A COOLABAH father and son have been charged with firearm and animal cruelty offences after an argument over hunting and trespass left two dogs dead.
The incident unfolded at a farm near Nyngan on Sunday evening.
Police say three hunters from Orange, two aged 20 and one aged 31, were confronted by a 74-year-old man and his 42-year-old son.
The hunters had allegedly been seen hunting on a public road and also inside the boundaries of another property they were not authorised to be in.
Two dogs were shot and killed during the confrontation and a vehicle was damaged.
The father and son farmers were both arrested on Monday.
The 74-year-old was charged with firing a firearm disregarding safety and a number of firearm storage offences.
The 42-year-old was charged with two counts of serious animal cruelty, and firearm storage offences.
The three hunters were charged with hunting on public land without authority, entering private land to hunt without consent, and possession of knives in public without a lawful excuse.
The incident came just before the launch of Operation High Ground – a strategic operation by the Darling River Local Area Command targeting rural crime.
Acting Superintendent Andrew Hurst said the operation would provide specific rural crime training to front line police, target rural crime suspects, conduct proactive patrols of remote areas, and bring the rural community together.
Acting Superintendent Hurst said recent surveys conducted within the region revealed members of our community would support and benefit from direct email contact with police to exchange information concerning rural crime issues in their area.
“We are asking the rural community to send an email to highground@police.nsw.gov.au and provide their contact details so we can exchange information regarding rural crime issues,” he said.
The operation commenced Wednesday and will be conducted over 12 months.