Goose hunt season here

THE goose season opens on the public wetlands on Wednesday morning.

I urge all hunters who can get time off to enjoy this occasion to get out and put some food on the table while having fun with mates and family in the bush.

It is a part of being a Territorian to enjoy the bounty of the outdoor life and you should grab it with gusto.

Sadly, Environment Minister Eva Lawler has reduced the bag limit for geese to just three birds as it was back in 2017 when former environment minister Lauren Moss introduced the first ever three-bird limit.

At that time, the dubious population count came in at 725,000 when the area surveyed was only two of the three major breeding zones.

Here we are again, but this time there have been just under one million geese counted. Another anomaly was introduced when only two counting members were used instead of the customary three counters in the aeroplane.

Also note the population decreased by about one third from 1.43 million to 980,000. Coincidence?

The reduction to three geese is an overreach by Ms Lawler.

In 2017, the average hunter take was three geese and matched the limit.

Last year, with a seven-bird limit and 1.43 million of them about, the average hunter take was still just three geese.

So a seven-bird limit this season should have achieved that same desired average hunter take of three geese.

It is interesting to note average hunter take when the bag limit was 10 geese and almost three million geese flew the Top End skies was just 4.5 geese.

This data is all included in the magpie goose monitoring data prepared by the Department of Environment.

Not me – real scientists have written up these reports and put their names to it.

I really hope hunters enjoy the opening day and many weekends hunting this season but remember that Ms Lawler turned your magpie goose bag into something more like a purse for no measurable benefit.

The NT Field and Game range will be open for clay target practice every Friday from 4pm and Sunday mass will resume next Sunday.

They will be closed this morning as I have a Retrieving Gundog Trial to compete in today with others from the Palmerston Gundog Club.

Join Field and Game at ntfieldandgame.com.au