Letting Someone onto Your Property Is a Big Decision
When you engage a pest controller, you are handing a stranger access to your land, your stock, and in the case of shooting, a firearm. Get it right and you solve a problem that has cost you money and sleep for years. Get it wrong and you can be left with an unresolved pest problem, a wounded-animal welfare issue, or worse, legal and financial exposure if an uninsured operator has an accident on your place.
It is worth taking the time to choose well. This is the checklist we would use ourselves, and the questions every landholder should be comfortable asking.
The Five-Point Checklist
| Check | What good looks like | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Licences and certifications | Current firearms licence with a commercial genuine reason; VPIT for baiting; AHCPMG304 and AMPGAM303 | Confirms the work is legal and the operator is trained in humane dispatch |
| Insurance | At least $20 million public liability, current certificate | Protects you if something goes wrong on your property |
| Methods | Integrated: shooting, baiting, trapping, monitoring, not shooting alone | Single methods do not deliver lasting reduction |
| Reporting | Written before-and-after data and follow-up recommendations | Lets you see whether you actually got value |
| Quote | Transparent, itemised, free property assessment | No hidden costs, no surprises |
1. Licences and Certifications
This is non-negotiable. For commercial contract shooting in NSW, the operator needs a current firearms licence (usually Categories A and B, sometimes D) with a genuine reason that specifically covers commercial vertebrate pest control. A standard recreational or sporting licence does not authorise paid contract shooting.
If baiting is part of the programme, the operator needs VPIT (Vertebrate Pesticide Induction Training) or AQF3 chemical accreditation to handle 1080, PAPP, or Pindone. Nationally recognised competencies such as AHCPMG304 (use firearms to humanely destroy animals) and AMPGAM303 (harvest wild game) show the operator is trained in humane dispatch.
Do not take claims on faith. A professional will happily show you their licence and certificates. If someone is reluctant, that tells you what you need to know. See our licensing page for what full credentials look like.
2. Insurance
Ask for a current certificate of currency showing at least $20 million in public liability cover. This is the practical industry standard for commercial pest control, and it protects you as the landholder if an operation causes injury or property damage.
Many informal shooters, including mates with a rifle and recreational hunters, carry no public liability insurance at all. If one of them is hurt or causes damage on your property, you can be the one left exposed. The certificate is cheap insurance for you, literally.
3. An Integrated Approach, Not Just Shooting
Shooting alone is the most common service offered and the least effective on its own. Feral populations recover quickly: feral pigs can rebound within 12 to 18 months, and reinvasion across fence lines happens within weeks if neighbouring country is not managed.
A professional controller talks about a programme, not a single shoot. They combine ground shooting, baiting, and trapping as the situation requires, coordinate across neighbouring properties where possible, and aim to remove enough of the population each year to keep it down. If an operator only offers to come and shoot once, ask what happens in three months. For the detail, see our piece on professional pest control versus recreational hunting and our comparison of baiting versus trapping for pigs.
4. Monitoring and Reporting
How do you know the work was worth the money? A professional gives you evidence. That means assessing numbers before the programme (often with thermal drone surveys or trail cameras), and providing a written after-action report covering what was done, what was removed, what was observed, and what to do next.
Without before-and-after data, you are paying on faith and have no way to tell whether the population actually fell. Insist on reporting. It is the difference between pest control and just paying someone to go shooting.
5. A Transparent Quote
A good operator provides a free property assessment and a clear, itemised quote before any work begins, with no hidden costs. They will explain what drives the price and what is included. If a thermal survey is worth doing first, they will tell you why and what it costs rather than springing it on you later. Our guide on feral animal control costs in NSW explains what to expect.
Red Flags to Walk Away From
- Refuses or is vague about showing licences and insurance
- Carries no public liability cover
- Offers only shooting, with no monitoring, follow-up, or other methods
- Will not discuss working dog and livestock safety before baiting
- Pressures you to skip the property assessment
- Pricing that seems too good to be true, which usually means corners are being cut
The Bottom Line
Choosing a pest controller is not about finding the lowest price. It is about finding a licensed, insured professional who uses the right methods, shows you the results, and treats your property and your stock with respect. Ask the questions on this checklist. A genuine professional will welcome them.
If you would like to see how we measure up, our licensing page lists our credentials, and you are welcome to ask us anything on this list before we set foot on your property.