Shooters Let Loose In State Forests

Sun Herald

Sunday December 11, 2005

By ALEX MITCHELL

NSW game hunters have won the right to shoot feral animals in state forests, which cover almost 2.8 million hectares of the state.

The extension of shooting rights may be announced as early as today by the NSW Game Council.

Previously, registered shooters were permitted to shoot pigs, goats, feral cats, wild dogs and foxes and to cull herds of wild deer only on private property. But under an agreement reached between the Game Council and State Forests, shooters will soon be allowed to hunt on state-owned public land.

It is a major victory for veteran Shooters Party MP John Tingle.

Greens MP Lee Rhiannon said it was a "shabby deal" and that allowing game hunting in state forests presented considerable danger for the public who used the forests for recreational purposes.

"Hunting for fun should not be allowed on public land under any circumstances," she said. "The Game Council is both warden and poacher it's a case of hunters regulating other hunters."

© 2005 Sun Herald

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