Duck hunting is an outdoor recreational activity practised under a permit system in the Australian state of South Australia. Hunters use shotguns and are provided with permits issued by the Department of Environment and Water. [1] The activity is opposed by animal welfare groups who consider the practice to be unacceptably cruel. [2]
Duck hunting using firearms has occurred in South Australia since the formal establishment of the colony in the early 19th century. Since that time, some aboriginal hunters adapted their traditional practice to make use of the newly available firearms. [3] During the 19th and 20th centuries, duck hunting was frequently referred to as "sport" and its participants referred to as "sportsmen"- though the activity has its origins in the obtaining of meat for human consumption. In the colony's "early days" the magpie goose (Anseranas semipalmata) was prized for its meat and was hunted to practical extinction. [4] Several other species have been removed from lists of species permitted to be hunted as their populations have fallen, including Latham's snipe and several species of duck. Duck hunting is considered to be a particularly safe activity (from the hunter's perspective) due to the absence of large predatory animals in South Australia. The greatest risk a hunter faces is posed by fellow hunters and their firearms. [5]
As of 2016, the hunting of six native species of ducks is permitted: the Australian wood duck or Maned duck ( Chenonetta jubata ), Grey teal ( Anas gracilis ), Chestnut teal ( Anas castanea ), Pink-eared duck ( Malacorhynchus membranaceus ), Pacific black duck ( Anas superciliosa ) and Mountain duck or Australian shelduck ( Tadorna tadornoides ). [6] The introduced Mallard is also allowed to be hunted.
Species formerly allowed to be hunted include the Australasian shoveler ( Anas rhynchotis ) and the Hardhead ( Aythya (Nyroca) australis ). [7] Prior to 1976, Latham's snipe ( Gallinago hardwickii ) was allowed to be hunted. [8] As of 2016, Latham's snipe and the Australasian shoveler are listed as Rare under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972 . [9] [10] The Hardhead is listed as Vulnerable under Victorian legislation. [11]
Duck hunting open seasons in South Australia have typically started in February or March and ended in late June. Hunting in game reserves is sometimes only permitted during weekends. [12] In the 1920s, the unusually early opening of the season in December, which overlapped with duck breeding season, became a subject of public controversy. Concerns were raised that parent birds would be killed while their young were still dependent on them, leading to their chicks dying of starvation. [13] [14] [15] In 1946, the season commenced on 14 February and ended on 30 June. [16] In 1982, the season commenced on 27 February and ended on 26 June. [8] In 1992, the season commenced on 14 February and ended on 15 June. In 1948, 400 hunters shot an estimated 3,500 ducks in the Tatiara district in a single morning. [17] In 1954, over 600 hunters attended the season opening in the Naracoorte district, including "hundreds" from the neighbouring state of Victoria. [18]
As of 2016, hunters must have passed a Waterfowl Identification Test before being allowed to hunt ducks in South Australia. Ducks are only to be hunted during limited open seasons. The killing of unlisted or protected species is prohibited. Current permits must be carried by hunters at all times while hunting. The pre-feeding of hunting grounds is prohibited as is the taking of eggs of any species. Hunters must not damage vegetation or disturb animals' burrows or nests. Duck shooting is prohibited from moving boats. [19] [20] [21] [22]
In 1927, a "sportsman" was permitted to shoot 25 ducks per day, and up to 40 quail per day on a single hunting license. A professional license was also available, which allowed a hunter to kill an unlimited number of ducks. At that time, in the neighbouring state of Victoria, the only available license limited each hunter to 15 ducks per day. Recreational hunters were also prohibited from selling hunted ducks commercially. No such sale limitation was in place in South Australia, which allowed for South Australian duck hunters, professional and recreational, to export ducks to Victoria for sale there. [23] Market shooters was considered to be risking populations of ducks being wiped out from some areas in 1928. [24] In 1946, the bag limit was 12 ducks per gun per day. [16] The bag limit was also 12 ducks per hunter per day in 1992, with a further restriction of a maximum of two Australasian shoveller per day. [7]
Only smoothbore shotguns not exceeding 12-gauge using shot pellets no larger than BB (4.1 mm) is allowed. Pump action and self-loading firearms are prohibited unless used on private land. In 1940, duck hunters visiting South Australia from other states were required to register their firearms in South Australia and purchase a gun license for 5 shillings. [25] In 1943, the Commonwealth Government banned duck hunting in order to conserve ammunition during Australia's involvement in World War II. [26]
