Bird flu restricts duck hunter access

DUCK hunters have been warned to steer clear of any quarantine areas where bird flu has been detected ahead of the season start on Wednesday, 19 March. A community information message was issued by VicEmergency on 9 March for all bird owners, including poultry producers, bird keepers, and pet bird owners in and around Euroa, Violet Town, Longwood, Ruffy, Avenel, and Strathbogie. The Victorian duck season will run until Monday, 9 June with a daily bag limit of nine game ducks per day. The hunting start time is 8am until 30 minutes after sunset for the first five days (19-23 March, inclusive), then from 30 minutes before sunrise until 30 minutes after sunset for the remainder of the season. Seven game duck species are permitted to be hunted during the 2025 season and they include Pacific Black Duck, Mountain Duck, Chestnut Teal, Grey Teal, Pink-eared Duck, Wood Duck and Hardhead. Hunting the Blue-winged Shoveler is prohibited. Regulations require hunters to make all reasonable efforts to immediately retrieve all downed game ducks and to salvage at least the breast meat from all harvested ducks. Only non-toxic shot can be used to hunt ducks anywhere in Victoria - lead is not permitted and exemptions have been removed. New electronic hunting maps have now been added as a layer to the ‘More To Explore’ mobile phone app. The electronic mapping system shows all public land available to hunting and the species that can be hunted in specific areas, including game species and pests. The maps can also be downloaded for use offline, when out of mobile range. The app also provides comprehensive information on State Forest camping sites and other activities, including bushwalking and mountain bike trails as well as 4WD tracks and seasonal road closures. More To Explore is available for iPhones from the App Store and for Androids in the Google Play store. Further details about the More To Explore app can be found on the DEECA website. For more information on the new Wildlife (Game) Regulations 2024, visit the DJSIR website. Hunters are reminded to review our education material to ensure accurate identification of waterfowl, humane dispatch methods and responsible hunting techniques. Monitor the GMA website before and during the season to see if wetlands have been closed to hunting or hunting has been further regulated. Visit https://www.gma.vic.gov.au/hunting/duck/where-to-hunt/hunting-maps

Bird flu restricts duck hunter access

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