How Ground Shooting Works
Professional ground shooting is the most direct form of feral animal control in NSW. Our licensed operators work on your property using precision rifles fitted with high-quality optics (including thermal imaging scopes, digital night-vision, and conventional daytime optics) to locate, identify, and humanely dispatch target pest species.
Every operation begins with a pre-shoot briefing where we review your property map, confirm target species, identify livestock locations, and establish safe shooting zones with adequate backstops. We work closely with you to understand which areas are most affected and where pest animals are congregating, whether that’s a mob of pigs tearing up your creek flats or foxes working the lambing paddocks.
Our operators use two primary approaches depending on terrain and species:
Vehicle-based operations cover large areas efficiently. Using a ute or side-by-side fitted with a shooting platform, we traverse tracks and paddock boundaries while scanning with thermal imaging. This approach is particularly effective for feral pigs and foxes on open country, where we can cover hundreds of hectares in a single night session.
On-foot stalking is used in tighter country: steep gullies, dense scrub, or areas where vehicle access is limited. Our operators work on foot using thermal monoculars to detect animals at distance, then close to an effective shooting range. This method is essential for deer control in timbered country and for working close to dwellings or infrastructure.
We take care to minimise disturbance to your livestock, your neighbours, and your sleep. Timing operations appropriately and coordinating with you on scheduling means we can work through the night with minimal disruption to your property.
When Is Ground Shooting Most Effective?
Ground shooting delivers the best results when you need immediate, visible population reduction. It’s the method of choice when:
- Feral pigs are actively damaging crops or pasture and you need them gone this week, not next month. A single night operation can remove a significant portion of a local mob.
- Foxes are taking lambs during lambing season. Targeted fox shooting in the weeks leading up to and during lambing can dramatically reduce losses.
- Deer are damaging fences, crops, or native vegetation. Fallow, red, and sambar deer are increasingly problematic across NSW, and shooting is often the only practical control method.
- Wild dogs are threatening livestock in areas where baiting or trapping is impractical, such as near dwellings or working dog kennels.
- Other methods aren’t suitable. Near houses, sheds, water points, or in areas with non-target species risk, precision shooting offers a level of selectivity that baiting and trapping cannot match.
Night operations are significantly more productive than daytime work for most species. Feral pigs, foxes, and deer are predominantly nocturnal or crepuscular, and thermal imaging gives our operators a decisive advantage in locating animals that are invisible to the naked eye.
Species We Target with Ground Shooting
Ground shooting is effective across the full range of NSW pest species:
- Feral pigs. Our most common target. Pigs cause an estimated $156 million in agricultural damage across Australia annually. Ground shooting with thermal optics is the most effective method for immediate population reduction on individual properties.
- Foxes. Responsible for significant lamb losses across NSW. The NSW Department of Primary Industries estimates foxes kill up to 30% of lambs in some areas. Targeted shooting during lambing season is a critical component of integrated fox management.
- Feral deer. Fallow, red, chital, rusa, and sambar deer are declared pests in NSW. Shooting is the primary control method, particularly in timbered country where other methods are impractical.
- Wild dogs. Ground shooting complements baiting and trapping programmes, particularly for trap-shy or bait-shy individuals that have learned to avoid other control methods.
- Rabbits. Spotlight shooting is effective for reducing rabbit populations in pastoral country, particularly when combined with warren ripping and baiting programmes.
- Pest birds. Feral pigeons and Indian mynas in agricultural settings can be controlled through targeted shooting where other methods aren’t practical.
Safety and Compliance
Safety is non-negotiable. Every Feral Up operator meets or exceeds the following standards:
Licensing and certification:
- Current NSW firearms licence with appropriate category endorsements
- AHCPMG304 and AMPGAM303 certifications, ensuring every animal is dispatched quickly and humanely
- VPIT (Vertebrate Pesticide Induction Training) for baiting programmes
- Current Working with Children Check where required
- National Police Check
Insurance:
- $20 million public liability insurance covering all operations
- Workers’ compensation insurance for all operators
- Property damage coverage
Point of discharge risk assessment (five checks before every shot):
- No person in the target area
- No livestock in the target area
- No buildings in the target area
- Target confirmed and positively identified
- Projectile termination point identified
Operational safety protocols:
- Written risk assessment completed before every operation
- Safe shooting lanes identified with adequate backstops. We never shoot without a confirmed safe background
- Exclusion zones established around dwellings, roads, livestock, and infrastructure
- Real-time communication with the landholder during operations
- GPS tracking of all operator movements
- Post-operation debrief and incident reporting
These standards exist because professional pest control on someone else’s property carries real responsibility. We’re accountable for every round fired, and that accountability is what separates professional operators from blokes with rifles.
