Banjo,
Why don't you buy (a share in) a helicopter ? Then, do your PPL much more cheaply as long as you don't crash and then if you don't want to continue to CPL you can play as much as you want, sell again or trade up.
If you do want CPL, sell the chopper or use it to build hours cheaply and then you use it commercially eg. instruction afterwards. Friend of mine did just that here.
Also, apart from eg. off shore guys, many experienced heli pilots and for that matter, airline guys, have second businesses often not related to aviation, on the side. Most guys like us who paid for the training (rather than military route) are half decent at something else and make some real cash that way.
You don't have to be full time either - plenty part time instructors. Depends on your addiction (which it is by the way.).
Oh yes, and we rarely shoot animals dead. Only in fact in a cull which can be a bit sickening or if the animal's been wounded, say by a hunter. Usually we are darting for capture or with a vaccine or an injured animal that needs attention. That's actually pretty rewarding. And a wee bit challenging at times...