Bowhunting vs Baiting vs Trapping

If you’re a WA landowner dealing with feral pigs, foxes, deer or rabbits, you’ve probably looked into your options. Maybe you’ve already tried a few. Each method has its strengths and weaknesses, and the honest truth is that most properties benefit from a combination of approaches.

That said, we reckon a lot of landowners don’t realise bowhunting is even an option — let alone a free one. So here’s how it stacks up against the other main methods: 1080 baiting, trapping, and professional shooting. We’re not going to pretend bowhunting is perfect for every situation, but we think the comparison speaks for itself.

Cost to Landowner

Bowhunting

Free. Hunters volunteer their time and cover their own costs. No invoices, no ongoing fees.

1080 Baiting

Expensive. 1080 baits require licensed operators, permits, signage and compliance. Ongoing cost each program.

Trapping

Moderate. Traps cost money, need maintaining, and take time to check daily. Can add up quickly.

Professional Shooting

Varies. Professional shooters charge per visit or per hour. Can be expensive for ongoing control.

Risk to Dogs & Livestock

Bowhunting

Zero risk. No poison, no traps to stumble into. Your working dogs and livestock are completely safe.

1080 Baiting

High risk. 1080 kills dogs. Every year, working dogs die from secondary poisoning across WA. It’s a real and serious danger.

Trapping

Some risk. Leg-hold traps can catch working dogs, pets and non-target animals. Requires careful placement.

Professional Shooting

Low risk when done properly. Professional operators avoid stock areas. Noise may spook animals briefly.

Selectivity

Bowhunting

Highly selective. The hunter sees the animal, identifies it, and makes a deliberate choice. Zero bycatch.

1080 Baiting

Non-selective. 1080 kills anything that eats the bait — target species, native wildlife, pets, working dogs.

Trapping

Somewhat selective. Traps catch what walks into them. Non-target captures are common and require daily checking.

Professional Shooting

Highly selective. Trained shooter identifies targets. Similar selectivity to bowhunting but with more noise.

Noise

Bowhunting

Silent. No gunshots, no noise at all. Stock aren’t disturbed, neighbours don’t notice. Perfect for properties close to town.

1080 Baiting

Silent. Baits are placed and left. No noise involved in the process itself.

Trapping

Mostly silent. Some noise from trapped animals, but the process itself is quiet.

Professional Shooting

Loud. Gunshots spook livestock, disturb neighbours, and can cause stock to run through fences. Not ideal near residential areas.

Effectiveness

Bowhunting

Good for ongoing management. Won’t eradicate a large mob overnight, but consistent pressure over time reduces populations effectively.

1080 Baiting

High knockdown rates for pigs and foxes in the short term. But surviving animals become bait-shy, making follow-up programs less effective.

Trapping

Effective for individual animals. Labour-intensive and slow. Best used alongside other methods.

Professional Shooting

High immediate impact, especially for pigs. Effective for rapid population reduction when needed.

Environmental Impact

Bowhunting

Minimal. No chemicals, no poison in the food chain, no non-target species affected. Carcasses are disposed of properly.

1080 Baiting

Significant. 1080 enters the food chain through secondary poisoning. Native predators and scavengers are regularly killed.

Trapping

Moderate. Traps don’t introduce chemicals, but non-target captures of native wildlife are a genuine concern.

Professional Shooting

Minimal direct environmental impact. Lead contamination from ammunition is a minor but real concern in some areas.

Ongoing Availability

Bowhunting

Year-round. Hunters are available regularly and keen to come back. Consistent, ongoing pressure on pest populations.

1080 Baiting

Seasonal programs. Usually run once or twice a year through organised campaigns. Gaps between programs allow populations to recover.

Trapping

Requires daily checking while active. Most landowners can’t maintain trapping programs long-term alongside farm work.

Professional Shooting

Available when you book them. Professional shooters are in demand and may not be available when you need them most.

The Bottom Line

No single method is perfect for every property. Aerial shooting can smash a big mob of pigs quickly. Baiting can knock fox numbers down hard during lambing season. Trapping works well for specific problem animals. Each has its place.

But here’s what bowhunting offers that the others don’t: it’s free, it’s silent, it’s safe for your dogs and livestock, it’s ongoing year-round, and it requires zero effort from you. No permits to organise, no baits to lay, no traps to check. Just quiet, consistent pest control from people who are genuinely keen to help.

The smartest approach for most properties is to use bowhunting as your baseline — regular, ongoing pressure that keeps pest numbers down between the bigger knockdown programs. Think of it as your standing pest control, always running in the background, costing you nothing.

In short: Bowhunting won’t replace every other method overnight, but it’s the only one that’s free, silent, ongoing and risk-free to your animals. For most WA farms, it’s a no-brainer to have it running alongside whatever else you’re already doing.

A Quick Word on Animal Welfare

We know some landowners have welfare concerns about bowhunting. That’s fair, and we take it seriously. Here are the facts: a well-placed broadhead arrow causes rapid blood loss and a quick death. Independent studies have found that ethical bowhunting achieves humane kill rates comparable to rifle hunting when practised by experienced hunters.

Our hunters follow the strict ethical guidelines of the Australian Bowhunters Association, including minimum draw weights, appropriate broadhead selection, and only taking shots within effective range. If they’re not confident in the shot, they don’t take it. Simple as that.

Compare this to 1080 poisoning, which causes a slow and distressing death over several hours, or leg-hold traps that restrain animals until someone comes to check them. Every pest control method involves killing animals — the question is how it’s done, and bowhunting, done properly, is among the most humane options available.

Want to add bowhunting to your pest control mix?

It costs nothing and takes two minutes to register. We’ll call you for a chat, explain exactly what to expect, and match you with the right hunters for your property. You set the rules. We make sure they’re followed.

Cost to Landowner

Risk to Dogs & Livestock

Selectivity

Noise

Effectiveness

Environmental Impact

Ongoing Availability

The Bottom Line

A Quick Word on Animal Welfare

Want to add bowhunting to your pest control mix?

Got a feral problem on your property?

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