Restricted Commercial licence

What is commercial hunting?

Commercial hunting or harvesting is hunting for the purpose of selling the meat or any other part of a harvested or captured game animal, usually for human or pet consumption.

In NSW, individuals seeking to hunt feral deer or other game animals for the purpose of selling the meat or carcass must first hold a commercial game hunting licence. There are also licensing and training requirements administered by the NSW Food Authority relating to hygiene, transport and handling of wild animal products.

Commercial hunting licence requirements in NSW are based on international best-practice, ensuring high standards and consistency in harvests to increase public confidence in the sale of wild game meat.

Authority

A NSW Restricted Commercial Game Hunting Licence (R-Commercial) authorises you to:

harvest or capture game and feral animals on public land (with written permission from the land manager)
sell the meat or any other part of the animal
hunt game and other animals for personal consumption or recreation (standard R-Licence authority).

Information on other legal requirements relating to the sale of wild game meat is available from the NSW Food Authority.

Commercial fauna harvesters

In NSW, kangaroos may only be harvested under a Commercial Fauna Harvester Licence issued by the NSW Environment and Heritage. Fauna licensing is in addition to commercial licensing if you seek to target both kangaroos and deer or other game animals.

Eligibility

Applicants for an R-Commercial licence must:

be over 18 years
hold a firearms licence
be a member of an Approved Hunting Organisation (AHO)
become accredited for at least the R-Licence firearms (rifles and shotguns) category
have a written approval to commercially harvest on public land issued by the land manager
provide information on the vehicle to be used while commercially harvesting
pay the licence fee.

Permission to commercially harvest on declared public land

You must apply to the land manager for permission to commercially harvest before lodging an application with NSW DPI.

In most cases this will be the Forestry Corporation of NSW, however you must apply directly to the land manager for some Crown land areas. Contact the Game Licensing Unit on 02 6363 7650 for more information on the area you wish to hunt.

Special conditions

Identification

A vehicle identification sticker is supplied with an R-commercial licence and must be displayed on your vehicle at all times.

This is a mandatory requirement that assists with identification of commercial activities as well as enforcement.

Deer tags

All commercial hunters must purchase deer tags from NSW Department of Primary Industries before harvesting any deer. The fee is $1 per tag.

Tags must be attached to all species of deer immediately after commercial harvesting. It is illegal to have a harvested deer in your possession that is not displaying a tag.

Harvest return forms

You will be provided with quarterly harvest return forms that must be promptly returned when due. Returns must include details of the harvested animals, the location you harvested them from, and details of the person or organisation you sold the harvested animals to.

You must always keep a copy of any submitted form.

Exemptions from regulations

Commercial game hunting licence holders are exempt from regulations applying to the use of spotlights and electronic devices (such as night vision enhancement eyewear), hunting from vehicles and deer seasons. However, these regulations are currently suspended for all Game Hunting Licence holders on all lands across NSW.

Applying

Once you have become a member of an AHO and completed the accreditation requirements you need to apply to the NSW Department of Primary Industries. Use the links at the top of the page to either apply online or submit an application form.

Your application must contain:

a completed and signed R-commercial application form (PDF, 126.25 KB)
a hunter accreditation form (given to you by your facilitator)
written permission to hunt on declared public land
proof of your membership of an AHO
payment - credit card, cheque or money order.

Applications not containing all the required information will be returned to the applicant.

Cost

Licence term	Full rate	Concession rate
1 year	$300	$200
2 years	$550	$367
3 years	$775	$517
4 years	$1000	$666
5 years	$1200	$800

The concession rate is only available to pensioners holding an eligible pension card. Minor hunters are not eligible to hold a commercial licence.

Insurance

Commercial game hunting licences do not include public liability insurance cover. Any insurance is the responsibility of the licence holder.

If you are using your licence for the purposes of private (standard) hunting, your licence includes $25 million public liability cover. You should keep a record of your paid and private hunting to satisfy the insurer should you make a claim.

Apply now

If you are paying by credit card, use the links above to apply or renew online. If you are paying by cheque or money order, use the application forms below.

NSW Restricted (Commercial) Game Hunting Licence - application/renewal form (PDF, 126.25 KB)

NSW Game Hunting Licence - licence replacement form (PDF, 104.41 KB)

NSW (Commercial) Game Hunting Licence - deer tag application form (PDF, 145 KB)