries Management degree. After talking with A LOT of people that went my degree route, I made my way to an environmental consulting gig and make double what most ranch jobs would pay starting out (if a person could even get one).

I'd love to work in wildlife management, but I'd rather enjoy my own wildlife time with money in my pocket.

Texas Nature Conservancy may be an option as well. They have preserves all over the state. I do not know if they are hiring at this time, but could probably find out...

Some good info for OP in this thread.

One could always work for TPWD for few years to get good experience and make a name for yourself then hightail it to manage a private outfit for more dinero.

What Max said...

I was private for awhile, but yes, it is fairly tough due to what Max said.

I do periodically get offers go private. Catch is, while I might go up, it wouldn't make up for the loss of my wife not being able to find a comparable income in the area.

TNC doesn't have openings very often, especially for preserve managers. And when they do come open, they have no shortage of candidates, most with several letters after their name.
This is a tough business for people with connections and appropriate degrees to get a job in. Someone with no connections and no degree will have pretty much no chance of getting a job in the field.

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even though the pay might not be there.

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to say the least....... My first job out of college paid $425 a week (before taxes), no benefits, no housing, working 10-12 hour days, 6 days a week.

I went to chase deer in the Florida Keys for 5-6 months (I want to say $575/month, housing and no benefits) bounced around every 4-6 months for 4 years. About half those 4 years, housing was a tent or a pad in the bed of my truck. When I had my grad school stipend at Tech, I thought I was living high on the hog (allowed myself $80/month for food). Honestly miss those days some times.