Bart Irwin: Permit on the person rule must be followed

Territory waterfowlers are covering themselves in glory as the hunting season unfolds, but there’s one rule everyone must remind themselves of, writes NT Field and Game’s Bart Irwin.

NT Field and Game’s Bart Irwin. Picture: Che Chorley

Territory waterfowlers are covering themselves in glory as the hunting season unfolds.

Bag limits are being filled, but more importantly adhered to.

The litter of spent shells left on the ground in the past is now a distant memory as hunters take responsibility for those shells and any packaging they take into the reserves.

NT Field and Game has had a lot to do with this over the decades by providing rubbish bins and collecting litter from the reserves each year.

Last year the decision was made to remove those bins that had been part of the learning curve.

Rangers backed this up with an education campaign that for every goose or duck in the bag at least one to five empty shells should accompany it.

Some hunters have been found with lead shot shells on the reserves and this is illegal.

In the main they were mistakenly left in shooting jackets from time at the clay target range.

I was under the impression that lead shotshells of #7.5 size pellets were permitted to be used as swatter shells on wounded birds as the pattern was denser, more likely to dispatch a wounded bird quickly and less likely to ricochet when fired across the water.

I have found this is untrue, and all lead ammunition is banned from use for waterfowl hunting in the NT.

Rangers advised me that the only real issue from the first weeks of the season has been hunters not having their hunting permit on their body.

It is not acceptable to have it back at the car, nor is it permissible to hunt with just the receipt from the online application for a permit.

Hunters should organise their permit allowing enough time for it to be processed and delivered in the mail before venturing out for a hunt.

NT Field and Game have practice clay target shooting every Friday from 4pm and Sunday from 9am till noon from the tallest towers in the Top End. All welcome.

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