Where can I hunt?
In NSW, you can hunt on private or public land, provided you hold an appropriate licence (where applicable) and if you have permission to hunt issued by the landholder or manager.
Private land
You do not need a licence if you wish to hunt rabbits, foxes, pigs, goats, deer, hares, feral cats or wild dogs (not dingo) on private land, just permission to hunt from the landowner or manager.
If you wish to hunt game birds (non-indigenous or native game birds) on private land, you must hold a hunting licence (either General or Restricted) unless you are exempt, as well as permission from the landowner or manager.
Public land
If you wish to hunt on public land, you must hold a Restricted licence. Once you are licensed, you are able to gain permission to hunt by logging in to the online licence holder services portal.
Restricted Game Hunting Licence (R-Licence) holders must comply with conditions when they are granted permission to hunt in a NSW State forest. Read the permission conditions for hunting in NSW State forests. You must understand and comply with each condition as penalties may apply to breaches.
Whether you hunt on public or private land, know your biosecurity responsibilities.
Hunting on public land
Public land that is declared for hunting under the Game and Feral Animal Control Act 2002 is then risk assessed and opened to hunters holding an R-Licence, if suitable.
State forests
There are over 2-million hectares of State forest in NSW.
State forests are working forests that accommodate a range of recreational activities, primary production such as grazing and apiary, and timber harvesting alongside hunting. The Forestry Corporation of NSW (FCNSW) carefully balances community access and environmental management with operations to supply timber to the NSW economy; recreational hunting is a mutually beneficial part of this balance.
FCNSW has assessed each declared NSW State forest to decide whether it should be open to R-Licensed hunters. Declared forests are given a category that indicates the timeframes a forest is open for hunting.
We work with FCNSW to issue written permission to hunt on declared public land to eligible R-Licence holders.
Public land hunting is risk assessed
A risk assessment evaluating the safety of hunting on public land was developed in 2005 by a stakeholder working group from government and non-government agencies. Since 2009, an annual review of the risk assessment is conducted at the end of each year. The assessment meets the Australian / New Zealand Standard AS/NZS ISO31000:2009 Risk Management - Principles and Guidelines and the International Standard IEC/ISO 31010 Risk Management - Risk Assessment Techniques.
Forest categories
Declared State forests are made available under the following categories:
- Category 1 - hunting area is open to online bookings 7 days-per-week
- Category 2 - hunting area is open to online bookings on weekends only (if a public holiday falls immediately before or after a weekend, it is classified as a weekend day)
- Category 3 - hunting area is open to online bookings weekdays only.
The category of each forest is determined by FCNSW and can be changed at any time without notice.
You must always check your written permission for the specific conditions and/or advisories that apply to each State forest.
One clear day provision
The one clear day provision is a risk assessment control to assist land managers to schedule work in and around forests where hunting occurs.
One full day must pass between the date a written permission is booked and the time when hunting can commence. For example, if you request written permission on Monday, the earliest you may start hunting is Wednesday.
The one day clear provision only applies to the first written permission issued every day for each State forest that is available for hunting. This means that if you request written permission on Monday and there is already a licence holder in that forest on that day, you may hunt from Monday instead of Wednesday as the one clear day has already been observed by another licence holder.
GPS requirement
R-Licence holders must carry an operational GPS-enabled device when hunting on State forests. This is a mandatory condition for public land hunting. The device can be a smartphone, tablet or specific GPS device.
Each licence holder must:
- have their own GPS-device (except minor hunters, who must hunt in the company of a full licence holder) - groups of hunters cannot share a GPS-device
- have the GPS-device in their possession at all times when hunting
- ensure the GPS-device can locate and display their position at any time when hunting. This does not require hunters to have their GPS on constantly, but to be able to turn it on and locate their position at any time.
The GPS device must:
- contain up-to-date map files showing boundaries and exclusion zones for the applicable forest – it's compulsory to download GPS map data of the forest you have booked.
GPS map downloads are available as:
- Google Earth .kmz files
- .pdf files.
The approved hunting maps are available on the Hunt NSW portal. You can download the maps when you book a hunt, or separately through the public land hunting menu. You need your username and password to access the portal.
Find out more about downloading hunting map GPS files to your smartphone or GPS device.
Non-hunting companions
State forests are there for the whole community and you may have non-hunting companions with you while you hunt. However, unlicensed individuals must at no stage assist in the hunting of game animals by the licensed hunter.
Non-hunting companions must not be in possession of firearms, bows or any other equipment used for hunting including carrying any hunting equipment on behalf of a licensed hunter. Non-hunting companions are permitted to assist a licensed hunter to handle and carry harvested game animal carcasses.
Communicating while in a forest
Written permission holders are encouraged to monitor UHF channel 12 while hunting on declared public land and to use this channel to communicate with other written permission holders.
This is not a mandatory requirement and UHF channel 12 may not be monitored by DPIRD, Crown Lands, FCNSW or other agencies.
Which State forests can I hunt in?
The following map is for information only and does not constitute permission to hunt these areas.
Hunters who hold a NSW Restricted Game Hunting Licence are eligible to apply for written permission to hunt on public land in the following forests.
Please note, if a forest has been declared but does not appear on the Google map it is not open to general hunting. This list is subject to frequent change; always check the current availability by logging in to online licence holder services.
Use this link if you'd like to view the Google map on a mobile or smart device.
