Our Approach: Ethical Management & Humane Dispatch
At Dixie's Dispatch, we have a profound respect and love for wildlife, and we operate under a strict trapper's code of ethics. We take no pleasure in dispatching any creature; we view it as a heavy responsibility rather than a casual task.
However, when severe human-wildlife conflicts arise, the reality of responsible wildlife management requires making difficult, necessary decisions to protect our local ecosystem and our community.
Preserving the Old Southern Way of Life:
To truly honor the animals we must remove, we believe in teaching future generations and preserving the traditional knowledge of trapping, harvesting, and tanning. Whenever safe and legally permitted, we ensure nothing goes to waste through a practice of total utilization:
Meat Harvesting: We process healthy wild hogs to yield high-quality, human-edible meat. Additionally, we safely harvest nutrient-dense cuts from hogs, coyotes, and raccoons to provide premium-grade food for working dogs.
Hides & Fur: Pelts and furs are carefully tanned and preserved for practical and traditional uses. This includes crafting durable boar pelt pet cage mats, traditional stretched mounts for coyote and raccoon, and custom bow string silencers for archery.
Skeletal Preservation: We clean and preserve skulls to create European mounts and to serve as hands-on educational examples for our community.
Zero-Waste Bait Production: Rather than discarding the remaining biological byproducts—such as organ meats and remaining skeletal structures—we carefully repurpose them to craft our own highly effective, in-house predator bait (used strictly for our own trapping operations and not for retail sale).
Community Impact & Giving Back:
Because this full-utilization model keeps our operating costs low, we are able to pass those savings directly back to you. This allows us to offer competitive pricing, provide charitable wildlife removal services to locals in desperate need, and actively support organizations close to our hearts, including the FFA, FWC, and working dog rescues.
Why We Choose Humane Dispatch Over Relocation:
A common question we receive is, "Why can't you just catch the animal and release it somewhere else?" While relocation sounds like the kindest option, the biological and legal realities tell a different story. We adhere to a policy of humane dispatch for several critical reasons:
Preventing the Spread of Disease: Relocating nuisance wildlife can introduce contagious diseases—such as rabies, distemper, or mange—into new, previously healthy animal populations.
Ending Suffering Before It Begins: Animals dropped into unfamiliar territories rarely survive. They typically face slow, stressful deaths due to starvation, exposure, or violent territorial disputes with established animals.
Adhering to Florida Law: To protect our ecosystem, the state heavily restricts or prohibits the relocation of many high-risk nuisance species. Catch-and-release simply transfers the danger and property damage to another landowner or public space.
Our Primary Focus:
We prioritize our removal efforts based on the level of threat a species poses to Florida's environment, local agriculture, and your family's safety:
Wild Hogs (Primary Focus/Non Native): Feral hogs are an invasive and highly destructive species. They reproduce at an alarming rate, decimate native habitats, destroy crops, and cause massive property damage. Eradicating them is essential for the survival of our native wildlife.
Coyotes (Secondary Focus/Naturalized-Non Native): As highly adaptable predators, coyotes have increasingly moved into residential and agricultural spaces. They pose a significant, direct threat to family pets, livestock, and vulnerable native species.
Raccoons (Tertiary Focus/Native-Public Health Risk): While common, raccoons are a primary vector for dangerous diseases and can cause extensive, costly damage to home exteriors, attics, and structures when seeking shelter.