The Shooters and Fishers Party has conceded its push to allow recreational hunting in state forests is fundamentally aimed at giving shooters more places to use their guns.

The party’s only West Australian MP Rick Mazza this week moved a motion in the Upper House calling for a parliamentary committee to investigate the merits of opening up public land to hunters.

He says there are both environmental and economic benefits in allowing recreational hunting in state forests, including that such a move would be a cost effective way of controlling pests.

But Mr Mazza concedes the push is primarily driven by a desire to increase the opportunities for hunters.

“It is about giving shooters more places to shoot, and to shoot feral animals, the whole idea is to cover more area, and to make sure we are participants in reducing the number of feral animals in those forests,” he said.