Duck season 2023 arrangements

South Australia

The S.A. duck hunting season will begin on Saturday, March 18, 2023 and continue until and including Sunday, June 25, 2023, with a bag limit of eight birds per licensed hunter per day.

Only the species listed below may be taken, and only in the period between 30 minutes prior to sunrise and 30 minutes after sunset on any given day of the open season.

The species which may be harvested are:

grey teal

chestnut teal

Pacific black duck

Australian shelduck (mountain duck)

maned (wood) duck.

The South Australian 2023 stubble quail hunting season will start on Saturday, April 29, 2023 and end on Sunday, July 30, 2023 inclusive. Stubble quail may only be taken in the period between 30 minutes prior to sunrise and 30 minutes after sunset on any given day of the open season, with a bag limit of 25 birds per licensed hunter per day.

Tasmania

The wild duck hunting season in Tasmania will run from March 11 to June 12, 2023.

The brown quail hunting season in Tasmania is from May 13 to June 25, 2023.

More details can be found at https://nre.tas.gov.au/.../forms-permits.../hunting-licences

Please note: The Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania advises that season dates are subject to change without notice in response to the results of monitoring and changes in seasonal conditions.

Victoria

The 2023 Victorian duck season has been announced, and includes changes to the season length, start times, daily bag limit and the species that may be hunted.

The season will start at 8am on Wednesday, April 26, 2023 and will close 30 minutes after sunset on Tuesday, May 30, 2023. Start time each day of the entire season is 8am.

The bag limit is four (4) birds per day.

Six game duck species are permitted to be hunted during the 2023 Victorian season: Pacific black duck, mountain duck, chestnut teal, grey teal, pink-eared duck and wood duck.

Blue-winged shoveler and hardhead may not be hunted across Victoria.

Details of the 2023 Victorian duck season, including any wetland closures, will be regularly updated at gma.vic.gov.au

FGA's position on the Victorian duck season 2023

FGA is hugely disappointed the Labor Government and legislators have chosen to ignore the science and reduce the season length and bag limit. This is a dramatic departure from Labor’s previous position of supporting safe, responsible and sustainable duck hunting.

Leading Australian waterfowl scientists have repeatedly stated that habitat availability and breeding in 2022-2023 has been exceptional. FGA will seek clarification as to why the government has cited low bird numbers as a reason for season length and bag limit reduction.

The arrangements for the 2023 Victorian duck season are based on analysis and the modelling of habitat and waterbird abundance surveys conducted across eastern Australia, and other data relating to game duck abundance, habitat distribution and climate.

A full-length season was recommended based on harvest modelling by two experts in waterfowl ecology and population dynamics, Professor Marcel Klaassen and Professor Richard Kingsford. They advised that reducing the bag limit is a more effective way to reduce the overall harvest of game ducks rather than reducing season length.

FGA is unclear as to why the Labor Government has departed from previous commitments that were repeated in Sustainable Hunting Action Plan 1 and SHAP 2 to rely on robust science to inform season setting arrangements.

FGA will continue to analyse this process and will be asking the government to reassess this decision. We will also be relying on our members in the coming days and weeks to assist in this process by making their voices heard.