Private
Job Description
Ranch Hand / Wildlife Technician — Hawthorne, Florida & Arcadia, Florida
Little Orange Creek, LLC is looking for a full-time, year-round Ranch Hand / Wildlife Technician for a privately owned, intensively managed property in Hawthorne, Florida and Arcadia, Florida. This is a salaried position with full health insurance, a 401(k) match, paid time off, an annual bonus, and a company truck for work use.
The place is managed for wildlife — quail, deer, turkey, and waterfowl — with an active prescribed fire program, timber management, food plots, feed routes, and constant work on invasive species. You will run a tractor most weeks, but you will also be trapping hogs and nest predators, running camera surveys and covey counts, planting groundcover, fixing fence, grading roads, and keeping the equipment going. You will work directly with ranch staff and get trained on the wildlife side of the operation if you have not done it before.
We are looking for a hand who shows up, works without being told twice, takes care of equipment, and wants to learn. Tractor time and mechanical ability matter more to us than a diploma.
What You’ll Be Doing
Equipment, Roads, and Infrastructure
- Farm tractor and implement operation — disc, mower, sprayer, seed drill, front-end loader
- Road maintenance and repair
- Fence building and repair
- Equipment and vehicle maintenance and repair
- Facilities maintenance and repair
- Landscaping and grounds upkeep
Habitat Work
- Food plot planting and establishment
- Native groundcover restoration — site prep, planting, and monitoring
- Brush control and mechanical vegetation treatments
- Invasive and exotic species control, chemical and mechanical
- Help with prescribed burns
- Manage gopher tortoise recipient site and silt fence enclosures
- Pond and fisheries management
Wildlife and Game Management
- Trapping hogs with BoarBuster and Pig Brig systems
- Nest predator trapping with box and leghold traps
- Filling and maintaining feeders; running established quail feed routes
- Camera surveys, whistle counts, and covey call surveys
- Vegetation plot sampling and plant identification
- Cleaning and processing game harvested from the property
What We’re Looking For
- Experience running farm tractors and implements
- Mechanical aptitude — able to service equipment and handle field repairs
- Valid driver’s license and clean driving record
- Comfortable and safe around firearms
- Able to work outdoors year-round in Florida heat, humidity, rain, and bugs
- Able to lift 50+ lbs and put in a full day of physical work on uneven ground
- Willing to work early mornings, some nights, and weekends during burn season, hunting season, and survey work
- Dependable, self-directed, and keeps good records
- High school diploma or GED
Nice to have, not required: prescribed fire experience or Florida Certified Prescribed Burn Manager; trapping experience; chainsaw, welding, or fabrication skills; ArcGIS Pro or Field Maps; FAA Part 107 drone certificate; quail management experience; a degree or coursework in wildlife, forestry, range, or ag science.
Pay and Benefits
Salary depends on experience and certifications. Benefits follow company policy and standard eligibility requirements:
- Health insurance premiums paid 100% for the employee and 50% for family, starting day one
- $25,000 life insurance policy at no cost
- Long-term disability insurance at no cost
- Company truck for work use
- 401(k) with up to 4% employer match after 3 months
- Annual performance bonus up to 10% of salary
- Eight paid holidays: New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, the day after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day
- 15 days paid time off per year for vacation, illness, or personal matters, with up to 5 days carryover
- Training and certification support
How to Apply
Email a resume, a short note about your experience, and three references to our email address. Applications reviewed as they come in.
Email
[email protected]
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All Ranch Jobs, Butcher / Meat Processing Jobs, Farm Ranch Jobs, Groundskeeping / Land Management Jobs, Hunting Guide Jobs, Outfitter Jobs, Private Ranch Jobs, Ranch Hand Jobs, Ranch Handyman / Maintenance Jobs, Ranch Jobs with Housing, Ranch Mechanic Jobs, Ranch Technician Jobs, Timber Ranch Jobs