Duck hunters hit harvest target, despite shortened season

Duck hunters harvested a number of ducks equal to the long-term average this year, despite the season being cut from 90 to just 35 days.

The 2023 season was cut from 90 to 35 days, but hunters still managed to harvest as many ducks as other years. Picture: Yuri Kouzmin

Duck hunters managed to harvest 319,900 game ducks during 2023, in line with the long-term average of 320,000 – despite the Andrews Government cutting the season from 90 days to 35 days and daily bag limits from 10 to four birds.

The Game Management Authority’s 2023 harvest report showed that of the 21,959 licensed duck hunters, 65 per cent actively hunted in 2023, taking an average of 22.7 ducks each over 7.1 days.

The GMA found the high take, despite the drastically shortened season, was partly due to:

THE number of days hunters spent out on wetlands and waterways being 17 per cent higher than average;

THE proportion of active duck hunters (65 per cent) was the second highest recorded since 2017, when this statistic was first recorded;

HUNTER efficiency was relatively high at 3.2 ducks per hunting day, which is 80 per cent of what was allowable in 2023. All other years were below 70 per cent; and

DEBATE over the future of native bird hunting in Victoria may have motivated hunters to increase their hunting effort.

Sporting Shooters Association of Australia spokesman Barry Howlett said the report showed how pointless it was for the state government to cut the length of the 2023 season, given hunters had simply put more effort into harvesting the same number of ducks as in the past over a shorter time frame.

“It highlights that it was pointless to make the decision to shorten the season and not follow the independent (ecologists’) expert advice,” Mr Howlett said.

Victoria's annual duck harvest 2009 to 2023.

Prior to any decision being made on the 2023 season, Deakin University chair of ecology Marcel Klaassen, in partnership with other ecologists, used NSW and Victorian waterbird surveys and data on breeding and wetland revival to recommend “a bag limit of four ducks per day” over a full 90-day season.

However the Labor Victorian government caved to pressure from anti-duck hunting groups and tried to deliver a compromise that shortened the season to 35 days.

In the meantime duck hunters are waiting to see how Premier Jacinta Allan deals with an Upper House Select Committee report that recommends ending duck hunting, despite the majority of its members supporting the ongoing harvest.

ESTIMATED 2023 DUCK HARVEST OVER FIVE WEEKS

26-30 April: 62,523 ducks harvested

1-7 May: 63,211

8-14 May: 48,545

15-21 May: 52,231

22-30 May: 93,399

TOTAL = 319,900

The highest number of ducks harvested were around the towns of Kerang, Sale, Horsham, Echuca and Geelong.

The harvest report also showed an estimated 302,824 Stubble quail were harvested in 2023. This is double the long-term average of 149,000.

Of the 26,627 hunters licenced to hunt quail, 18 per cent actively hunted in 2023.

On average, active quail hunters harvested an estimated 63.6 quail over 5.7 days.

The most popular quail hunting areas were around Kerang, Donald, Shepparton, Geelong and Rochester.

The highest number of quail harvested were around the towns of Shepparton, Wycheproof, Rochester, Kerang and Geelong.