NSW Feral Animal Bounty - What it is and why we need it

I was recently interviewed by 7News about Australia’s ever growing feral pig issue and the proposed feral animal bounty program announced by the NSW premier Chris Minns. I personally am in favour of this bounty program and the inclusion of responsible volunteer shooters to help. In short, I think we need to throw everything we have at feral animal control, not just the coordination of professional shooters like me.

Unsurprisingly, the announcement of this program has brought about a lot of protesting from animal activist groups and people who oppose feral animal control in any form.

For me, it’s a simple choice: are we going to protect our native animals, farm land, and conservation land, or protect our introduced feral animals instead? As a conservationist, I am obviously choosing to protect our native flora and fauna.

What is a Feral Animal Bounty Program?

A bounty program is a reward system used by organisations to incentivise individuals to perform specific tasks or report valuable information.

With regard to feral animals, a bounty program is where hunters are rewarded for any feral animal kills, provided they are able to show suitable evidence of each kill. Evidence could be a fox scalp, pig snout, etc.

Why do we Need a Feral Animal Bounty Program in NSW?

Statistically, we are in a losing war against feral animals in this country. Year-on-year, we are seeing feral animal numbers increase with little in the way of government funding or support to help keep them under control. There’s only so much professional shooters can do before the average farmer or landowner runs out of budget to keep these pests under control.

To keep feral animals under control in any location, ongoing control programs are necessary. From a professional perspective, that means shooting a location at least twice a year, every year. While this is certainly effective, it isn’t an exercise that every farmer or landowner can afford, which is where volunteer hunters can step in and help.

Additionally, we have already allowed restricted hunting in many of our state forests now for over 20 years, which has been enormously successful in both pest control outcomes and the injection of funds into both local communities and the hunting economy. Now is the perfect time to extend this same permission to National Parks. State forest hunting has proven to be both safe and effective, so there’s no reason why we can extend that same system to National Parks.

Personally, I don’t see volunteer hunters as a threat to my business as a professional shooter. Rather, I see them as teammates who are there to contribute on all the other weekends between professional programs, and on properties where farmers can’t afford professional shooters. Both professionals and volunteers provide a complementary service when it comes to rural locations.

How Effective is a Feral Animal Bounty Program?

This is where the famous quote "lies, damn lies, and statistics" really comes into play. You will see those in opposition interpret the statistics in previous programs and come to the conclusion that these programs are a waste of money, ineffective, and only encourage fraud and inhumane behaviour. I would argue that’s a pretty poor and rather deceptive interpretation.

Looking at those same statistics, it is generally reported that volunteer hunters, as part of bounty programs, successfully remove around 10% of feral animal species annually. This is an enormously successful result, especially if it can be done year-on-year.

When you then combine those volunteer hunter results with professional results, we are collectively starting to win ground in the war on feral animals, which can only be a good thing.

Wrapping Up

I honestly don’t care what side of the political divide you sit on or who you voted for. What I do care about is what our politicians who are currently in power are prepared to do in support of our native flora and fauna, which is why I am in support of this bounty program.

Hunting in all its forms is an expensive sport. When you combine that with the general cost of living, it makes it hard for many hunters who would love to be out but are having a hard time justifying the cost. If this bounty program is enough to provide a little incentive to get back out in the bush and do their part in protecting our native animals, then I’m all for it.