20,000 hunters licensed and 178 forests re-declared for hunting

 Tuesday, May 7th, 2013
Media release: Game Council NSW

There’s never been a better time to hunt in NSW – and the 20,000 NSW hunters who hold current game hunting licences issued by Game Council NSW couldn’t agree more.

The 20,000 licences milestone, reached at the beginning of May, reflects the commitment of the hunting community to... support the tightest public land hunting regulations in the country.

“Our licensing system was introduced in 2002 and the uptake of licences hasn’t stopped growing since,” Chairman John Mumford said earlier today.

Game Council has been at the forefront of an important cultural change in the hunting community. Hunters want to be responsible, legal and insured and are demonstrating a level of professionalism that has not been seen in the community before.

“For me this all about hunter education,” Mr Mumford said. “This milestone means that 20,000 hunters have received important training focused on firearms safety, legislative compliance, animal welfare and hunter ethics. They have committed themselves to ongoing education and to uphold a comprehensive Code of Practice.”

The record licence peak has coincided with the recent re-declaration of 178 State forests for a further 10 years.

“These re-declarations demonstrate the Government’s continued support for licensed hunters and reflect the impeccable safety record of public land hunting in NSW - in over 80,000 hunting days there have been no serious injuries or fatalities involving hunters, workers or the public.”

Game Council licensed hunters have removed over 91,000 game and feral animals from public land in NSW, with numbers expected to exceed 100,000 in a few months. They also cover all their own costs and are estimated to contribute over $1.3 million annually to the NSW economy.
-ends-