Professional shooters have taken to the skies over Victoria's High Country to cull feral animals who are making it hard for native plants and animals to recover from this summer’s disastrous bushfires.

A helicopter with shooters on boardtook off on Monday afternoon and will spend this week targeting animals around Mount Buffalo. The hunters will then move on to other alpine spots around Mount Hotham and the Bogong High Country.

The aerial shooting operation is focusing on introduced animals including deer, feral pigs and goats, which can wreak havoc on native vegetation.

The shooters will also target foxes and feral cats, which can have a devastating impact on native animals – particularly after a bushfire when the prey species are more likely to be exposed from loss of habitat and vulnerable to predators.