Report illegal protester behaviour

Report illegal protester behaviour

Protesters abusing us or hindering our hunt is a reality that many hunters will face at some point. Our aim is always to remain respectful and safe, regardless of what abuse may be directed at us.

Any unlawful activity should be reported to the relevant authorities as soon as possible.

Carry this checklist with you when you go hunting – either on paper or a digital copy on your phone – so you will know what to do if confronted or provoked by protesters.

If a protester approaches you, start filming them and say the following:

“I’m hunting here, I would prefer that you didn’t hinder or obstruct my hunt or harass me, please stay away from me.”

If a protester then continues to approach you, or in any way hinders or obstructs your hunt or harasses you, remain calm and say:

“I feel threatened/harassed by you. You are hindering and obstructing my hunt. Please move away.”

Record or jot down the following details if you can:

• Location
• Time
• Date
• Registration of protester’s vehicle
• Protester's name (if known)
• Details of what happened.

Or, fill in the GMA’s online form at https://www.gma.vic.gov.au/enforcement/report-illegal-hunting-online

If you are hunting on private property, the protester will be trespassing. You can act as an agent for the landowner and ask the trespasser to leave. You can say:

"Do you realise you are trespassing? This is private property, and you do not have permission to be here, please leave."

If they do not immediately leave, say:

"You are trespassing, please leave now."

If they still do not go, say:

"You are trespassing. Leave now. I am going to contact the owner and the police."

Section 58E of the Wildlife Act 1975 covers hindering or obstructing hunting.

It states: “A person must not interfere with, harass, hinder or obstruct a person who is engaged in hunting or taking game in accordance with this Act.”

Hindering and obstructing can come in many forms, with some being more obvious than others, and some being easier for the GMA or police to prosecute than others. For example, an activist paddling out to you in a canoe, calling you names, paddling through your decoys and continually moving around your decoy spread provides a much clearer case of hindrance than an activist standing 10m out the back of your decoys taking photos and not moving. To a hunter, both scenarios are clearly obstructing the duck hunting session – but to a court of law it appears it’s not so clear-cut.

To help achieve a conviction against an activist:

·      Record as much of the interaction as possible on your phone, so you can create a timeline of events. This is your main source of evidence, so it needs to be clear and complete.

·      Always remain polite and calm. Don’t swear, antagonise, or call the activists names. This kind of behaviour will go against your chances of a successful prosecution, should it get that far.

·      Call the GMA and the police. Notify them of your location and that you believe an activist is breaking a game regulation.

·      Say to the activists: “You are hindering and obstructing my ability to hunt safely under the conditions of my game licence.” Because of their open presence and movement, they will most likely be flaring the ducks away; and, if you have decoys out, they will be severely limiting the likelihood of a duck committing to your decoys. This needs to be said to the activists in your recording, and if it’s shown in your video that ducks are indeed flaring away – that’s even better.

·      Pack up and move to a different spot. If the activists follow you, repeat the above steps. Their action of following you to a different location shows their intent to hinder and obstruct you.

·      If your hunt is so severely hindered that you need to abandon it and pack up and leave, make sure you say this in your recording. Abandoning your hunt will help prove hinder/obstruction.

·      Take the time to follow up with the GMA and write an official report. If you think it’s just all too hard and you do nothing about it, most likely nothing will come of it.

·      Again, remember to always be polite when interacting with activists and law enforcement officers. You are representing all hunters, whether you like it or not.

CONTACT NUMBERS:

Game Management Authority: 136 186.

GMA’s online incident reporting: https://www.gma.vic.gov.au/enforcement/report-illegal-hunting-online

Victoria Police: For non-urgent reports (reporting a crime after the event has happened, for example motor vehicle theft or malicious damage) call the Police Assistance Line on 131 444. Do not call this line if the reportable offence is in progress.

If you have immediate concerns for your safety or the safety of others, immediately call 000.