The New Year brings with it duck and quail seasons for South Australia, Victoria and Tasmania, who have all declared their campaigns will go ahead. The SSAA has been involved in the discussions for the waterfowl seasons and has battled to ensure hunters are given a fair go, pushing for full seasons.
Despite favourable rainfall and wetland habitat, South Australia will have a slightly limited season because of low aerial survey numbers – the SSAA was quick to point out that this is likely because the ducks are more spread out when there is more water around. The SA duck season will begin 15 minutes before sunrise on Saturday, February 18, 2017, to 30 minutes after sunset on Sunday, June 25, 2017. The bag limit is a maximum of 10 ducks per hunter per day limited to the following species: grey teal, chestnut teal, Pacific black duck, mountain duck, wood duck and pink-eared duck.
The SA quail hunting season will be extended, beginning from sunrise on Saturday, February 18, 2017, to sunset on Sunday, August 13, 2017. The bag limit is a maximum of 25 stubble quail per hunter per day.
In Tasmania, the duck season will start on Saturday, March 11 and run through to Monday, June 12, with a daily bag limit of 10 birds. The species on offer are Pacific black duck, grey teal, chestnut teal, mountain duck and wood duck.
Tasmania will also have a brown quail season beginning on Saturday, May 13 until Sunday, June 25, with a bag limit of 20 per day.
Victoria will have a full duck season in 2017. The season will begin on Saturday, March 18 lasting 12 weeks, closing on Monday, June 12. The bag limit will be 10 birds per person per day.
“Duck season is a customary trip away for many families and is an important economic contributor to the rural economy, bringing 26,000 licensed duck hunters to small towns and regional centres across the state,” said Victorian Minister for Agriculture Jaala Pulford.
Victoria will also have its standard stubble quail season from Saturday, April 1 to Friday, June 30.