Balloted hunting in NSW
Balloted hunts: Monday 1 March 2021 - Monday 3 May 2021
Some NSW State forests are more popular with R-Licensed hunters than others. Bookings in these popular forests can sometimes be hard to secure, especially during the peak hunting period of March and April each year. To ensure hunter access and participation is managed sustainably and contributes positively to the NSW economy, the DPI Game Licensing Unit administers balloted hunting in some of these higher profile forests to provide fair and equitable opportunity to hunt for all R-Licensed hunters.
Despite devastating bush fires and COVID-19 restrictions that resulted in cancellation of some 2020 balloted hunts, we've been able to secure the Mannus State Forest Bow Hunting Ballot for 2021 and transfer the cancelled April 2020 hunts for Maragle South State Forest.
Mannus State Forest and Maragle South State Forest will be removed from the open booking system during the balloted months, March and April 2021. Normal bookings for R-Licensed hunters resume in early May.
Only individuals who hold a current NSW Restricted Game Hunting Licence (including minor R-Licences) are eligible to register for balloted hunts.
2021 Ballot draw results
The ballot was drawn on Thursday 3 December 2020 at 2 pm. Winning registration numbers can be viewed via the links below and successful hunters will be notified by email.
Mannus State Forest Bow Hunting Only 2021 ballot results
Mannus State Forest Bow Hunting Only youth 2021 ballot results
About balloted hunts
Mannus State Forest - bow hunting only ballot
- Bow hunting only - no other hunting methods permitted.
- Balloted hunts are for March 2021.
- Hunts during April 2021 will be allocated to winners of the 2020 ballot who were unable to attend the forest due to COVID-19 (coronavirus) restrictions.
- Each ballot period is four (4) days during March and April 2021.
- A maximum of two (2) hunters are permitted to hunt at any one time (except for during the youth period).
- Nine (9) ballot periods and 18 written permissions are available for allocation.
- One (1) ballot period is reserved for youth hunts.
Maragle South State Forest ballot
- There will be no ballot for 2021 hunts in Maragle South State Forest.
- Maragle South State Forest will be closed to general bookings during March and April.
- Hunts during March 2021 will be allocated to winners of the 2020 ballot who were unable to attend the forest due to COVID-19 (coronavirus) restrictions.
- Maragle South State Forest will be closed in April 2021, as Forestry Corporation of NSW (FCNSW) have advised they will be conducting Hazard Reduction Burning.
Mannus State Forest ballot
- There will be no ballot for 2021 hunts in the main section of Mannus State Forest.
- FCNSW have advised that Mannus State Forest will remain closed to the general public next year, as bush fire salvage operations continue.
- All cancelled 2020 ballot hunts are postponed until further notice.
Requirements
In addition to a current R-Licence, ballot entrants must also have completed the additional training to allow a written permission to be issued if successful. The additional training has been simplified - R-Licence holders can simply watch the new public land hunting tutorial video and complete the declaration to meet this requirement.
Normal booking rules apply. R-Licence holders may only have two concurrent Written Permissions at any time and hunters must ensure they have no outstanding harvest returns and no more than one hunt booked.
Youth hunts
Written permissions are reserved for a youth hunt in one ballot period for the Mannus State Forest Bow Hunting Only ballot:
- Period 5: Wednesday 17 March - Saturday 20 March 2020
One Written Permission is allocated to an eligible youth holding a minor's R-Licence and the other is allocated to an adult holding a standard R-Licence. The minor hunter must always hunt in the company of the fully licensed adult hunter according to the conditions of their licence.
To register for a youth hunt, the primary applicant (adult) must register for the ballot, indicate they are registering as part of a group hunt and create a name for your group (e.g. the primary applicant’s (adult's) last name). The secondary applicant (minor) must then register using the same group name.
2021 balloted hunt periods
| Period 1 Monday 1 March - Thursday 4 March | Period 2 Friday 5 March - Monday 8 March | Period 3 Tuesday 9 March - Friday 12 March | Period 4 Saturday 13 March - Tuesday 16 March |
| Period 5 (youth) Wednesday 17 March - Saturday 20 March | Period 6 Sunday 21 March - Wednesday 24 March | Period 7 Thursday 25 March - Sunday 28 March | Period 8 Monday 29 March - Thursday 1 April |
| Period 9 Friday 2 April - Monday 5 April | Period 10 Tuesday 6 April - Friday 9 April | Period 11 Saturday 10 April - Tuesday 13 April | Period 12 Wednesday 14 April - Saturday 17 April |
| Period 13 Sunday 18 April - Wednesday 21 April | Period 14 Thursday 22 April - Sunday 25 April | Period 15 Monday 26 April - Thursday 29 April | Period 16 Friday 30 April - Monday 3 May |
Terms & conditions
- By entering the 2021 ballot, licence holders agree to the collection and retention of personal information and for NSW DPI to apply for and issue written permission to hunt on their behalf.
- Hunters must observe their written permission conditions, including all standard rules and regulations as well as the rules governing this ballot.
- Hunters will receive official notification if successfully drawn in the ballots.
More information
If you have any questions about the ballot, contact our Wildlife Management Team on ballotedhunting@dpi.nsw.gov.au.
2020 ballot statistics
Maragle South State Forest ballot
No. of Written Permissions available | 51 |
Total no. of ballot registrations | 1,332 |
No. of eligible ballot registrations | 1,059 |
Registration error rate | 20.5% |
No. of individual hunter registrations | 1,051 |
No. of youth group ballot registrations | 8 |
Chance of drawing a Written Permission | 4.8% |
| |
Mannus State Forest ballot
No. of Written Permissions available | 64 |
Total no. of ballot registrations | 951 |
No. of eligible ballot registrations | 690 |
Registration error rate | 27.4% |
No. of individual hunter registrations | 685 |
No. of youth group ballot registrations | 5 |
Chance of drawing a Written Permission | 9.3% |
| |
Mannus State Forest - bow hunting only ballot
No. of Written Permissions available | 32 |
Total no. of ballot registrations | 352 |
No. of eligible ballot registrations | 234 |
Registration error rate | 33.5% |
No. of individual hunter registrations | 232 |
No. of youth group ballot registrations | 2 |
Chance of drawing a Written Permission | 13.7% |
| |
2019 ballot statistics
No. of Written Permissions available | 115 |
Total no. of ballot registrations | 1,463 |
No. of eligible ballot registrations | 1,063 |
Registration error rate | 27.3% |
No. of individual hunter registrations | 1,444 |
No. of youth group ballot registrations | 19 |
Chance of drawing a Written Permission | 10.8% |
Hunters who did not meet entry requirements such as completing online training and submitting harvest returns were removed from the ballot before the draw. | |
2018 ballot statistics
No. of Written Permissions available | 115 |
Total no. of ballot registrations | 851 |
No. of eligible ballot registrations | 734 |
Registration error rate | 13.7% |
No. of individual hunter registrations | 829 |
No. of youth group ballot registrations | 11 |
Chance of drawing a Written Permission | 15.7% |
There was a 28% error rate among hunters who were drawn in the ballot - these hunters did not meet the eligibility requirements relating to harvest returns and additional training. Successful hunters who did not meet these requirements were removed from the ballot and replaced by hunters drawn from the emergency list. | |
2017 ballot statistics
No. of Written Permissions available | 115 |
Total no. of ballot registrations | 714 |
No. of eligible ballot registrations | 661 |
Registration error rate | 8% |
No. of individual hunter registrations | 368 |
No. of youth group ballot registrations | 173 |
Chance of drawing a Written Permission | 22% |
| |
