How Property Assessment Works
A property pest assessment is the starting point for effective pest management in NSW. It answers the fundamental questions: what’s on your property, how many are there, where are they active, what damage are they causing, and what’s the best way to deal with them.
Initial consultation: Before we set foot on your property, we talk to you. You know your country better than anyone, and your observations (where you’ve seen pig rootings, where lambs are going missing, which paddocks the deer are damaging) direct our assessment. We also review aerial imagery and property maps to identify likely pest harbourage areas, water points, and travel corridors.
On-site inspection: Our assessor walks and drives your property systematically, reading the signs that feral animals leave behind:
- Tracks and pads. Species-specific footprints in soft ground, creek banks, dam edges, and dusty tracks. Track size, shape, and pattern tell us which species is present and how recently they’ve been through.
- Scats and droppings. Scat identification is one of the most reliable indicators of pest species and diet. Fox scats on a prominent rock, pig droppings near a wallow, deer pellets in a timber block. Each tells a story about which animals are using which parts of your property.
- Damage assessment. Pig rootings across a paddock, ringbarking by deer rubbing velvet, fox kills in the lambing paddock, rabbit warrens undermining a dam wall. We document the type, extent, and GPS location of all pest damage observed. Photographic evidence supports insurance claims and grant applications.
- Hair catches and rub marks. Wild dogs and pigs leave hair on barbed wire, fence posts, and tree trunks. These catches confirm species presence and are sometimes collected for DNA analysis in wild dog management programmes.
- Feeding evidence. Chewed crops, grazed pasture, raided grain storage, killed livestock. The pattern and location of feeding activity reveals how pest animals are using your property.
Trail camera deployment: Where the on-site inspection identifies confirmed or suspected pest activity, we deploy trail cameras to capture photographic evidence over a 1-2 week monitoring period. We use a mix of offline (SD card) and 4G cellular cameras depending on your property’s mobile coverage. In areas with Telstra 4G signal, cellular cameras send photos direct to the cloud in real time, allowing us to monitor activity without visiting each camera. In areas without mobile coverage, we deploy offline cameras with scheduled SD card retrieval.
Trail cameras provide species confirmation (is that a wild dog or a large fox?), activity timing (nocturnal or crepuscular?), group sizes, and travel direction. Cameras are placed at choke points (creek crossings, fence gaps, gates, and established animal pads) following NSW DPI best practice guidelines to maximise detections.
AI-assisted image analysis: Trail cameras generate thousands of images, most of which are empty false triggers from wind or shadows. We use AI species identification software to process camera trap images automatically. The AI detects which photos contain animals (filtering out 70-80% of empty images), then classifies the species in each detection. This turns a pile of raw photos into structured data: which species, how many detections, at what times, and at which locations. The result is a clear picture of pest activity across your property, not a USB drive full of unsorted images.
Thermal drone survey (optional add-on): For properties where population estimates are critical (particularly for feral pigs and deer), a thermal drone survey can be conducted as part of the assessment. The drone provides a snapshot population count that is more accurate and comprehensive than ground-level sign reading alone. This add-on is especially valuable for large or heavily timbered properties where ground access is limited.
GPS mapping: Every observation (tracks, scats, damage sites, camera locations, animal detections) is recorded with GPS coordinates and plotted on a property map. This spatial data reveals patterns that isolated observations miss: travel corridors between creek lines and ridges, high-use feeding areas, entry and exit points from neighbouring properties.
What’s in the Assessment Report
The assessment report is a practical document designed to inform action. It includes:
Species inventory: Every pest species identified on the property, with the evidence supporting each identification (tracks, scats, cameras, direct observation, damage patterns).
Population estimates: Based on sign density, camera detections, and (where applicable) thermal drone counts, we provide estimated population levels for each species. These are categorised as low, moderate, high, or severe, with explanations of what those levels mean in practical terms for your operation.
Damage documentation: GPS-mapped damage locations with photographs. Damage is categorised by type (crop destruction, pasture degradation, infrastructure damage, livestock predation, erosion) and severity. This section is designed to support insurance claims and grant applications with the documented evidence they require.
Risk area mapping: Based on pest activity, terrain, vegetation, water access, and proximity to your most valuable assets (lambing paddocks, crops, infrastructure), we identify and map the highest-risk areas on your property. These priority zones are where control efforts should be focused first for maximum impact.
Recommended control programme: The core of the report. Based on the species present, population levels, terrain, and your operational constraints, we recommend specific control methods (ground shooting, baiting, trapping, or a combination) with:
- Priority actions (what to do first)
- Method justification (why this approach suits your situation)
- Timing recommendations (seasonal windows for maximum effectiveness)
- Coordination opportunities (neighbouring property programmes, LLS initiatives)
- Indicative timeline (how long a control programme should run)
- Indicative budget (approximate costs for the recommended programme)
Monitoring recommendations: Pest management doesn’t end with a single control operation. The report includes recommendations for ongoing monitoring: what to watch for, how to track population recovery, and when to schedule follow-up control.
Why Assess Before You Control
It’s tempting to skip the assessment and go straight to shooting or baiting. Plenty of landholders do. But investing in an assessment first delivers real returns:
Targeted control saves money. If you know that pigs are concentrated along two creek lines on the southern boundary, you can focus a ground shooting operation on those 200 acres instead of trying to cover the whole 3,000-acre property. Targeted operations cost less and achieve higher kill rates.
Baseline data measures results. Without a pre-control assessment, you have no way to measure whether your pest control investment is working. “We shot 15 pigs” is a number. “We reduced the pig population from an estimated 60 to an estimated 15, a 75% reduction” is evidence that your money was well spent. That evidence matters when you’re reporting to partners, applying for grants, or justifying the expense to your business.
The right method for the situation. A fox problem in open grazing country responds well to baiting. The same fox problem near working dog kennels needs a different approach: trapping or shooting. An assessment identifies these constraints before you spend money on the wrong method.
Evidence for insurance and grants. The NSW Government and Local Land Services provide funding for pest management, but applications require evidence of pest impact. An assessment report with GPS-mapped damage, population estimates, and photographic evidence gives your application the supporting data it needs. The same documentation strengthens insurance claims for stock losses and crop damage.
Where We Provide Assessment Services
- Hunter Valley: Vineyard, cattle, and mixed farming properties dealing with pigs, foxes, and deer
- Northern Tablelands: Grazing properties assessing wild dog, fox, and pig pressure
- North West NSW: Broadacre properties needing baseline pest data for management planning
- Central West NSW: Mixed farming operations with fox, pig, and rabbit concerns
- North Coast NSW: Hinterland properties dealing with deer, pigs, and wild dogs in timbered country
We travel to your property for the assessment, and you don’t need to arrange anything beyond property access and a conversation about what you’ve been seeing.
Pricing
Property assessments start from $250 for smaller properties with a single target species. Larger properties, multi-species assessments, and assessments that include trail camera deployment (1-2 week monitoring period) or thermal drone survey add-ons are quoted individually based on scope. We provide a fixed quote before committing, so you know exactly what you’re paying for.
The assessment fee is credited toward any control programme booked within 60 days, so if you proceed with our recommended management plan, the assessment is effectively included.
Not sure what’s out there or where to start? Contact Feral Up for a property assessment. We’ll come out, read the signs, deploy the cameras, and give you a clear picture of your pest situation, along with a practical plan to deal with it. No obligation, no jargon, just honest answers from people who know the country.