Participants must arrive by 8:15 a.m.; late arrivals will not be certified. Lunch is not provided.

This course is presented by the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department, the New Hampshire Trappers Association, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture–Wildlife Services.

A Wildlife Control Operator (WCO) license is required for anyone providing commercial nuisance wildlife control in New Hampshire, except for licensed trappers, during the regulated trapping seasons. As part of the WCO licensing requirement, you must complete the day-long WCO class administered once a year in Concord and successfully complete a Fish and Game Trapper Education certification course.

The WCO Program was created to address instances when wildlife removal or exclusion must take place outside of the regulated seasons and in response to the increasing public request for professional wildlife nuisance services, which often includes trapping. The WCO training class includes presentations on wildlife exclusions, capture and handling of wildlife, humane and ethical concerns, relevant New Hampshire state laws and rules, federal rules covering certain species, wildlife diseases, best management practices, and proper trapping techniques.