2020 NSW Public Land Hunting Ballot is coming

Registrations for the 2020 NSW Public Land Hunting Ballot will be open from 9am on 4 November to 11.59pm on 2 December 2019.

Following the success and popularity of the Maragle South State forest ballot over the past three years, a ballot of Written Permissions will be conducted in 2020 for Maragle South, as well as Mannus State forest.

The Mannus State Forest Ballot will comprise of two separate ballots – abow hunting onlyballot for a new area of Mannus State forest, that will be opened next year, and a ballot for the southern area of Mannus, for which all hunting methods will be permitted.

The Maragle South and Mannus State Forest Ballots will commence on 1 March and conclude on 3 May 2020. All current NSW Restricted Game Hunting Licence holders will be eligible to enter. There is no fee to register for any of the ballots.

About balloted hunts

Maragle South State forest ballot

• March and April only
• Each ballot period is for four (4) days
• A maximum of three (3) hunters are permitted to hunt at any one time (except for during the youth periods)
• 16 ballot periods are available for allocation and therefore a total of 51 Written Permissions are issued
• Three (3) ballot periods are reserved for youth hunts

Mannus State forest ballot

• March and April only
• Each ballot period is for four (4) days
• A maximum of four (4) hunters are permitted to hunt at any one time (except for during the youth periods)
• 16 ballot periods are available for allocation and therefore a total of 64 Written Permissions are issued
• Three (3) ballot periods are reserved for youth hunts

Mannus State forest – bow hunting only ballot

• Bow hunting only – no other hunting methods permitted
• March and April only
• Each ballot period is for four (4) days during March and April
• A maximum of two (2) hunters are permitted to hunt at any one time (except for during the youth periods)
• 16 ballot periods are available for allocation and therefore a total of 32 Written Permissions are issued
• Three (3) ballot periods are reserved for youth hunts

Further requirements

To allow a written permission to be issued to successful hunters, R-Licence holders must have completed their additional online training and acknowledged the State forest signs advisory.

• Study the online training before attempting.
• Access online services to complete the training.

Normal booking rules apply. As R-Licence holders may only have two concurrent Written Permissions at any time, hunters must also ensure they have no outstanding harvest returns and no more than one hunt booked.

Youth hunts

Written Permissions are reserved for youth hunts in three ballot periods:

• Period 5:Tuesday 17 March – Friday 20 March
• Period 12:Tuesday 14 April – Friday 17 April
• Period 14:Wednesday 22 April – Saturday 25 April

Note:All youth hunt ballot period dates are the same for each ballot

One Written Permission is allocated to an eligible youth holding a minor’sRestricted Game Hunting Licenceand the other is allocated to an adult holding a standard Restricted Game Hunting Licence. The minor hunter must always hunt in the company of the fully licensed adult hunter according to theconditions 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) last name). The secondary applicant (junior) must then register using the same group name.

2020 balloted hunt periods

For more information about the 2020 NSW Public Land Hunting Ballot visitour websiteor contact the Wildlife Management Team on 02 6051 7772.