Feral deer need to be declared pests, aerial shooting of wild horses should be reintroduced, and cat owners need to be required to have pets desexed to curb the rising damage from introduced species on the state's agriculture and natural wildlife, the Natural Resources Commission has found.

In a draft report for Premier Mike Baird, the commission estimates pest animals were causing at least $170 million in economic damage a year. They also affect 40 per cent of all listed threatened species.

"We need to manage the risks and impacts from all invasive species and that means treating feral deer and feral cats as pests just like wild pigs and dogs," commissioner John Keniry said.

Rising numbers of deer mean they should no longer be classified as merely game animals, a status that supports the animals for recreational hunting. Shooting is now allowed only in daylight hours, in certain seasons and not from vehicles, while landholders can't be compelled to control numbers.