Can You Hunt Kangaroos in Australia? Laws, Culling, and Penalties

No, you cannot hunt kangaroos in Australia for sport, trophy, or tourism. Every state and territory protects kangaroos as native wildlife, and no jurisdiction issues recreational hunting permits. The only people legally allowed to shoot a kangaroo are licensed commercial harvesters, landholders culling animals that are damaging their property, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples hunting under native title rights protected by federal law.

If you are visiting Australia hoping to book a kangaroo hunt the way you might book a deer or boar hunt elsewhere, there is no legal option. Kangaroo management here is a government-controlled conservation and agricultural program, not a hunting industry.

Why Recreational Hunting Is Banned

Each state protects kangaroos under its wildlife conservation legislation, and each explicitly refuses to license recreational shooting. In New South Wales, the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 makes it illegal to kill, injure, or capture a kangaroo without a licence, and the state government states plainly that licences are not granted for recreational purposes.¹ Queensland requires a Macropod Harvesting Licence, with no recreational category on offer.² Victoria’s Wildlife Act 1975 makes it an offence to hunt, take, destroy, injure, or interfere with wildlife without authorisation.³

The rule holds across the country. Kangaroos are not a game species anywhere in Australia. Being a tourist does not open any door that is closed to residents, and no outfitter can legally sell you a hunt.

Landholders Culling for Property Damage

The closest thing to private kangaroo shooting is a non-commercial cull by a landholder whose crops, fences, or pastures are being damaged. This is not a hunting licence. It is a damage mitigation permit, and it comes with conditions.

In New South Wales, the process begins with non-lethal controls. If those fail and the property sits within a commercial management zone, the government first recommends contacting commercial harvesters to see whether they will take kangaroos from the land at no charge. Only if neither approach works can the landholder apply to the local National Parks and Wildlife Service office for a licence to harm kangaroos.¹

The application states how many kangaroos the landholder believes need to be culled, and government staff assess that number based on the species, the property’s size, and its location. Properties of 20 hectares or less face lower culling limits and may need to consult with police about which firearms are suitable. Bushfire-affected properties and areas where kangaroo populations have declined significantly are assessed case by case, with stricter limits.¹ Victoria’s Authority to Control Wildlife system works on similar lines, with landholders controlling and disposing of kangaroos themselves rather than through a commercial harvester.⁴

Landholders under these permits generally cannot sell the carcasses. The animals are shot to protect the property, not for meat or skin.

Commercial Harvesters

The other legal group is licensed commercial harvesters, who sell carcasses for meat and skin products. New South Wales issues both a Professional Kangaroo Harvester Licence and a Landholder Kangaroo Harvester Licence.⁵ Getting one is not casual. In South Australia, applicants must be at least 18, hold a firearms licence with the appropriate category endorsement, complete a shooting accuracy course and a game harvester skill set course covering field meat hygiene, sit an interview with government staff, and pay the permit fee.⁶ The accuracy test is conducted at night under field conditions, because most commercial harvesting happens after dark using spotlights.⁷

Every carcass taken commercially must carry a numbered tag purchased through the state’s program, and only tagged carcasses can be sold to authorised dealers.⁵ All commercial harvesting takes place on private land with the landholder’s written consent. National parks, state forests, and public roads are off limits.²

Both commercial and non-commercial shooters must follow national codes of practice requiring a head shot to ensure instantaneous death, and any joey in the pouch of a shot female must be identified and humanely euthanised.⁸³

Native Title Hunting Rights

Section 211 of the federal Native Title Act 1993 creates an exception to state wildlife licensing laws. Where a state or territory law would otherwise require a licence to hunt, that law does not apply to native title holders hunting for personal, domestic, or non-commercial communal needs in exercise of their native title rights.⁹

In practice, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples with recognised native title can hunt kangaroos on their traditional lands without a state permit, provided the hunting is for food or cultural purposes. The rights must be connected to traditional laws and customs and recognised under Australian common law. The exemption does not extend to commercial sale.

Penalties for Illegal Hunting

Shooting a kangaroo without authorisation, or breaching the conditions of a permit, carries real consequences. Penalties vary by state and scale with the offence.

Under Queensland’s Nature Conservation Act 1992, the commercially harvested kangaroo species are classified as “least concern” wildlife. Killing fewer than five without a licence is a class 4 offence carrying up to 100 penalty units. Taking 10 or more can bring up to 1,000 penalty units or one year’s imprisonment. If endangered or critically endangered species are involved, penalties rise to 3,000 penalty units or two years’ imprisonment.¹⁰

Holding a permit is not a shield against cruelty charges. In one Victorian case, a landholder with a valid Authority to Control Wildlife permit was convicted and fined $80,000 for aggravated cruelty after hiring two unqualified shooters to kill 71 eastern grey kangaroos. The presiding judge noted that the shooters themselves would have faced jail time had they been charged. The charges were brought under Victoria’s Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1986, on top of wildlife laws.³

Bringing Kangaroo Products Home to the US

If you have picked up kangaroo jerky or similar products in Australia and are travelling home to the United States, declare all agricultural items to U.S. Customs and Border Protection at the port of entry. CBP agriculture specialists inspect declared items for animal diseases, and prohibited items can be confiscated. Failing to declare a prohibited agricultural product can result in a civil penalty.¹¹

The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service determines which meat products are admissible. Commercially processed and cooked kangaroo meat generally has a better chance of clearing inspection than raw or unprocessed meat, but check current APHIS guidelines before packing.¹² A bill called the Kangaroo Protection Act has been introduced in the 119th U.S. Congress (2025–2026), which would prohibit certain activities involving kangaroo products if enacted. The bill had not become law at the time of writing.

1
NSW Government. Licences to Harm Kangaroos
2
Queensland Government. Licensing – Macropods Licensing
3
Victoria State Government. Big Fine Stands for Kangaroo Cruelty
4
Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action. Kangaroo Harvesting Program
5
NSW Government. Professional and Landholder Kangaroo Harvester Licence
6
Department for Environment and Water. Kangaroo Field Processor Permit Factsheet
7
Australian Business Licence and Information Service. Permit to Harvest and Sell or Use Protected Animals (Kangaroo Field Processor) – South Australia
8
Australian Business Licence and Information Service. National Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos and Wallabies for Commercial Purposes
9
AustLII. Native Title Act 1993 – Sect 211
10
AustLII. Nature Conservation Act 1992 – Sect 88
11
U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Bringing Food into the U.S.
12
USDA APHIS. International Traveler – Meats, Poultry, and Seafood