The Short Answer
Yes. As a landholder in NSW you can shoot feral animals on your own rural property, and in fact you are legally expected to control them. There are two conditions, a firearms licence and permission, and one important exception, native animals like kangaroos, which are protected and need a separate licence.
That is the headline. The detail matters, because the rules differ by species and by whether you are on your own land or someone else’s. Here is the plain-English version, assembled from the NSW rules that are otherwise scattered across NSW Police, NSW DPIRD, and National Parks and Wildlife Service.
This is general information to help you understand the rules, not legal advice. Firearms and pest laws change, so confirm the current requirements with the NSW Police Firearms Registry and NSW DPIRD before you act.
The Two Things You Need: A Firearms Licence and Permission
A firearms licence with the right genuine reason
To use a firearm in NSW you need a current firearms licence, and that licence has to record a genuine reason that covers pest control. Two genuine reasons qualify:
- Primary production, for owners, managers, or lessees of land used for farming and grazing. This authority covers using firearms in connection with your farming activities, including controlling vertebrate pests.
- Recreational hunting and vermin control, for people actively controlling pest animals, supported either by being the landholder or by a signed permission to shoot letter.
Most farm work is done with Category A and B firearms (common rifles and shotguns). Primary producers can also hold a Category C licence, which covers some self-loading rimfire rifles and shotguns, specifically for suppressing vertebrate pests. Category D, the self-loading centrefire rifles, is restricted to government agencies and approved professional pest controllers, not ordinary landholders. Because firearms rules are being tightened and adjusted over time, treat the NSW Police Firearms Registry as the current source of truth on categories and conditions.
Permission
On your own land, permission is automatic: you are the landholder. If you want someone else to shoot, or you want to shoot on someone else’s place, that person needs written permission from the landholder. NSW Police publish a permission to shoot letter of authority for exactly this.
You Do Not Need a Game Hunting Licence on Your Own Land
This is the point that confuses people most. A NSW game hunting licence, including the Restricted (R) licence, is only for hunting on public land, such as declared state forests. It has nothing to do with controlling pests on your own property.
NSW DPIRD states it plainly: you do not need a licence to hunt rabbits, foxes, pigs, goats, deer, hares, feral cats, or wild dogs (other than dingoes) on private land. All you need on your own land is a current firearms licence. The game licensing system exists for public land access, not for a farmer dealing with pests in their own paddocks.
Which Animals You Can Control, and Which You Cannot
The dividing line is feral versus native. Feral pest species can be controlled on your own land with a firearms licence. Native animals are protected and need a licence to harm from National Parks and Wildlife Service, even on your own property.
| Animal | On your own land | What you need |
|---|---|---|
| Feral pigs | Yes | Firearms licence |
| Foxes | Yes | Firearms licence |
| Rabbits and hares | Yes | Firearms licence |
| Feral goats | Yes | Firearms licence |
| Feral cats | Yes | Firearms licence |
| Feral deer | Yes | Firearms licence (no game licence since 2019) |
| Wild dogs | Yes (see dingo note) | Firearms licence; coordinate with Local Land Services |
| Kangaroos | No, not without a licence | NPWS licence to harm |
| Wombats, native birds, other natives | No, not without a licence | NPWS licence to harm |
Feral pigs, foxes, rabbits, goats, cats, and hares
These are unprotected pest animals. On your own land you can control them with a firearms licence and no game licence. They are also the priority pests targeted under coordinated Local Land Services programmes. For how to control the main species well, see our guides on how to control feral pigs, foxes, and rabbits.
Feral deer
Feral deer used to sit in an awkward spot, but the rules are now clear for private land. Since 2019, a game hunting licence has not been required to control feral deer on private land, and the Game and Feral Animal Control Regulation 2022 reinforced this and removed the old restriction on using electronic devices, which is relevant if you use thermal at night. On your own land you need only a firearms licence and, because it is your land, your own permission. For identification and control detail, see our feral deer guide.
