The Perth Hills and Avon Valley corridor is the closest serious hunting country to the metro area. We’re talking Mundaring, Toodyay, Chittering, the Avon Valley proper out through Northam and York. An hour or so from the city and you’re in it. For blokes and girls who can’t get away for a full weekend down south, this is your backyard.
Most of the country here is a mix of hobby farms, lifestyle blocks, orchards and small-scale grazing. Five to fifty acres is typical. The terrain is rolling hills, wandoo woodland, open paddocks and creek lines running through. It’s not dense bush like the South West jarrah forests, but there’s enough cover to make stalking interesting and enough open ground to spot movement early.
What Pests Are Out Here?
Foxes
Foxes are everywhere through the hills. Poultry keepers hate them. Hobby farmers with chooks, ducks and guinea fowl lose stock constantly. During lambing season on the bigger blocks, foxes are the number one headache. Quiet control with a bow is perfect here because most of these properties have neighbours close by. No gunshots, no drama. The fox predation page covers the damage in detail.
Rabbits
Rabbits are a constant here. Every second property has warrens. They hammer gardens, orchards and young plantings. Market gardeners in the hills corridor are especially keen for help. Good practice for newer hunters working on their fieldcraft and shot placement.
Pigs
Feral pigs pop up in the deeper valleys, especially around Toodyay and through the Avon Valley. Toodyay Shire alone pulled hundreds between 2021 and 2023. They move through the bush corridors and hit farms along the creek lines. Not as thick as the Peel or Darling Scarp, but they’re there.
Finding Properties
The Perth Hills is all about community Facebook groups. These are the places where hobby farmers post about foxes taking their chooks or pigs rooting up the horse paddock. You’re not asking for hunting access — you’re offering a free solution to a problem they already have. Read the full land access guide for the approach that works.
Key groups to join: Perth Hills Community, Avon Valley Buy/Sell, Toodyay Community, Mundaring Community Noticeboard, and any local classifieds for the corridor. When someone posts about pest damage, that’s your opening. Keep it casual, keep it helpful. Frame it as pest control, not hunting.
Women hunters often get a great reception from hobby farm owners in the hills. A lot of the property owners here are couples running small blocks together, and having a woman in the conversation can ease the “stranger with a weapon” worry straight away. If your partner hunts, mention it early. It changes the dynamic completely.
What Landowners Need
Most property owners in the hills are lifestyle or hobby farmers. They’re not broadacre blokes who’ve dealt with shooters their whole lives. A lot of them have never had a hunter on their place. They need reassurance: that you’re insured through your ABA membership, that you’re quiet and clean, that you won’t spook their horses or leave a mess.
Flexibility matters here. Some of these blocks are small — you might only be hunting a 10-acre patch. Be happy with that. Knock over a couple of foxes, pull some rabbits, and suddenly you’re the bloke they recommend to their neighbours. That’s how access grows. Read the land access guide for the full picture on building trust.
Tips for the Hills
Terrain & Landscape
Expect a mix of cleared paddocks, wandoo and marri woodland, granite outcrops and creek lines. The Avon River corridor creates natural movement paths for pigs and foxes. Properties range from manicured hobby farms to rougher bush blocks that haven’t been touched in years. The steeper gullies and creek lines hold the best cover for stalking, while the open paddocks are where you’ll spot foxes working at dusk.
Access roads are generally good — most properties have bitumen or well-maintained gravel. You won’t need a serious 4WD for most of the hills corridor, though some of the back blocks around Toodyay and Julimar get a bit gnarly in winter. Pack a decent pair of boots and be ready for rocky ground underfoot. The getting started guide covers gear basics.
If you reckon the Perth Hills sounds like your patch, get into those community groups and start offering help. The ferals aren’t going anywhere, and neither are the landowners who want them gone. Check the ethics page before you head out — doing it right is what keeps access open for everyone.