Duck hunting is only authorized to occur during certain days and times in the following South Australian game reserves: Chowilla, Moorook, Loch Luna, Currency Creek, Lake Robe, Mud Islands, Poocher Swamp, Tolderol, Bucks Lake and Bool Lagoon. [12]
When hunting with shotguns, there is a risk of accidentally injuring ducks that survive. As ducks often fly in flocks, there is a potential for multiple ducks to be hit when hunters shoot into the flock to target an individual. The duck struck by the central cluster of the shot typically dies and falls to the ground. However, ducks on the periphery of the shot may still be hit by some pellets, which they survive but result in lifelong suffering. Shooting at too far a distance also increases the risk of causing injury due to the increased spread of shot pellets. [27]
A survey conducted in Victoria on hunting four species of native ducks revealed a significant number of injured birds. Some of these birds survive, while others suffer before eventually dying. Approximately 26% of the shot ducks are either wounded or mutilated. Of these, 12% will be wounded and survive, whereas between 14% and 33% will be mutilated. The likely outcome for mutilated birds is a slow, painful death. [28] An X-ray study of ducks caught using nets in Victoria found that between 6% and 19% of the ducks live with embedded shot pellets in their bodies. [29]
Statistics from United States [30] [31] [32] and Scandinavia [33] [34] [35] also shows a significant proportion of crippling losses with shotguns. Remarkably, this significant factor impacting waterfowl populations has been mostly neglected by policymakers and government officials. [36]
Objections to the management and practises of duck hunting in South Australia have been expressed publicly since at least the 1920s. In the 1940s, attention was drawn to lax enforcement of a protected area known as Bird Island at Lake Bonney in the south east of the state, and to hunters use of automatic weapons. [37] In 1990, Laurie Levy from Animal Liberation Victoria described South Australia as having some of the most draconian duck hunting laws still in Australia. [38] In the 2010s, organisations opposing duck hunting include: Protect Our Native Ducks (POND), the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), the Australian Greens and the Animal Justice Party. [39] [2] [40] [41]
A shotgun is a long-barreled firearm designed to shoot a straight-walled cartridge known as a shotshell, which discharges numerous small spherical projectiles called shot, or a single solid projectile called a slug. Shotguns are most commonly used as smoothbore firearms, meaning that their gun barrels have no rifling on the inner wall, but rifled barrels for shooting sabot slugs are also available.
Hunting is the human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, and killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to obtain the animal's body for meat and useful animal products, for recreation/taxidermy, although it may also be done for resourceful reasons such as removing predators dangerous to humans or domestic animals, to eliminate pests and nuisance animals that damage crops/livestock/poultry or spread diseases, for trade/tourism, or for ecological conservation against overpopulation and invasive species.
The freckled duck is a waterfowl species endemic to Australia. The freckled duck has also been referred to as the monkey duck or oatmeal duck. These birds are usually present in mainland Australia, but disperse to coastal and subcostal wetlands in the dry period. During such times it is common for the freckled duck population to congregate in flocks in the same area, giving the impression that they are more common than they really are.
The Australian wood duck, maned duck or maned goose is a dabbling duck found throughout much of Australia. It is the only living species in the genus Chenonetta. Traditionally placed in the subfamily Anatinae, it might belong to the subfamily Tadorninae (shelducks); the ringed teal may be its closest living relative.
Game or quarry is any wild animal hunted for animal products, for recreation ("sporting"), or for trophies. The species of animals hunted as game varies in different parts of the world and by different local jurisdictions, though most are terrestrial mammals and birds. Fish caught non-commercially are also referred to as game fish.
A shotgun cartridge, shotshell, or shell is a type of rimmed, cylindrical (straight-walled) ammunition used specifically in shotguns. It is typically loaded with numerous small, spherical sub-projectiles called shot. Shotguns typically use a smoothbore barrel with a tapered constriction at the muzzle to regulate the extent of scattering.
