On Saturday, July 14, a 71-year-old woman and her grandchildren were feeding goats on a property on the Warrumbungles Way, near Binnaway.

“The victim saw a mob of her goats run up the hill towards her and the children. This was immediately followed by a volley of gunshots,” a statement on the NSW Police Rural Crime Facebook page states.

“The victim located three men who were trespassing on the victim’s property and approached them.

“A number of images were taken of those present and the matter was reported to police.”

As a result of investigations by the Rural Crime Prevention Team, a 52-year-old man from Condell Park was arrested and charged on August 29.

“The man was arrested and charged in Bankstown by the Mudgee rural crime investigator with hunting on private land without permission,” the post stated.

“He has been conditionally bailed to appear at Coonabarabran Local Court on September 21.

“This investigation is ongoing in respect to others present.”

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The NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) launched a new smartphone app called Get Permission earlier this year to encourage hunter to do the right thing.

At the launch in March, DPI Game Licensing Unit director Dr Andrew Moriarty said hunters not having permission from landholders and land managers to hunt on both private and public land continued to be an issue.

“Permission is required before entering any lands for the purpose of hunting, however we have made it even easier for hunters to comply with hunting permission requirements with the recent launch of the Get Permission app,” he said.

“The app allows hunters to quickly and easily request and store permissions from landholders and store copies of licences, should they be requested by authorities.

“The app also allows landholders to authorise hunters to hunt on their lands and review the permissions they have granted and revoke them at any time.”

The app is not monitored by the Game Licensing Unit or NSW Police and has been designed as a tool for hunters and landholders to highlight the issues around illegal hunting.