Misfire: Premier Andrews misled on duck hunter bag limit breaches

Field and Game Australia says Daniel Andrews has been “seriously misled” on the amount of duck hunters who go over the bag limit.

Game Management Authority officers checked 979 hunters across 216 wetlands last season and found one who had breached the daily four-bird limit.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews stands accused of being seriously misled on hunters’ compliance with a four-bag limit on the number of ducks they could harvest last season.

The Premier told media yesterday he was awaiting a report on breaches of the rules by hunters last season.

“I’m keen to get a report from last duck season (where) we did see a number of incidents where the rules were not followed in terms of bag limits,” Mr Andrews said.

Yet the government’s own Game Management Authority released its 2022 compliance report on June 16 last year, which states “one hunter was found to have exceeded the daily bag limit” out of the 979 whose bags its authorised officers checked across 216 wetlands.

Field and Game Australia president Danny Ryan said it appeared the Premier had “been seriously misinformed, which is surprising as he’s normally well briefed”.

The Premier’s decision to raise concerns about hunters’ compliance with the rules follows media reports that a number of Labor MPs are lobbying for a ban on shooting wild ducks.

The GMA has already produced a summary report that recommends the 2023 duck hunting season go ahead for the full three months with a four bird per day bag limit on hunters.

The government is yet to announce whether the 2023 season will go ahead.

Originally published as Misfire: Premier Andrews misled on duck hunter bag limit breaches