Humane Dispatch Standards
Every animal is dispatched as quickly and humanely as possible. Our operators follow the standards set by AHCPMG304 (Use Firearms to Humanely Destroy Animals) and the relevant National Standard Operating Procedures for each species.
Species-appropriate calibres and projectiles. We match the calibre and projectile type to each target species. Soft-point and hollow-point projectiles are used because they expand on impact and transfer energy rapidly for a quick, clean kill. Full metal jacket ammunition is never used for pest control because it penetrates without expanding, resulting in slower death and greater risk of pass-through.
Shot placement. Our operators aim for the brain kill zone (preferred for instant death) or the heart/chest kill zone (larger target, used at longer ranges or when head shots are not practical). For feral pigs, the temporal shot placement (from the side, midway between eye and ear base) is preferred for adults because the frontal bone is thicker and less reliable for penetration. Species-specific placement varies, and our operators are trained and assessed on the correct target for each animal.
Confirmation of death. Every animal is physically checked before the operator moves to the next target. The four-point confirmation of death protocol requires: no heartbeat, no breathing, no corneal reflex (no blink when the eyeball is touched), and no response to toe pinch. If there is any doubt, the animal is dispatched again immediately.
Wounded animals take priority. If an animal is wounded but not killed cleanly, it is dispatched immediately before any further animals are targeted. No exceptions.
Dependent young. When female animals with dependent young are taken, dependent young are located and humanely dispatched. Deer fawns and calves are targeted before mature animals to prevent orphaning. For kangaroos, pouch young and young-at-foot are checked and euthanised according to welfare standards.
Biosecurity and Hygiene
Professional pest controllers handle dead animals regularly, and zoonotic diseases (those transmissible from animals to humans) are a real workplace hazard. Foxes, wild dogs, and feral pigs are particularly high-risk species.
Our operators follow strict hygiene protocols on every operation:
- Q Fever vaccination maintained current
- Freshly laundered overalls, removed after each shoot
- Handwash water, soap, and towel carried on the vehicle
- Disposable gloves worn when handling any shot animal
- Visibly sick animals avoided and reported
Our Equipment and Technology
Our operators use purpose-built equipment selected for reliability, accuracy, and effectiveness in Australian conditions:
Thermal imaging: Pulsar, iRay, and FLIR thermal scopes and monoculars allow us to detect animals by their heat signature through darkness, fog, and light vegetation. Thermal imaging has transformed night pest control. A mob of pigs feeding on a creek flat lights up like a spotlight at 500 metres.
Night-vision: Digital night-vision devices complement thermal imaging, providing detail and depth perception that thermal alone cannot. We use Gen 3 and digital NV devices for identification and shot placement.
Precision rifles: We use bolt-action platforms in calibres matched to the target species. Every rifle is zeroed and verified before each operation.
Trail camera intelligence: Before a shooting operation, trail camera data (processed using AI species identification) tells us where target animals are active, what time they move through, and which routes they use. This means we position ourselves in the right place at the right time, rather than driving around hoping to encounter animals. Pre-operation camera data consistently improves kill rates and reduces the time spent on each property.
Vehicles: Purpose-fitted utes and side-by-sides with shooting platforms, thermal scanners, GPS tracking, and vehicle-mounted Starlink for satellite internet on properties without mobile coverage.
Communication: UHF radios for reliable operator-to-operator coordination regardless of mobile coverage, plus mobile communications where available. On remote properties, Starlink provides internet connectivity for real-time data upload, 4G trail camera relay, and communication with the landholder throughout the operation.
Where We Provide Ground Shooting Services
Feral Up operates across regional NSW, with a focus on the areas most affected by feral animal pressure:
- Hunter Valley: Feral pigs, foxes, and deer across vineyards, cattle properties, and mixed farming operations
- Northern Tablelands: Wild dogs, foxes, and pigs across the New England region’s grazing country
- North West NSW: Pigs and foxes across broadacre cropping and pastoral country
- Central West NSW: Foxes, pigs, and rabbits across the mixed farming belt
- North Coast NSW: Deer, pigs, and wild dogs in the hinterland and coastal ranges
We travel to your property, and there’s no need for you to transport animals or coordinate access for multiple contractors. One call, one team, one outcome.
Pricing
Ground shooting services start from $500 per visit. Night operations with thermal equipment are available, and multi-visit programmes offer better value and better results than one-off operations. We’ll provide a clear quote after discussing your property, target species, and the scope of work.
For properties with ongoing pest pressure, we recommend a structured programme with regular visits, monthly or quarterly depending on species and severity. Ongoing programmes include monitoring, reporting, and adaptive management as populations respond to control pressure.
Ready to get feral animals off your property? Contact Feral Up for a no-obligation discussion about your pest situation. We’ll talk through what you’re seeing, recommend the right approach, and provide a clear quote. No pressure, no jargon, just straight answers from people who understand the bush.