Inland Hunting Properties NSW

[Woden]

My mate, my sons and I are new to shooting, just getting our firearm licences this year. We are considering staying in one of the many inland properties listed for hunting/targeting listed in NSW for 3 or 4 nights. See link below:

https://www.westernhunting.com.au/

Does anyone have any feedback on staying at one of these? Seems like the only option for us city boys (Central Coast anyway) to get away from the wives and have a bit of good, clean fun either plinking or reducing the rabbit population somewhere.

[Blr243]

Book well ahead. I hear they are busy

[mchughcb]

Inland Hunting Properties are great testing grounds for novices. Generally they have been spotlighted continuously for at least 348 nights per year. During the day I found that native birds such as magpies mimic the behaviour of crows and take to wing when a cruiser approaches within 800m.

If I had a choice between IHP and hunting state forests in Vic or NSW I'd go the state forests every time.

[womble]

For plinking and camping go for it. But as others have said not much to hunt.
It’s a good extra earner for the farmer though. I did get some pigs on one well north of Bourke about 20 years ago. By some i mean four little ones. I’d probably be looking around the same region nowadays if they’ve had rain.
Last time i booked one maybe 10 years ago. All the sign was quite old, saw one hare out the corner of my eye too quick gone.
Just respect the farmers rules. Private property whatever he says goes. Might need some Roos culled if you’re lucky. And be prepared, stay safe, remote areas.

[Bilko]

Ditto BLR and wobble. My experience (Queensland) with IHP is the properties within a few hours drive of Brisbane are great bush camps, with armed bush walks. Don’t expect to see many feral to shoot. In 2 trips to 1 place I managed to hear 2 foxes and see 1 travelling at 1million miles an hour. Farmer let slip he has clients every weekend and also a local who shoots there mid week. But certainly IHP places are great for an introduction to bush camping and hunting, and you just might be there at the right time for animals passing through the area.

[mchughcb]

Lol, lets slip there are clients every weekend and a local midweek.

You see these types of properties are the easiest to access you just pay money.

But can be the most challenging to hunt because they are bombed everyday.

[Woden]

Thanks for all the comments, suggestions and advice. Unfortunately, because we are so new at this and therefore inexperienced, the paid inland farm stay is our only option. We don't have access any other way.

We will probably do more plinking than hunting but that's okay. It's more about getting out with the boys and bonding than killing feral animals.

[Hamment]

If you get your R license from DPI, you can legally hunt in Olney state forest which is just down the road and even if you don’t find anything you’ve gone camping with the lads.

[No1Mk3]

I used them some years back to get on a property at Hungerford, great week, quite few pigs but the cocky asked us not to shoot goats as they were all they could get money for at that time. With or without the shooting it was a good week wandering around an area I had driven through often but never stopped. Cheers.

[bladeracer]

If you get your R license from DPI, you can legally hunt in Olney state forest which is just down the road and even if you don’t find anything you’ve gone camping with the lads.

Do you need to apply beforehand for permission to camp in NSW state forest? If you want to hunt in there you do. Simply having an R-licence does not allow you to hunt public land in NSW.

[disco stu]

Camping you can just rock on in and go for your life, only need to do the written permission application to actually hunt

[Bill]

The further you go west the greater the chance, expect to do a lot of scout of water holes as Summer heats up.

[Die Judicii]

I have a problem with this scenario,,,,,,,,
Just to clarify,,, Landowners are charging people to attend their property,, camp,, and hunt ferals or otherwise specified game,,, (no doubt charges vary)
on property that is well and truly hunted to a point that you have a snow flakes chance in hell of actually getting anything ???

Sounds suspiciously like Highway Robbery to this lil black duck.

[bladeracer]

I have a problem with this scenario,,,,,,,,
Just to clarify,,, Landowners are charging people to attend their property,, camp,, and hunt ferals or otherwise specified game,,, (no doubt charges vary)
on property that is well and truly hunted to a point that you have a snow flakes chance in hell of actually getting anything ???

Sounds suspiciously like Highway Robbery to this lil black duck.

That is often the case, but still probably better than the public land that gets hammered even harder.

[Bill]

Hey Woden IHP can be a load of fun, go in with low expectations thou and expect to do alot of recon. Id recommended you talk to the farmer about where game has been seen and previously harvested, listen carefully and mark on maps where water, feed and safe habitat is. Most farmers are happy to give up secrets if you ask the right questions.

Even thou I grew up on a farm in the central west of NSW and had access to some pretty good properties I still enjoyed visiting most of NSW with a few city based mates. Most of the IHP properties were atleast 6 hrs from Sydney and I often did the 3 day hunt thing, driving thur nite going home Sunday nite. Ive seen Chital, fallow and Red deer on IHP properties and have shot a tonne of goats and plenty of pigs. Right now hunting out west is pretty good with solid rain over the last 18months.

