Local animal removal business helps residents deal with unwanted
guests
Jim Bohannan loves the outdoors.
The avid hunter/fisherman has a healthy appreciation for
wildlife and knows what it takes to live amongst some of nature’s
more untamed creatures. So when the former semi-truck driver
decided it was time to look for a new line of work, he chose
something that would keep him in the open air.
Local animal removal business helps residents deal with unwanted guests
Jim Bohannan loves the outdoors.
The avid hunter/fisherman has a healthy appreciation for wildlife and knows what it takes to live amongst some of nature’s more untamed creatures. So when the former semi-truck driver decided it was time to look for a new line of work, he chose something that would keep him in the open air.
Most of the time.
Bohannan and his wife, Dorinda, own J&D Critter Round Up, a local business specializing in the deterring and trapping of what Dorinda calls “nuisance animals,” such as raccoons, skunks, rats, feral cats, wild pigs and even coyotes. The job, which also includes dead animal removal, often entails climbing through narrow crawl spaces or venturing underneath a client’s home, meaning Jim doesn’t spend as much of his time in the sunshine as the couple first thought.
“But I’m glad I’m not the one having to [go] under the houses,” Dorinda said. “I don’t like going underneath my own home.”
The Bohannans opened their business approximately 18 months ago, after Jim was approached by a friend with the opportunity to purchase his animal removal business, which was located in north San Jose. At the time, Jim was a long-haul truck driver working for a local company and Dorinda was in retail sales.
“Jim was tired of being behind the wheel all of the time and making money for someone else,” Dorinda said. “But the person selling his business was asking a lot; more than we could afford. So we decided to look into starting our own business instead.”
Dorinda and Jim researched animal removal businesses online, looking at the type of monetary investment needed to begin such a business as well as the equipment needed. They also received tips and suggestions from the San Jose businessman, who had received several other offers from other buyers.
“The big question was whether or not we would have clients to sustain us if we opened a business here in San Benito County,” Dorinda said. “If we had bought the San Jose business there was already a steady clientele. But we looked at the area we lived in, I researched what type of animal complaints had been made in the past here and what the problems were and determined there was a need.”
The services offered by J&D Critter Round Up vary depending on the type of animal involved, the location of the home and where the animal is creating a nuisance, Dorinda said. In as many cases as possible, the Bohannans recommend a deterrent method first, hoping to keep the animals from being bothersome to the home’s residents without actually hurting them.
“I have a hard time with the trapping aspect sometimes,” Dorinda said. “I kind of feel like if you are going to trap or hunt something it should be for food. But I understand the need for safety.”
Methods for deterring nuisance often include using substances they find unpleasant to keep them from entering or nesting in unwanted areas, Dorinda said.
“It depends on the animal. For coyotes, Jim uses mountain lion urine and places it wherever he feels they are entering the property,” she said. “On another job, there were raccoons living in an attic and the client really didn’t want us to trap them. When we cleaned up the area, we discovered the raccoons didn’t like the smell of ammonia. So now we’ll first try soaking cloths in ammonia and leave them lying about to see if that deters them from living there.”
With every job, Jim first inspects the home to determine which method he needs to use to remove the animals from the property. If trapping is required, Jim will block all possible entrances except the one he determines is the main point of entry, then sets the trap. In most cases, a $100 fee covers use of the trap for 10 days, with an additional fee of $125 per animal removed, although Dorinda says the fees can vary depending on a client’s situation.
“One time we removed 12 skunks from a guy’s home, and we didn’t charge him for every skunk,” she said. “At first, we thought ‘OK, here’s what our fees are going to be’ but I found myself being very sympathetic. I’m probably not a very good businesswoman, but I like that we run our business with understanding and compassion.”
Their way of doing business has kept the couple busy; Jim now travels regularly to jobs in Santa Cruz and Monterey counties as well as San Benito. He often takes along their son, Cody, 12, or daughter Lexie, 8, for company. Although Lexie doesn’t climb into dark spaces with her dad, Cody has helped on several occasions, including the trapping and rescue of 53 feral cats.
“I’m glad we did this because it has given us a lot of freedom to do what we want as a family,” Dorinda said. “It got Jim from behind the wheel and the grind of driving a truck and the suffering through days where there was no work at all. It’s been pretty good to us.”
J&D Critter Round Up is based out of the couple’s Paicines home. For more information, call 389-4202.
