A booming population of introduced species, thanks mainly to the large amount of rain that has fallen in the last few years, has prompted the NSW Government to redeclare 351 NSW State Forests for hunting.

There have been 358 State forests declared for hunting since 2014. The current declarations expired on Saturday 3 February 2024 and this redeclaration simply continues the existing arrangements for recreational hunting on public land that have occurred since 2006.

Despite widespread agreement of the need to rein in the explosion of feral animals, the recent declaration does not appear to expand the opportunity to hunt in our region's state forests.

Simple maths skills will tell prospective hunters that seven forests have NOT been redeclared for hunting.

These include some local areas.

• East of Nymagee and west of the Five Ways (some hunting exclusion and one total exclusion)
• West of Gulargambone, including one area of total exclusion
• the Narraway State Forest east of Quambone
• In the Pilliga West State Forest
• Along the Castlereagh Hwy south west of Gilgandra
• Near Gilgunnia

According to the NSW Department of Primary Industries, hunting is a safe, recreational activity that occurs alongside many other users in State Forests. Hunting on public land is risk-assessed to international standards and reviewed every year to ensure its effectiveness.

Areas near Nymagee and Gilgunnia where hunting is excluded. Red areas are full exclusion. SOURCE: Forestry Corporation

For the safety of everyone, there are strict rules to follow.

Only hunters who hold a NSW Restricted Game Hunting Licence (R-Licence) and written permission to hunt may enter public lands with hunting equipment. All licence holders must comply with the NSW Game Hunting Licence Code of Practice which sets out important principles relating to hunting, animal welfare and the use of firearms. Licence holders are subject to severe penalties for breaches of the code.

Areas north west of Gulargambone/Armatree include some full exclusion zones where hunting is not permitted. SOURCE: Forestry Corp.

As well as licence conditions that are set out in hunting legislation, licensed hunters must comply with 22 general written permission conditions for public land hunting, including:

• carry a GPS-enabled device containing approved hunting maps that display the hunting and exclusion areas
• wear an item of blaze orange externally on the upper part of the body
• rules for transporting firearms and other hunting equipment.

Suitably licensed hunters can only hunt non-indigenous species; deer, pig, goat, rabbit, hare, cat, dog (not dingo). The species must also be shown on their written permission for a particular forest to be legally hunted. Native animals must not be hunted on public land.

Should you witness illegal hunting incidents, DPI advice reporting these DPI Hunting and providing as much detail as possible, such as car registration plates.

For more information on redeclared forests or hunting visit this site.