Licensed recreational hunters will once again get the opportunity to hunt some of NSW's most sought-after hunting forests during March and April 2026, with registrations for the annual public land hunting ballot opening on Monday.
Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) Executive Director Forestry & Hunting, Dean Kearney said that a ballot system is used each year to provide a fair and transparent way for hunters to secure access to Maragle South State Forest and Mannus State Forest during the peak season.
"To ensure the safety of all forest users, the number of licensed hunters allowed to hunt in State forests that are declared and open to hunting on any day is restricted based on the available hunting area," Mr Kearney said.
"Only current NSW R-Licence holders are eligible to register for balloted hunts.
"This annual ballot for March and April bookings replaces the usual first-in, first-served booking system that is used for the rest of the year in these two forests.
"The ballot covers bookings between 1 March to 3 May 2026, with ballot winners allocated a 4-day written permission to hunt from 16 periods on offer.
"During the balloted period, normal online bookings for Maragle South State Forest and Mannus State Forest will be unavailable and only ballot winners issued written permission to hunt during this period.
"All other NSW State Forests that are declared and open to hunting will be available for booking as normal during March and April 2026.
Mr Kearney said there is over 2-million hectares of declared hunting State forest in NSW, of which 1.2 million hectares is currently open and available to licensed hunting.
"Hunting on public land is strictly regulated in NSW and underpinned by a risk assessment ensuring that it is undertaken safely," Mr Kearney said.
"All hunters must comply with a range of conditions when hunting on declared public land, including licence conditions, general permission and forest specific conditions, and the NSW Game Hunting Licence Code of Practice.
"Only game and feral animals listed on a licensed hunter's written permission may be targeted, including deer, feral pigs, goats, foxes, hares, rabbits, feral cats and wild dogs."
R-Licensed hunters interested in hunting these popular forests during March and April next year have until 10am on Monday 8 December 2025 to register for the ballot. There is no fee for entering the ballot.
The ballot will be drawn on Wednesday 10 December. Hunters successful in securing a balloted hunt will be notified by email and the results will also be published on the DPIRD website.
To check your eligibility and register for the public land hunting ballot visit https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/hunting/where-can-i-hunt/balloted-hunting-nsw