The pink-eared duck is a species of duck found in Australia.
Field & Game Australia (FGA) is an Australian non-government organization formed in 1958 for conservation, hunting, and clay target shooting. It is based in Seymour, Victoria.
Seal Bay Conservation Park is a protected area located on the south coast of Kangaroo Island in the Australian state of South Australia. It is the home of the third largest Australian sea lion colony in Australia.
Waterfowl hunting is the practice of hunting aquatic birds such as ducks, geese and other waterfowls or shorebirds for sport and meat. Waterfowl are hunted in crop fields where they feed, or in areas with bodies of water such as rivers, lakes, ponds, wetlands, sloughs, or coasts. There are around 3 million waterfowl hunters in the United States alone.
In the United Kingdom, the term hunting generally refers to hunting with hounds, e.g. normally fox hunting, stag (deer) hunting, beagling, or minkhunting, whereas shooting is the shooting of game birds. What is called deer hunting elsewhere is deer stalking. According to the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC) over a million people a year participate in shooting, including stalking, shooting, hunting, clay shooting and target shooting. Firearm ownership is regulated by licensing.
A hunting license or hunting permit is a regulatory or legal mechanism to control hunting, both commercial and recreational. A license specifically made for recreational hunting is sometimes called a game license.
A hunting season is the designated time in which certain game animals can be killed in certain designated areas. In the United States, each state determines and sets its own specific dates to hunt the certain game animal, such as California, in which they designate certain zones, in which each have their own separate dates in order to legally hunt.
Romania has a long history of hunting and remains a remarkable hunting destination, drawing many hunters because of its large numbers of brown bears, wolves, wild boars, red deer, and chamois. The concentration of brown bears in the Carpathian Mountains of central Romania is largest in the world and contains half of all Europe's population, except Russia.
Hunting is a popular recreational pursuit and a tourist activity in New Zealand with numerous books and magazines published on the topic. Unlike most other developed countries with a hunting tradition, there are no bag-limits or seasons for hunting large game in New Zealand. Hunting in national parks is a permitted activity. The wide variety of game animals and the limited restrictions means hunting is a popular pastime which has resulted in a high level of firearms ownership among civilians.
A professional hunter is a person who hunts and/or manages game by profession. Some professional hunters work in the private sector or for government agencies and manage species that are considered overabundant, others are self-employed and make a living by selling hides and meat, while still others guide clients on big-game hunts.
Australia has a population of about 26 million while the Commonwealth Government estimating there are 640,000 recreational hunters in the country. There are around 6 million legally owned guns in Australia, ranging from airguns to single-shot, bolt-action, pump-action, lever-action or semi-automatic firearms.
Bucks Lake Game Reserve, formerly the Bucks Lake National Park, is a protected area located in the Limestone Coast of South Australia about 40 kilometres south-west of Mount Gambier and immediately east of the township of Carpenter Rocks. The game reserve was originally created as the Bucks Lake National Park in 1968 under the National Parks Act 1966 and was re-proclaimed as a game reserve under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972 for the purpose of the conservation of wildlife and management of game. The game reserve is used for duck hunting with species being harvested including grey teal, chestnut teal, Pacific black duck, pink-eared duck and Australian shelduck. Hunting is conducted during a proclaimed open season with hunters requiring to have an ‘endorsed hunting permit’ and only to harvest maximum numbers of specific species.
Howard Springs Hunting Reserve is a protected area in the Northern Territory of Australia located in the locality of Howard Springs.
Joice Island is a small island in Grizzly Bay in California. It is part of Suisun Marsh, and has been used for hunting since the late 19th century. After a failed attempt to reclaim the land for asparagus and alfalfa farming in the early 1900s, Joice Island spent several decades as a wildlife refuge before being opened to the public for hunting in 1964. Currently, the upper portion of Joice Island is part of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife's Grizzly Island Wildlife Area; fishing, as well as the hunting of waterfowl and pigs, is permitted there on a limited basis.
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