NSW Department of Primary Industries

Information for hunters

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Digital hunter diary

You can meet your allocation and harvest requirements for the Native Game Bird Management Program by using the digital hunter diary. This is an editable PDF form.

  • Make sure you have the free Adobe Acrobat Reader on your smart device before using the form.
  • If you will be hunting across multiple properties and/or licences, you may need to assign a new file name each time you use the form.

Download the digital hunter diary (PDF, 160.08 KB)

Download the Native Game Bird Hunter Kit ( PDF, 724.29 KB)

The NSW Native Game Bird Management Program allows licensed hunters to help landholders manage the impacts of native game birds on their agricultural crops. It is legislated under the Game and Feral Animal Control Act 2002 and its Regulation 2022.

How to get involved

To take part in the Native Game Bird Management Program, you must:

You must provide evidence that you have passed the WIT for your licence to be endorsed for the Program. Once you are endorsed, we will send you a new game hunting licence card and 'GB' will be printed in the special conditions section on the rear of the card.

Existing licence holders

If you already hold a NSW General or Restricted Game Hunting Licence, email a copy of your Victorian Game Licence card, Victorian MyGL record or WIT certificate to hunting@dpi.nsw.gov.au. Ensure you include your NSW Game Hunting Licence number so we can update your licence.

New licence applicants

You can apply for either a NSW General or Restricted Game Hunting Licence to qualify for the Native Game Bird Management Program and provide evidence you have passed the WIT with your application.

There are extra training requirements for a Restricted licence as it provides for hunting on both private and public land. If you do not wish to access these public land hunting opportunities, simply apply for a General licence.

If you are paying by credit card, use the online licence application form for priority processing.

About the program

Before native game birds can be hunted in NSW, private lands must be covered by a Native Game Bird Management (Owner/Occupier) Licence and there must be a total allocation of game birds applied to the licence.

Permission to hunt

Once you are endorsed for the Program, you must have permission to a hunt from a licensed landholder. Having permission before you enter a property is one of the principles in the NSW Game Hunting Licence Code of Practice. Complying with the code of practice is a mandatory condition of NSW Game Hunting Licences.

When you receive permission to hunt, you must ask for the landholder's Native Game Bird Management (Owner/Occupier) Licence number so you can find out the total allocations attached to that licence and record these in your hunter diary.

You should also ask the landholder about property boundaries, use of dogs and what to be aware of while hunting on their lands.

Find landholders who need help

To find landholders who need help managing native game birds you can:

  • add your name to the Hunter Register
  • access the Landholder Register.

Both registers are available by logging into online licence holder services using your licence number and security PIN, then accessing the Native Game Bird Management Portal.

Hunter Register

You can list your name and contact information on the Hunter Register to let licensed landholders know you are seeking permission to hunt native game birds. Register your details using the online form available on the portal. Licensed landholders can access the register to find volunteer hunters and the dates they are available.

Landholder Register

Licensed landholders seeking hunters to help manage native game birds are invited to list their details on the Landholder Register. You can download the register from the portal.

Landholders may add or remove their details voluntarily at any time and we cannot guarantee there will be entries on the register. DPI will not provide the contact information of any landholders not listed on the Landholder Register.

If you're unable to login online, contact the Wildlife Management Support Team on gamebirds@dpi.nsw.gov.au or 02 6363 7650.

Hunting rules

Once endorsed for the program, you must comply with the special native game bird licence conditions, which are in addition to your standard licence conditions and other hunting legislation.

Using your Native Game Bird Hunter Diary

You can use either a physical or digital hunter diary (PDF, 160.08 KB) to record licence allocations and your harvests. You must have one full diary page completed every time you leave a licensed property, even if you will continue hunting later.

Before you hunt

You must obtain and record the number and type of native game birds remaining for the Native Game Bird Management (Owner/Occupier) Licence total allocation, in the Native Game Bird Hunter Diary supplied by the Regulatory Authority no more than 48 hours before commencing your hunt.

How to look up the total licence allocation
  1. Login to online licence holder services using your game hunting licence number and security PIN.
  2. Select the native game bird portal.
  3. Enter the landholder’s Native Game Bird Management (Owner/Occupier) Licence number to see the total available licence allocation.

When you leave a property

Each time you leave a property, even if you will continue hunting on the same trip, you must record the total number and type of native game birds harvested in your Native Game Bird Hunter Diary.

This means you must have one diary page for each property you hunt.

If the properties are under the same Native Game Bird Management (Owner/ Occupier) Licence, you may continue to use the total licence allocation numbers you recorded before beginning to hunt.

After you hunt

When you have finished hunting, you must lodge a Native Game Bird Harvest Return with the Regulatory Authority, recording the total number and type of native game birds harvested under the Native Game Bird Management (Owner/Occupier) Licence, within 48 hours of completion of your hunt.

If you did not hunt or were not successful, you do not need to submit a nil return, but you must have completed diary pages relating to your hunt.

How to lodge your native game bird harvest return
  1. Login to online licence holder services using your game hunting licence number and security PIN.
  2. Select the native game bird portal.
  3. Enter the landholder’s Native Game Bird Management (Owner/ Occupier) Licence number.
  4. Select ‘Return’, next to the total allocation information.
  5. Enter the date started, date finished and the number of game birds harvested across all properties you hunted.
  6. Submit your return and note your native game bird harvest reference number.
www.dpi.nsw.gov.au