The secretary of the Victorian Duck Hunters Association is confident the duck hunting season will go ahead this year, but has urged authorities to confirm dates and conditions for hunters as soon as possible.
Despite some media outlets reporting the Victorian government was considering a complete ban on duck shooting, VDHA secretary Kev Gommers said he believed a duck season would happen.
In a submission to the Game Management Authority earlier this month, the VDHA said flooding events had led to the largest amount of breeding of ducks seen in years, and a "massive increase in birds available for harvest" was a cause for concern.
"You will get some clowns out there saying that the floods will adversely affect ducks," Mr Gommers said.
"This is not the case, quite the opposite.
"Floods are good for ducks, because there are wetlands that are very much covered by water and that enables the ducks to breed and raise the young easily."
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He also criticised "ridiculous bag limits" enforced by the GMA in the past and said he felt sorry for farmers, as they needed clarity on whether they'd have enough time to take control measures for ducks, which were considered a pest for those growing crops like lettuce and rice.
"Farmers have already got a full-time job on the farm... and I've seen a lot of damage [on crops] over the years by hordes of ducks," he said.
"Farmers also spend a lot of money putting in seeding rice paddocks and cereal crops which are vulnerable to attacks by ducks, and... as the floodwaters subside now and the new breeds take to wing, they'll be looking for that food on those farms."
Mr Gommers also believed the drawn-out decision-making process was becoming too politicised.
"It's quite simple to gather information and make an announcement [about the season] but that information gathering is a very curious beast indeed," he said.
"We have a lot of people who participate in duck hunting and they've got to organise leave and holidays."
The VDHA's submission also criticised the reliance on the Eastern Australian Waterbird Survey to make decisions about the duck season as it didn't "reflect real-time conditions on the ground in [Victoria] as significant flooding had not reached the terminal water bodies from when the study was taken".
A Victorian government spokesperson told Stock & Land a "decision will be made on this year's duck season after thorough consideration".
Since the beginning of this year, ministerial responsibility for duck hunting shifted from Agriculture Minister Gayle Tierney to Outdoor Recreation Minister Sonya Kilkenny.
Last week Shadow Agriculture Minister Emma Kealy said duck hunting contributed about $65 million to the recreational hunting industry and that more transparency was needed from the government regarding duck hunting.
"We saw the 2022 season announced quietly and only moments before it began," Ms Kealy said.
"Recreational hunters need certainty from a state government that is prepared to be upfront with Victorians about its priorities.
"The fact the Andrews Labor government didn't head into the 2022 Victorian election with a clear stance on recreational duck hunting suggests the government wants to keep its agenda from regional Victorians who rely on the industry."
The Victorian duck hunting season usually runs from the third weekend in March to the Queen's Birthday weekend, with last year's season running for 90 days with a daily bag limit of four birds being enforced.
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