There will be more chance of a positive result if the Shooters Union of Australia (SUA) has anything to do with it.
Report by Chloe Golding
Since banned in 1995 by NSW Premier Bob Carr, NSW duck season has been non-existent.
In order to overcome this situation, New South Wales Shooters Union is pushing for change.
The Shooters Union of Australia, the fastest growing pro-shooting lobby group in the country, says “It’s time to put wild duck back on the menu” and is calling for the recommencement of the New South Wales Duck Season.
In an interview with ABC Illawarra presenter Nick Rheinberger, Shooters Union New South Wales State Co-ordinator Craig Golding explained how duck season allows for the sustainable management of the wild duck population.
Mr Golding stated, “Populations of ducks across NSW are at levels such that the re-commencement of the open duck season is both sustainable and essential in the management of duck numbers throughout NSW.
What most Australians can agree too, is no one likes animal cruelty, but the re-introduction of Duck Season will see the sport heavily regulated wilth rigorous testing of participants and daily bag limits per person.”
Mr Golding added, “Wood Duck numbers are in such plague proportions that they were now impacting turf farms and farm dams, as well as private and public swimming pools.”
However the push for the return of Duck Season was criticised by Independent Member Justin Field MLC, who expressed concern of duck hunting being expanded onto public land. “… I think that would frighten a lot of people; the idea that for a couple of months a year we could have shooting across lakes and waterways across NSW, (this) doesn’t seem entirely sensible…” .
Mr Field also stated “ What we have never accepted in society is that we let recreational hunters loose on those problems… its not about recreational hunters out there getting a shot because they are a real impact in terms of animal welfare, people not knowing what they’re doing, mistaking the identity on particular species”
However, public land hunting is already practiced in New South Wales with over two million hectares open in the form of state forests. Procedures are in place to keep everyone in that forest safe whether they be hunting or just enjoying the scenery. This is a good example of what a similar policy can do for Duck Hunting.
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