R-Licence Accreditation Course

About the course

The mandatory training for a NSW R-Licence is a comprehensive course about hunting methods, how to be a safe and ethical hunter and how to comply with NSW hunting regulations.

Choose how to learn

You can choose how to complete the course depending on your preferred learning style:

online, at your own pace and in your own time, or
in-person with a Hunter LEAP Trainer.

There are advantages to face-to-face training, such as a peer-based learning environment, practical application of learning and mentorship opportunities. However, it is sometimes hard to find a local trainer or find an appropriate time and place to meet for training.

Trainers can choose whether to run the course using paper-based materials, or to facilitate the online course to a group of people

Access online R-Licence training

Find a Hunter LEAP Trainer

Course duration

The R-Licence Accreditation Course may take up to four hours to complete.

For face-to-face students, this time is reduced if you are able to study the Hunter Education Handbook before attempting the test. The trainer may email you a PDF version, or you can review the online study guide.

Each page of the online course is narrated, allowing individuals who prefer auditory learning to hear rather than read the course content. The narration may be muted on each page and you may skip topics you’re already familiar with, further reducing the time.

Fee

The R-Licence Accreditation Course fee is in addition to the fee required with an R-Licence application.

Online

The online course fee is $50. You will be accredited for 3 R-Licence categories: firearms (rifles, shotguns and blackpowder), dogs and bows. You can select which categories you wish to add to your licence when you apply, you do not need to add them all.

Individual category courses (if you need to add another category to your existing R-Licence) are $13 each.

In-person

Hunter LEAP Trainers charge a cost recovery fee, which varies. Please check the fee directly with your trainer before attempting the course.

If you need help to complete the course

If you need help reading, writing or understanding the course content, please email hunter.leap@dpird.nsw.gov.au before attempting the online course.

For in-person training, make sure you let your Hunter LEAP trainer know you need support when scheduling the course.

Completing the accreditation test

The online course covers all the following sections (mandatory training and 3 licence categories). Face-to-face training can be tailored to only the categories you wish to complete.

Section 1: Mandatory training

Section 1 is the mandatory training that everyone applying for an R-Licence must complete. The section covers the basic knowledge required to be a safe, ethical and responsible hunter on public land.

Topics include:

hunting laws in NSW
being an ethical and involved hunter
animals, identification and welfare
hunting on public land
hunting on private land
outdoor safety and survival
being a safe hunter.

Section 2: R-Licence categories

There are 3 hunting methods permitted to be used when hunting on public land in NSW:

Firearms (rifles, shotguns and blackpowder firearms) – 15 questions
Bows – 10 questions
Dogs – 10 questions.

These methods are referred to as ‘R-Licence categories’.

To use any of these hunting methods on public land, you must first become accredited for the relevant category.

Online

If you choose to undertake the accreditation course online, you will complete all 3 categories. You do not need to have all categories added to your licence though; simply tick the categories you want added when you apply for a licence.

Note: Use of firearms on public land

An R-Licence can be used a genuine reason to apply for a Firearms Licence in NSW and the ACT. Residents of other states should check with their local issuing authority.

This means applicants may attempt the R-Licence hunting method ‘Hunting with Firearms (Rifles, Shotguns, Blackpowder)’ and be licensed for that method, even if they do not hold a firearms licence. However, firearms cannot be used without a current Firearms Licence issued by a relevant state authority.

In-person

You can tailor your training if you choose to complete the accreditation course with a Hunter LEAP Trainer.You can choose whether to complete all categories, or 1 or 2.

It's important to choose your categories carefully though, as you may only hunt using the methods you are accredited for. For example, if you do not choose the Hunting with Dogs category, your licence will not permit you to hunt with a dog. You may add categories at a later time; however, you will need to pay the category fee.

Passing the course

If you don’t achieve the required pass mark for any section, you will be asked to study the Hunter Education Handbook and reattempt the accreditation course at a later date.

Online

You must achieve 93% in the final exams to pass the course. You can attempt the final exams three times before you'll need to re-register and pay the fee again.

If you need to attempt the course again, you can re-register with the same email address but will need to choose a different username.

In-person

If you undertake training in-person with a Hunter LEAP Trainer, you have two attempts to achieve 100%.

R-guide accreditation

NSW Restricted (Guide) Game Hunting Licence applicants will only be able to guide others in the categories they are accredited for (ie, if your licence only has the category of firearms, you will be unable to guide a bowhunter).