If your going west try and get onto a decent size prooperty ie 20,000 acres +, if you can find a property with a bit of altitude ie then you in with chance for deer and mountain hogs.

Key hunting periods are first light and last light for pigs and deer so leave noisy motorbikes at home if you are serious about shooting game

Foxes, hares and bunnies are always a good fall back option at night so take a good spotty.

[Bill]

Seeing your location I'd recommend Barraba. Be quiet check out the water ways and target the gullies early morning, use the wind, plenty of pigs, the goats tend to get flogged but you can check the higher peaks. Goats also get thirsty so check for sign.

[GQshayne]

A couple of weeks ago I went to one of the IHP locations in western Qld. I was there for a week.

It was the first pig hunt I have had since 1983 where I did not get a pig.

[deanp100]

My brother in law and his young son just got back from a western qld rent a place . They were there for a long weekend and actually got a pig. It surprised me they got one. They were expecting more on a pig/ driving hours basis which rarely works out.

[GQshayne]

My brother in law and his young son just got back from a western qld rent a place . They were there for a long weekend and actually got a pig. It surprised me they got one. They were expecting more on a pig/ driving hours basis which rarely works out.

Did better than me then!

[Die Judicii]

My brother in law and his young son just got back from a western qld rent a place . They were there for a long weekend and actually got a pig. It surprised me they got one. They were expecting more on a pig/ driving hours basis which rarely works out.

Did better than me then!

Heh,,,,,, This is starting to sound like getting all excited about going fishing ,, in a lake that is well known to contain no fish.

[deanp100]

Is was the first time they have ever tried to hunt anything . My guess it was a very unlucky pig. If you read the reviews the property probably sounded amazing, like a feral shooting gallery. They just realised reality is different.

[jwai86]

Somebody at my pistol club suggested Inland Hunting Properties as a possible avenue for finding a place to hunt if you don't have any connections of your own. Are they worthwhile for finding a place to merely shoot rabbits, or is that more likely to be a hiding to nowhere?

[Border_Bloke]

If you get your R license from DPI, you can legally hunt in Olney state forest which is just down the road and even if you don’t find anything you’ve gone camping with the lads.

Do you need to apply beforehand for permission to camp in NSW state forest? If you want to hunt in there you do. Simply having an R-licence does not allow you to hunt public land in NSW.

Most (but not all) NSW state forests allow camping you don't have to get permission first, you can check on the forestry department website. At the moment they're asking that people voluntarily fill out a camping notification form for contact tracing https://www.forestrycorporation.com.au/visit/nsw-state-forest-camping-notification-form

When you book a hunt it usually shows you any restrictions or warnings for the forest (eg if a forest is closed to camping, if there is any DPI work happening, if there is aerial dog baiting etc).

You only need to book with "one clear day" between the day you book and the day you hunt, although the really popular or smaller forests can be booked up weeks ahead.

[bladeracer]

When you book a hunt it usually shows you any restrictions or warnings for the forest (eg if a forest is closed to camping, if there is any DPI work happening, if there is aerial dog baiting etc).

You only need to book with "one clear day" between the day you book and the day you hunt, although the really popular or smaller forests can be booked up weeks ahead.

And down here in Vic, if I feel like looking for a deer, a rabbit or a fox, I just grab a rifle and head for the bush, don't have tell anybody let alone get permission first. And since it works and has worked fine for decades, what precisely is the reasoning behind these NSW laws restricting access to public lands?

[Border_Bloke]

When you book a hunt it usually shows you any restrictions or warnings for the forest (eg if a forest is closed to camping, if there is any DPI work happening, if there is aerial dog baiting etc).

You only need to book with "one clear day" between the day you book and the day you hunt, although the really popular or smaller forests can be booked up weeks ahead.

And down here in Vic, if I feel like looking for a deer, a rabbit or a fox, I just grab a rifle and head for the bush, don't have tell anybody let alone get permission first. And since it works and has worked fine for decades, what precisely is the reasoning behind these NSW laws restricting access to public lands?

I have a Vic game license and prefer to hunt in Vic, but I got my NSW "R" license in 2020 as back then I couldn't cross the border to hunt (northern Vic was locked down but not NSW).

From what I understand, NSW DPI did a "risk based assessment" and decided that was the best way to open up the forests for hunting but limit the number of hunters and still allow them to close certain parks for maintenance. Some forests are bowhunting only and some allow night time pig hunting. It's not as good as Vic but still better than QLD.

There was rumor here that a few years ago a forestry worker was locking all the gates in one forest and only letting his mates in to hunt. He was supposedly catching big fallow bucks from other areas and releasing them into "his" forest to try and breed up a trophy heard. Until he got caught.