Recreational Hunter or Contract Shooter for Feral Animal Control?

There are many varied reasons and benefits for choosing either a recreational hunter or professional contract shooter. In this article I will highlight the key differences and outline the benefits of each so that you are well armed to make the best choice for your circumstances.

First, what are your goals for feral pest control?

Are you looking to eradicate a pest or just keep their numbers under some level of control? The answer to that question will start to give clarity as to the best choice.

Recreational hunters are great at providing some level of control to a feral animal species, but many recreational hunters will be hesitant to eradicate a feral animal from an area as this isn’t in their best interest. The reality is, you don’t get invited back to a property if there are no feral animals to shoot or not enough feral animals to be a concern.

It is quite typical of recreational hunters to only take trophy animals or an animal here or there for meat. This, of course, is perfectly acceptable, and a great way to provide for one’s family and help out farmers who don’t have a serious feral animal control problem.

Professional contract shooters, on the other hand, are there to provide a service for a specific feral animal control problem.  If the goal is eradication or serious control of a feral animal, then professional contract shooters may be the better choice. The goal of professional contract shooters is to meet the desired terms of the contract, which in many cases is a serious reduction in feral animals or the eradication of a specific feral animal. Professional contract shooters are not concerned about chasing trophy animals and will not give smaller feral animals a pass with the intention of letting them grow bigger to hunt later on.

In some cases, the combination of both recreational hunters and professional contract shooters is a great way to keep on top of a serious feral animal problem. Get the professional contract shooter in to do the bulk of feral animal control work and then invite recreational hunters back to continue with a bit of general assistance.

Understanding the Differences in Insurance

Many recreational hunters these days hold public liability insurance as part of their hunting club membership. While no one ever wants to have to claim on this insurance, it is there as a great layer of protection. If you’re considering using a recreational hunter, ensure they have public liability insurance. Public liability is not a requirement for recreational hunters on private land but it is highly recommended.

Unlike recreational hunters, professional contract shooters cannot operate without public liability insurance. This is basically the same policy, except professional contract shooters can be paid for their services, where recreational hunters cannot. To pay a recreational hunter is a breach of the terms of their insurance.

Land Zoning Matters

Recreational hunters licensed for vermin control and hunting, are authorised for shooting on rural land only. This means they cannot hunt on any private land that isn’t zoned rural for primary production.

Professional contract shooters are typically licensed for vertebrate pest control on rural land, and, they can also be licensed for feral animal control on non-rural land like industrial areas, recreational areas like golf courses, schools and council land. This combination of licences allows professional contract shooters to provide feral animal control services for almost all land zones, except residential areas.

What are the Differences in Costs?

Here’s where recreational hunters shine. Recreational hunters cannot be paid for shooting on private property, so they are very cost-effective. If you have some recreational hunters you trust, then you have a great thing.

Professional contract shooters provide a fee for service, however, that service provides great benefit and value. The cost of feral animal control will vary greatly depending on the needs of the customer and the types of feral animals to be controlled.  For an estimation of general costs, please check out our pricing page. This will give you a good idea of what costs are involved and set a reasonable expectation of the service provided.

Differences in Access to Equipment

Recreational hunting these days is getting pretty advanced with the advent of thermal spotters and scopes. The price point of these devices are still out of reach of many but within the realms of some. Most recreational hunters will still operate with a spotlight at night and have a lot of fun shooting a few feral animals, but those with deeper pockets may have thermal equipment, which is far more effective at night than shooting under a spotlight. The problem with thermal, however, is it really takes the fun out of spotlighting.

Professional contract shooters, as part of their feral animal control service, will almost always use a form of night-vision and/or thermal optics, as these devices greatly improve the efficiency and effectiveness of reducing larger numbers of feral animals. Thermal optics also provide a far safer service as you have the ability to see clearly any surrounding livestock, buildings, or other structures that may provide an unsafe shooting lane that would otherwise be harder to identify using only a spotlight.

Professional contract shooters in NSW can also gain access to firearm suppressors. This is a special permit provided by the commissioner of police for a prohibited item for those who can prove a genuine need. Now, most professional contract shooters can meet this need as suppressors greatly increase the efficiency of controlling large numbers of feral animals, while at the same time reducing noise stress on any nearby livestock and neighbouring properties. This is a very big advantage over recreational hunters.

Trust is Key

There is a general anti-gun sentiment in Australia that can be difficult to navigate for many recreational hunters. The truth is, the vast majority of recreational hunters do the right thing, respect the farmer and the land, and will do everything they can to be of assistance in the hope of getting an invitation back and potentially a long-lasting win-win relationship with the landowner.

There are, however, a very small number of recreational hunters who do the wrong thing and spoil any goodwill with landowners. Many landowners I speak to are very hesitant to give access to recreational hunters as they have had someone do the wrong thing at one point, ruining it for all others.

Professional contract shooters, on the other hand, come with an inherent level of trust as they are a business provider who has met the stringent requirements of the Firearms Registry in their state to be allowed the privilege of providing a professional contract shooting service. This privilege is not taken lightly.

So Who Should You Choose?

In the end, it’s entirely your call. Hopefully the above information has provided an unbiased view into which choice is best for your circumstances.

If a professional contract shooting service ends up being your best choice, please don’t hesitate to give us a call. We are very much here to help.