Wild dogs and dingoes
Wild dogs impacting livestock can be controlled on private land with a firearms licence, and landholders are expected to manage them. There is a nuance worth knowing: the dingo is the one native mammal excluded from Biodiversity Conservation Act protection and is managed within the broader wild dog category, but NSW policy still aims to preserve the dingo’s ecological role in some conservation landscapes. Because the position varies by area, coordinate wild dog control through your Local Land Services office, which runs group management and baiting programmes. See our wild dog control guide for the programmes available.
Kangaroos and native animals: protected
Here is the exception that catches people out. Kangaroos are protected native animals under the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016. You cannot simply shoot them, even on your own land and even when they are eating you out of feed. You need a non-commercial licence to harm from National Parks and Wildlife Service first, and all shooting must follow the national code of practice. Wombats, native birds, and other native species are protected the same way. Our kangaroo management guide walks through how the licence works and how many animals it covers.
Shooting at Night
Foxes and pigs move at night, so night shooting is often the most effective control. On your own private land, night shooting with a spotlight or with thermal and night-vision optics is legal and needs no separate licence. Your firearms licence and all the normal safety rules still apply: identify your target and what lies beyond it, keep well clear of dwellings, roads, and boundaries, and destroy every animal humanely. Thermal in particular finds foxes and pigs in timber and creek lines that a spotlight misses, which is why our ground shooting work is built around it.
Suppressors
Suppressors, or silencers, are prohibited weapons in NSW under the Weapons Prohibition Act 1998. A permit exists but is very rarely granted, so as a landholder you should assume you cannot legally fit one. Manage noise with hearing protection and sensible firearm and ammunition choice instead.
It Must Be Humane
Controlling a pest does not remove your obligation to do it humanely. The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1979 applies to feral animals, so the right firearm and calibre, accurate shot placement, confirming death, and dealing properly with dependent young are all legal requirements, not just good practice. NSW publishes a code of practice and standard operating procedures for each pest species. Humane, competent control is exactly what separates a professional operator from a cowboy.
Getting Someone Else to Do It
Plenty of landholders are licensed and shoot their own pests, and that is fine. But you do not have to. You can authorise a licensed friend with a permission to shoot letter, or engage a professional pest controller. A professional working across other people’s properties for a fee carries the right firearms authority for that work, gets permission from each landholder, and should hold business insurance and follow the humane codes of practice. If you are engaging someone, check that they are properly licensed and insured. Our guide on professional pest control versus recreational hunting explains why that distinction matters for your property and your liability.
It Is Not Just Allowed, It Is Your Duty
There is a reason the law lets you control pests so readily on your own land: it also requires you to. Under the general biosecurity duty in the Biosecurity Act 2015, every landholder must take reasonably practicable steps to prevent, eliminate, or minimise the risks that pest animals pose, and shooting is one of the recognised control methods. So controlling feral pigs, foxes, deer, and the rest is not simply permitted, it is part of meeting a legal obligation. Our guide to your biosecurity duty sets out what reasonable steps actually look like.
How We Help
If you would rather not shoot your own, or you want the job done with thermal gear, proper records, and no risk to your stock or your neighbours, that is what we do. We hold the required humane destruction certifications, a firearms licence, and VPIT for baiting, and we carry public liability insurance. We assess your property, control the pest species you are legally entitled to control, and give you a report that supports your biosecurity records. See our ground shooting and property assessment pages, or get in touch for a free consultation about your property.
Sources consulted: NSW Police Firearms Registry (firearms licences, genuine reasons, categories, prohibited weapon permits); Firearms Act 1996 and Weapons Prohibition Act 1998 (NSW); NSW DPIRD hunting licences and managing feral deer; Game and Feral Animal Control Act 2002 and Regulation 2022; NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (protected species, kangaroo management, licence to harm); Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1979 and NSW pest animal codes of practice; Biosecurity Act 2015 general biosecurity duty.