Why Bowhunters Are the Best Pest Controllers You Never Knew About

Because it’s a fair exchange. You have land with a pest problem. Bowhunters have the skills, the gear and the time to solve that problem. The only thing they lack is somewhere to do it — because in Western Australia, all bowhunting happens on private property with the landowner’s permission. There is no public land hunting in this state.

So the deal is simple: you get free pest control, and they get access to land where they can practise their craft. You’re not paying them. They’re not paying you. Both sides get exactly what they need. It’s the kind of arrangement that’s been working between farmers and hunters for generations — we just make it easier to find each other and ensure everyone follows the rules.

Bowhunters cover all their own costs — fuel, gear, time, the lot. They hold their own ABA insurance. They dispose of carcasses. They report back after every visit. You literally don’t need to lift a finger or open your wallet.

This isn’t a subscription service. There’s no contract, no minimum commitment, no lock-in period. If you register your property and decide after the first chat that it’s not for you — no worries. If you try it for a few months and want to stop — one phone call and it’s done. No notice period, no hard feelings, no hassle.

You’re in complete control the entire time. You decide which pests to target, when visits happen, which areas are accessible, and how you want communication handled. Nothing changes without your say-so. You set the rules. We make sure they’re followed. If you want to see exactly how the process works from start to finish, the what to expect page walks you through every step.

We know the concern: “What kind of people am I letting onto my property?” It’s a fair question, and it’s the main reason we built this the way we did. Every bowhunter in our network is vetted before they’re matched with any landowner. Here’s what that means:

Feral animals cost Australian agriculture billions of dollars every year. In WA alone, feral pigs cause millions in damage to crops, infrastructure and water supplies. Foxes kill thousands of lambs across the state each year. Feral deer are multiplying faster than current control methods can handle.

Under the Biosecurity and Agriculture Management Act, WA landowners are legally obligated to manage declared pest species on their property. That’s a responsibility that can feel like a burden — especially when the traditional methods cost money, take time, and don’t always work as well as you’d hope. The comparison page shows how bowhunting stacks up against 1080 baiting, trapping and shooting.

Bowhunters offer a piece of the puzzle that fills a gap nothing else does: free, ongoing, silent pest control that puts zero risk on your livestock and working dogs. It doesn’t replace everything else, but it’s the perfect complement to whatever you’re already doing. And it costs you absolutely nothing.

The landowners who’ve tried this consistently say the same things: they wish they’d done it sooner, the hunters are more respectful and reliable than they expected, and the ongoing nature of it makes a real difference compared to the one-off baiting programs.

Farmers in the South West have seen pig numbers drop significantly on properties where bowhunters visit regularly. Hobby farmers in the Perth Hills have finally got on top of the fox problem that was wiping out their poultry. Wheatbelt grain growers have found consistent rabbit control without the hassle of laying and maintaining poison baits.

The extra set of eyes on the property is something landowners mention again and again. Hunters report on fence damage, water trough issues, pest activity patterns and anything else they notice while they’re out there. It’s like having a free property scout who also happens to be taking care of your feral problem.