Is it just me or are the patrol missions almost always a bad idea to take? At best I tend to break slightly above even with the wages I have to pay my group as I patrol among settlements.
Last patrol mission I got over 10 000 as reward, killed about 50 poor bastards out there. And there was loot also, so totally it was over 15k, or something like that. Perhaps you will find useful next tip: during your travels remember the areas with lot of raiding parties (bandits, orks, direwolves, goblins…) AND, if you encounter such mission and your employer’s patrol route is positioned nearby those areas – then accept it and go for headhunting. In short words: “Know where to farm heads before you start.”