Workamping – Bull Creek WMA
Our very first workamping position was a volunteer position for The Florida Wildlife Commission at Bull Creek Wildlife Management Area near Saint Cloud Florida.
Applying – We found the listing for the volunteer job at Bull Creek WMA on Workers-On-Wheelswebsite. We applied for the position in the spring for the upcoming fall through winter. We provided our resumes and photos. The lead biologist of the area contacted us for a phone interview and hired us during that call.
Job Duties – There were 4 volunteer sites at Bull Creek. The volunteers consisted of two single men and two couples. Our main duty was to man the hunter check-station. Our schedule was set up as 2 days on (manning the check station), 6 days off per volunteer site. This was by volunteer site, not by person. Therefore, us couples were responsible for check station just as the single workampers were. Check station duties consisted of greeting hunters as they entered the area, answer any questions and record any game the hunters harvested. This varied a little between the hunting seasons. For example:
Archery, Muzzleload and General Gun Season – Wild hogs were to be weighed, Deer were required to be weighed, antlers measured and the jaw had to be pulled. Now if you grew up hunting, skinning and cleaning game, this probably wouldn’t be much of an issue. However, if you were never a hunter, like myself, this was not the most pleasant thing to do. After being trained, I certainly was capable and willing to perform the task. However, I would be lying if I said I hoped a lot of hunters got deer during my shift. The process is not very surgical. If you’re not squeamish, look up deer jaw removal on youtube. Viewer discretion.
Small Game – count the number of each small game species harvested. No measuring or weighing was required.
Spring Turkey – Weigh the turkey, measure spurs and beard.
Volunteers are required to bring the trash bins down the road for trash pick. Volunteers did very little in way of mowing. FWC has a worker who took care of the roads in the management area and helped us out if we needed. He would keep the grass cut – very nice man. He brought us fresh picked oranges from his orange trees! At the end of the season, we had to paint all the buildings and signs.
Living – Bull Creek is 7 miles down a dirt road off of US 192 about halfway between 
Melbourne, FL and Saint Cloud, FL. The closest supermarket is about 25-30 miles away. Volunteers had full hookups with decent size level site on grass. Volunteers are within feet of the check station. Volunteers have use of an old trailer (named ‘The John Glenn Trailer. Story goes the trailer was used by John Glenn before Apollo missions). The trailer has 2 full size refrigerators, a full bath and a back bedroom for guests. I had a friend visit us for a few days. He slept on a cot in the bedroom.
Perks – Not a lot of perks with a volunteer gig, but the location awarded the opportunity to experience some fantastic things. Bull Creek WMA is a wonderful 25,000 acre area full of wildlife and is path of The Florida Trail. We took many day long walks around the dirt road and trails in the area. Outside of the area, Disneyworld is about 90 minutes west. We visited twice – Downtown Disney at Christmas time and we watched my beloved Boston Red Sox play the Braves during spring training at ESPN Wide World of Sports stadium.
If Disney is too busy for you, Kennedy Space Center and Cocoa Beach are about 90 minutes drive the other direction. Head to Cape Canaveral to witness a rocket launch in person. We attempted to watch the Orion Delta IV launch, but unfortunately, it was scratched due to winds. However, as we waited, we had dolphins and manatees swimming right in front of us! Later in the season, we were able to see rocket launches in the distance from Bull Creek.
Conclusion – This was a volunteer job. No pay. Keep that in mind when applying for workamping position with state agencies. Work was simple, people were nice and we had a lot of off days to explore the wildlife all around, and it’s Florida in winter!
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