The Victorian government is set to announce a modified duck hunting season with a reduced bag limit, according to senior MPs briefed on the matter.
The Andrews government will also establish an upper house committee to examine the future of native bird hunting. A formal announcement is expected Friday afternoon.
Duck hunting is a perennial issue for Premier Daniel Andrews.Credit:The Age
More than 260,000 ducks were killed during last year’s duck shooting season. Most of those birds were shot in Bairnsdale and Sale in Gippsland, Shepparton and Kerang in the state’s north and around Geelong.
Duck hunting seasons are nonexistent in NSW, Queensland and Western Australia. WA banned duck hunting in 1990, NSW followed suit in 1995 and Queensland banned the practice in 2005.
In Victoria, duck shooters – of which there are about 26,000 registered – are allowed to operate only during a specific timeframe set by the state government. That timeframe can vary from year to year.
The season usually kicks off around the third Saturday of March, meaning the Andrews government has left hunters with less than three weeks’ notice. Last year, duck hunting was permitted for three months in Victoria. Hunters were limited to four birds a day and had to stop shooting 30 minutes after sunset.
South Australia and Tasmania’s 2023 duck shooting seasons have already been confirmed.
Victorian duck hunters were arguing this year’s season should go ahead because, they said, wetter-than-average conditions have created ideal breeding conditions. However, animal rights activists have pointed out that last year’s floods disrupted habitats in central and northern Victoria.
Two out of three Victorians said they were opposed to duck shooting, according to the RSPCA. Among regional Victorians, that figure is lower, but still a majority (61 per cent).
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