Calls continue for duck-hunting ban

“At the end of the day we hunters are normal people – solicitors, business owners, school teachers and generally, as a whole, participants are very responsible. Closing down the season would also create more problems and disappointment” – Bill Jorgensen

leading Victorian animal-welafare

charity is calling on the State Government to cancel Victoria’s 2022 duck-hunting season.

RSPCA Victoria leaders have made the call, claiming evidence had shown a decline in native duck populations.

They are also railing against ‘the suffering and inherent cruelty ducks experience each season’.

The Wimmera has a significant reputation as a duck-hunting region, especially after rain replenishes lakes and wetlands that become home to thousands of water birds.

The pastime also has a history of visiting hunters generating socioeconomic benefits in various western Victorian communities.

But RSPCA Victoria Policy and Advocacy manager Clare Brealey said her organisation was opposed to the recreational hunting of any animal for sport.

She said this was due ‘to the inherent and unnecessary injury, pain, suffering, distress or death to the animals involved’. “Duck hunting results in distress, fear, pain and suffering for tens of thousands of birds each year,” she said.

“Use of shotguns results in a substantial number of ducks being wounded – previous research has indicated up to 26 percent of birds shot will be wounded, maimed or crippled before dying, but this could be as high as 33 percent.”

Chief executive Dr Liz Walker said she believed there was clear scientific evidence that the Victorian duck-hunting season, from March 19 to June 26, should not proceed.

“Victorians want to see decisions made on science and evidence that will ultimately stop the unnecessary suffering of Victoria’s ducks,” she said.

“Using a wounding rate of 26 percent and comparing this to the reported total harvest figure of 238,666 from the 2019 season, this would mean that more than 62,000 ducks were wounded and not killed outright in the 2019 season.

“The 2021 Aerial Survey of Waterbirds in Eastern Australia reports that game species abundances were well below long-term averages, with six out of eight native game species showing significant long-term declines.

“Total waterbird abundance is the third lowest in 39 years.

“In particular, grey teal, Australasian shoveler and Australian wood duck numbers have been declining for many years.

“The Pacific black duck, chestnut teal, hardhead and pink-eared duck abundances have declined since 2020.”

Horsham’s J and A Shooting Supplies business owner, sports shooting enthusiast and hunter since childhood Bill Jorgensen broadly disagreed with the stand.

He said he was confident the season generated more positive than negative effects, ranging from providing regional economic stimulus to important environmental management.

“It doesn’t matter what type of sport or activity is involved, there is always some idiot that does the wrong thing,” he said.

“At the end of the day we hunters are normal people – solicitors, business owners, school teachers and generally, as a whole, participants are very responsible.

“Closing down the season would also create more problems and disappointment. For example, if successful it would end a great cultural and family tradition that crosses generations and we don’t want to see this tradition die.

“There have been references that duck hunting previously generated more money for Victoria than the Melbourne Cup, but sadly it is becoming a thing of the past.

“At the end of the day, ducks can also become quite a pest when they start overpopulating, especially in NSW rice production.

“And the duck numbers are well and truly up this year.

“They will become a pest and more of a problem if hunting disappears.

“The often forgotten truth is that the hunter is really doing the environment a favour.”

Victorian RSPCA, Royal Society for the prevention of Cruelty to Animals also claimed duck hunting fell short of meeting community expectations.

The society has produced survey figures from the past three months that showed 68 percent of Victorians agreed duck hunting should be banned.

It claimed the research also showed more than half of people interested in visiting regional Victoria preferred to visit a location where duck hunting was absent.