Pros vs Amateurs is there a big difference?

Varminting and vertebrate pest control. Small game, hunting feral goats, foxes, dogs, cats, rabbits etc.

Re: Pros vs Amateurs is there a big difference?

Post by Bill » 11 Oct 2020, 9:56 pm

A professional shooter is someone who derives the bulk of their income from shooting animals for a living.

I've a few mates who do it as a full time gig and its a far from glamorous job. Windy nights, fog, rain, no feed, no game and animals that never settle, plenty of frustration.

Scopes and rifles that play up and rigs that get bogged and breakdown......

Just imagine the wear and tear of 1300kg of Roo's does to a Cruiser or Pootrol that already weighs 3200kg with water and a 42 pin rack, thats 4500kgs 4 or 5 night a weeks lugging about, driving up to 150km each way to put em in the Bin, tags and then load out once a week

Professional V Amateur WTF you either do it or ya mucking about at the edges
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Re: Pros vs Amateurs is there a big difference?

Post by animalpest » 11 Oct 2020, 10:04 pm

Ooo Grandadbushy I am so with you.

After 40 years, my body is not as it used to be. But then, I do more of the thinking today than the field stuff.

Mindset is the most important aspect. My company is built on my reputation. And an employee can do huge damage to that in an instant.

Some jobs we don't do for a profit. Once I put $50K of my own money into a project when the funding dried up. It was too important a conservation work to let go for a year and have the foxes wipe out turtle nests again.

Profit does not drive me. Otherwise doing conservation work wouldn't be on my agenda as a businessman. But it does.

That is why I support weekenders doing great work on ferals.

My aim is to simply make them better.
And weed out the d*ckheads.

One of the questions at interviews I ask prospective emplyees is - "what's your view on cats?". If they answer I hate them, they should all be dead etc, they are shown the door. Their mindset, for my business, is not conducive to treating animals with respect. I hate what cats do. Feral cats are a problem. We kill them because they are a problem, not because they are cats.
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Re: Pros vs Amateurs is there a big difference?

Post by Grandadbushy » 11 Oct 2020, 10:11 pm

Well Bill ''WTF'' is some do it some don't if it's mucking about at the edges so what mate, if it is what you want then you have every right to do it , nobody is saying there is a competition going on between pro and amateur it's what difference is between them that's not saying that pros are some type of bad ass , ''no'' they are just people looking after their interests and amateurs shouldn't be made think their efforts are futile in the pest control arena like '' you either do it or you are just mucking around the edges '' good one Bill but i think many on here wouldn't put it that way. Cheers :thumbsup: :drinks:
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Re: Pros vs Amateurs is there a big difference?

Post by Grandadbushy » 11 Oct 2020, 10:26 pm

Yes animalpest i take my hat off to you for the way you operate with the animals and the work you do and i'm hearing you with the employee bit in that just one has a brain lapse and it could wipe you out as far as reputation goes and almost impossible to regain , my situation is based on reputation as well as i believe that's the only way to gain trust from potential clients ie word of mouth, trust and respect is what makes us proud in what we do so lose them and it becomes an almost impossible situation. :thumbsup: And good luck with the D!@k heads mate big job :thumbsup: :lol: :drinks:
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Re: Pros vs Amateurs is there a big difference?

Post by Bill » 12 Oct 2020, 5:53 am

Just my take Grandadbushy, what's the competition bit about and bad ass ??

mate I just stated the reality of a professional shooters life. It ain't glamorous and there is no bad ass about it. Its hard work in very average conditions but it can be financially rewarding for the guys who work the ass off and do it well. :thumbsup:
When a guy is digging his own grave, you don’t fight him for the shovel.

Success leaves clues, Fools follow failure !

20 Hornet, 218 Bee, 222 Rem, 256 WM, 6mm ARC, 6.5 Grendel, 6.5x55 Scan, 270 Win, 357 Mag, 358 Win, 9.3x62, 500 A Square
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Re: Pros vs Amateurs is there a big difference?

Post by animalpest » 12 Oct 2020, 8:03 am

Just an interesting point is that I have competency tested plenty of blokes who want to get their "pro" roo shooters licence. Test only involves an accuracy test - 5 shots into 75mm at 100m at night.

Some guys take 3,4 and more targets to pass.

The test is really a bit of a joke.
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Re: Pros vs Amateurs is there a big difference?

Post by mchughcb » 12 Oct 2020, 8:16 am

Hmmm thats bad. I'm surprised they make any money.
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Re: Pros vs Amateurs is there a big difference?

Post by Grandadbushy » 12 Oct 2020, 10:21 am

That's fair enough Bill and i agree it's not for everybody it is a thankless job at times but can be rewarding at times as well
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Re: Pros vs Amateurs is there a big difference?

Post by marksman » 12 Oct 2020, 12:19 pm

just to add that some people think the use of moderators quietens the shot but in my experience the only quiet shooting is with a rimfire 22,
the moderators can make the sound seem like it comes from somewhere else but they are still bloody noisey,
when l drive for a pro he shoots above me off a deck over the cab and l need hearing protection as l cop the blast, the size of the cans he uses are similar to the size of a large thermos, the shot from a 22br without is about the same as a 223 but with the can it is about a bit more than a 22 mag.
a 308 ect... is still very loud, l've often thought it was more for the paperwork than for the cull :unknown:

there is a hell of a lot of time sitting out waiting for a shot sometimes and the area can be baited with the use of trail cameras to find out more information
l have spent 7 nights in a row sitting out in the freezing cold for nothing and the camera will show the night l was not there the pest was :unknown:
it is work :thumbsup:
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Re: Pros vs Amateurs is there a big difference?

Post by Tilb004 » 12 Oct 2020, 3:39 pm

animalpest wrote:As a pro that runs a company that employs many, to me it is only two things - getting the job done with the best outcome and making a profit.

So what that means is I will look at new/high tech equipment and ask "Do we really need this" and "will it really give me a better job outcome"? If not, I don't buy it. I can't afford "toys" for work, I buy tools I need. I buy what is capable of the task, is reliable, cost effective and efficient.

Equipment doesnt necessarily "wane" when you become a full time pro, but you do look at costs more so than doing as a hobby. You need to factor replacement of equipment, losses, damage etc into your profits. To me, I have rifles for different types of work - cheap air rifles, expensive ones, old Lithgow .22 rifles (often our daily rifles!) heavy barreled ones, hunting weight ones, big calibres and little ones, bolts, levers, break open and semiauto. And scopes to match. If we don't have one perfect for a specific job we have one that will do. If it looks like we need one on a regular basis, we buy one for it. My calibres are - air rifle, .22, .22 mag, .22 hornet, .204.222, .223, .243, 25/06, .308, 375, 44 mag and shotguns.

What many people do to their 4x4 on the weekend I would never do! It's gotta be reliable in the long haul and take me to the desert and back tomorrow if called to do so. It's a changed mind set for everything.

Tilb004 - Victor Soft Catch are pretty good. Just make sure you only trap on your own property. The Animal Welfare Act requires you to be licenced in WA otherwise.

Ok cheers mate .

Grandadbushy - some pro's do a "set" job - like roo shooters. Others do everything from rabbits to buffalo and everything in between, from hunting to spotlighting, aerial shooting or just plain shooting. I am the latter.
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