The detection was as a result of a planned and intelligence driven operation by the Moree Rural Crime Investigator and fellow uniform officers at Moree.

Local landholders alerted police after spotlights were seen on a property recently.

Two males were caught trespassing and face a maximum $5,500 fine under the new legislation that has been introduced recently to address the scourge of illegal hunting and the impact that it is having on landholders.

The two males were a 19-year-old man from Narrabri and a 27-year-old man from Moree who will face Moree Local Court on April 16.

The males had three hunting dogs and knives in their possession and entered a property on Mt Jerrybang Road, east of Moree, without permission.

Both will face charges before the Moree Local Court on April 16 in respect to the newly-created offence of Aggravated unlawful entry on inclosed lands.

The legislative changes came into effect earlier this year and illegal hunters really need to get the message.

The newly-formed Rural Crime Prevention Teams will have a constant and dedicated commitment to anyone who illegally hunts and will be confiscating the equipment used by the hunters.

If you want to hunt, do so legally.

Not knowing where the boundaries of a property are isn’t a defence. This may come as a surprise to some.

It is your responsibility to seek permission, preferably in writing and know where you can and cannot go.

This investigation was a result of local landholders providing timely information to police in relation to illegal hunters and working with the Rural Crime Investigator and other police.

The Rural Crime Prevention Team will continue to pool resources and work with landholders to target illegal hunters. They are not going away and more arrests are expected to follow.

If you have any information about illegal hunting please let your local police know or call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 00.