Pest bird shooting & control
Starlings, Indian mynas, sparrows and feral pigeons hit Peninsula vineyards, orchards and sheds hard. Because they're introduced species they can be controlled without the permit native birds need, and we work them the same way as everything else: identified target, clear backstop, no poison near produce.
Pest bird shooting & control
The birds we control are all introduced species — European starlings, common and Indian mynas, house sparrows, feral pigeons and blackbirds. On a vineyard a flock of starlings can strip ripening fruit in a matter of days, and around sheds and feed rooms they foul feed and spread disease. None of them are protected, so unlike native birds there's no permit to organise before we start.
We draw a hard line at native wildlife. Cockatoos, corellas, galahs and other native birds are protected, and controlling those legally needs an Authority to Control Wildlife that the landholder holds. We don't touch protected species on a verbal say-so — if a native bird is the problem, we'll tell you what the permit involves rather than put you or us on the wrong side of the law.
The method is the same as our fox and rabbit work. Every bird is identified before the shot, with a clear backstop behind it, and there's no poison or bait going anywhere near produce or stock feed. For vineyards and orchards the timing matters most — the job is easiest before the birds settle into a routine on your block, so it pays to get onto it early rather than once the flock is established.
We cover the whole Peninsula, from the Red Hill and Main Ridge vineyards through to the orchards and market gardens around Tyabb and Somerville. First night on a property is a $50 callout, so you can see what we take before committing to a program. Text 0466 659 997.
Common questions
Introduced species that aren't protected — European starlings, common and Indian mynas, house sparrows, feral pigeons and blackbirds. Native birds like cockatoos, corellas and galahs are protected and need an Authority to Control Wildlife, which the landholder arranges first.
Yes. No poison or bait goes near the fruit or the soil. Every bird is identified before the shot with a clear backstop, so it's target-specific and leaves no residue on produce.
Early in the season, before the flock settles into a routine on your block. Once starlings or mynas are established on ripening fruit they are much harder to move, so it pays to get onto it before the damage builds.
What we shoot
No baits, no poisons, no risk to your dogs or stock. Every animal is identified through a thermal scope before a shot is taken.
Night thermal sessions timed around lambing, kidding and poultry losses, with a follow-up visit where numbers need it.
Spring & autumn peakSmall-calibre work around warrens, dams and vineyard rows. We knock numbers down so ripping or fumigation can finish the job.
Year-roundFallow, red and hog deer damaging fences, vines and pasture. Carcasses removed or dressed on site where you want the meat.
Game Licence heldPositive ID only. Collared, ear-tagged or neighbouring pets are never targeted, and we work with the Shire's cat rules.
Bush-edge propertiesShooting around stables, hay sheds, chook pens and feed rooms where baits are a danger to dogs, horses and owls.
Bait-freeIntroduced pest species only — starlings, Indian mynas, sparrows, feral pigeons and blackbirds stripping vineyards and orchards and fouling feed sheds. No native birds targeted.
Vineyards & orchardsWho we work for
Most of our work is for commercial and agricultural operations that lose stock, pasture and produce to feral animals. We run scheduled programs sized to the property, not one-off callouts.
Deer and rabbits stripping shoots and ring-barking young vines. Monthly programs from budburst, worked around cellar-door hours and harvest.
Vineyard controlFox predation on lambs and calves, rabbits in pasture and fodder crops, deer through fences. Per-hectare and per-program rates for working farms.
Commercial farmsRabbits and deer on young trees, seedlings and turf. Bait-free around produce, timed around picking and planting.
Orchards & gardensFoxes around foaling paddocks and rats in feed rooms, all bait-free so your horses, dogs and owls stay safe.
Horse propertiesSmall blocks near town where most shooters can't legally work. We hold the Public Place Permit that makes it possible.
Hobby farmsFox and feral cat control on private land bordering reserves, protecting hooded plovers, bandicoots and native wildlife.
Conservation workWhere we work
From Mount Eliza to Portsea and across to Westernport. Night sessions are usually booked within a week of your assessment, and properties close to townships are handled under our Public Place Permit with local police notified before every job.
How it works
A daytime visit as part of your first-night callout. We walk the boundaries, find sign, map safe firing lanes and neighbours, and agree a plan with you.
Landholder authority signed and police notified. You don't chase anything.
Thermal optics, typically 4 hours from dusk. Every shot taken with a clear backstop and positive identification of the target.
We tell you how many were taken and whether a repeat visit is worth it, timed to when it will have the most effect.
Who you're dealing with
One licensed operator, not a franchise. You deal with the person who turns up, and the same person every visit.
Pricing
Your first night is a flat $50 callout, so you can see the tally before committing to a program. Travel anywhere on the Peninsula is included.
$50 callout covers your first night per property. Multi-property and council or conservation-group work quoted separately. Payment on completion by bank transfer or card.
Why it's done properly
Victorian Category A/B licence endorsed for vermin and feral animal control.
Victoria Police permit for work on semi-rural blocks near houses and roads, with police notified before each job.
Public liability cover written for firearm use on feral and vermin animals. Certificate available on request.
Thermal identification before every shot. Head or chest shots only, and we follow the national humane shooting codes.
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