FOM wrote:Sorry to hijack your banter between hunters
Hi Lainee, Trust me this is no banter - these guys are serious. I've seen them in action!
FOM wrote:What type of ducks do you hunt?
What are the limits?
What are your seasons?
Do you hunt public land or private?
Duck hunting in Australia is managed on a state by state basis. Currently Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania, Queensland and the Northern Territory have recreational duck hunting seasons. New South Wales and Western Australia have pest mitigation hunting, where farmers can invite hunters to shoot ducks which are damaging crops (mainly rice) and fouling stock water. The Australian Capital Territory has no duck hunting.
The species hunted vary from state to state also, but generally in southern Australia the game species are Black Duck, Wood Duck, Grey Teal, Chestnut Teal, Pink-eared Duck, Mountain Duck, Hardhead and Blue-winged Shoveler. In the tropical north Magpie Goose, Water Whistle Duck and Grass Whistle Duck are also available. There are limited opportunities for hunting Cape Barren Goose in Tasmania and South Australia as part of population management programs. There are pictures and information on each species in
A Guide to Australian Waterfowl. None of the Australian waterfowl are migratory, but are highly nomadic moving around the country depending on environmental conditions. Hunters are required to site a waterfowl identification test before they can apply for a hunting permit.
The seasons and bag limits vary across the states and from year to year, but here are a few examples for 2005:
Victoria: Saturday 19th March to Monday 13th June. The bag will be 5 birds per day plus an additional 5 Wood Duck for each day of the opening weekend. Blue-winged Shoveler may not be taken during the 2005 VIC duck season.
South Australia: Saturday 12 February 2005 to Sunday 26 June 2005. The bag limit is 10 birds per day with the exception of Wood Duck for which there is no bag limit.
Tasmania: 5 March 2005 to 5 June 2005, not sure of the bag, but it is usually 12 birds.
I don't have 2005 dates for Queensland or the NT, but in 2004 Queensland had a season from 29th May to 22nd of August with 12 ducks per day.
Access to land for hunting varies across states also. In Victoria and South Australia there are public game reserves where hunting is allowed. I believe there is some access to public land in the Qld and the NT also.
Hope this gives you some idea of our hunting. Good luck to everyone in Victoria working their retrievers in the field this weekend.
Cheers, Jason.