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Professional Shooter salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for a professional shooter is $67,600 per annum, before tax, up $14,100 since 2018.
DerivedIndicative estimate, not yet verified against official Jobs and Skills Australia / ABS data · Estimate
- Most professional shooters work as sole traders or contractors rather than employees, so income follows the job: per-head bounties, daily rates or a contract fee for a property.
- Government agencies and larger conservation bodies offer the steadiest arrangements, while private landholder work swings with the season and the pest numbers.
- Your firearms licence categories, any public land accreditation and your insurance all affect the work you can take on.
The median salary rose by $14,100 between 2018 and 2024; the dashed line shows a projection to 2028 based on the real ABS Wage Price Index growth rate, not a role-specific forecast.
Roles that pay more than professional shooter
The largest typical pay rise is $34,000 a year, moving into Park Ranger.
- Park Ranger+$34,000/yr
- Biosecurity Officer+$23,400/yr
- Weeds Officer+$7,800/yr
How to negotiate a higher professional shooter salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time professional shooter salary is $67,600; use that, not a guess, as your anchor, and adjust for your experience and employer.
- Lead with what's scarce, not just tenure. Skills like Field inspection and testing and Environmental assessment tend to command a premium over general professional shooter experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Bring a real alternative to the table. Park Ranger pays a typical $34,000 a year more and draws on similar skills, even mentioning you're weighing it up is a legitimate data point in a pay conversation.
- Time it deliberately. Reviews, the end of a project you delivered, or taking on responsibility beyond your job description are stronger moments to ask than an arbitrary date on the calendar.
- Ask for a number, not a raise. "Based on the market rate and [specific contribution], I'd like to move to X" gets a clearer answer than "I think I deserve more."
Professional Shooter salary questions
How much do professional shooters earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for a professional shooter is $67,600 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is professional shooter pay rising or falling?
The median professional shooter salary is up $14,100 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
What pays more than professional shooter?
Park Ranger pays a typical $34,000 a year more and draws on similar skills to professional shooter.
Related salaries
- Weeds Officer salary
- Park Ranger salary
- Biosecurity Officer salary
- Fisheries Officer salary
- Snake Catcher salary
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Ranger salary
Pay advice
- How to ask for a pay rise, and back it up with real numbersWhat national wage growth looks like right now, how to work out a figure for your own role, wording you can adapt for the conversation, and what to do if the answer is no.
- The average salary in Australia (2026)Full-time adults in Australia averaged $2,083.70 a week in May 2026. Several measures get called the average salary, and this explains which one fits your situation.
- Overtime pay, time in lieu and what your award saysOvertime rates come from your award or agreement, not one national rule. How rates work, what happens on a salary, and how time off in lieu works.