Each year, approximately 320,000 native ducks are shot and bagged in the state of Victoria during the legal duck hunting season. Wildlife Victoria advocates for the abolishment of duck hunting in Victoria by collecting and sharing evidence of the impacts of duck hunting, engaging with the Victorian government to advocate for a ban on recreational duck hunting, and reducing harm to native waterbirds.
In 2023, the key recommendation from the Parliamentary Inquiry into Victoria’s recreational native bird hunting arrangements was a complete ban on native duck hunting from 2024, yet the Victorian government allowed for the continuation of this cruel and unnecessary “sport”. Wildlife Victoria continues to call for an end to duck hunting in Victoria.
The facts
- Six out of eight native duck species are in significant, long-term decline
- 10% of birds assessed by Wildlife Victoria on field during the 2023 duck hunting season were threatened species
- The campaign to protect native waterbirds commenced in Victoria in 1986 and spread to other states
- Duck hunting was banned in Western Australia (1990), New South Wales (1995), and Queensland (2005)
- Less than 0.4% of the Victorian population are licensed duck hunters
Key actions
2021-24 – Veterinary triage service and evidence documentation
From 2021–2024, Wildlife Victoria deployed a veterinary triage service to a wetland for the opening week of the duck hunting season to care for injured waterbirds. During this period, Wildlife Victoria documented veterinary evidence of shooter cruelty and misconduct, and the impact of duck hunting on waterbirds. All evidence collected during in-field operations was shared with the regulatory bodies for duck hunting in Victoria and key government stakeholders.
May 2023 – Parliamentary Inquiry submission
Wildlife Victoria made a submission to the Parliamentary Inquiry into Victoria’s recreational native bird hunting arrangements, and our CEO appeared as a witness at the Inquiry hearing on the 16 June 2023.
Read Wildlife Victoria’s submission to the Parliamentary Inquiry into Victoria’s recreational native bird hunting arrangements