The Northern Territory’s waterfowl hunting season opens on Saturday, 6 September, and bag limits of daily bag limits of seven magpie geese and 10 other waterfowl species — the bags that have been locked in for every season until 2030.
And as with all season until 2023, this one will run from the first weekend in September until the first weekend in January, meaning this season closes on 4 January 2026.
The NT Government says the lock-edit limits and seasons are part of its plan to “restore the Territory lifestyle”.
Waterfowl hunting on private land has been permitted since 15 August, primarily for pest mitigation.
The limits have been assessed as sustainable in accordance with the Wildlife Management Program for the Magpie Goose in the Northern Territory 2020-2030.
Scientists from the Department of Lands, Planning and Environment (DLPE) Flora and Fauna Division conduct annual aerial surveys to monitor magpie goose populations and nesting activity across the Top End.
These surveys are conducted from light aircraft, flowing low level transects across floodplains between Moyle River in the southwest and Arnhem Land in the northeast, providing reliable estimates of the total population of magpie goose population across the Top End.
The current estimate, conducted in April, puts the magpie goose population at 1.22 million birds, a small (8%) decrease on last year’s estimate.
The Flora and Fauna division within DLPE is responsible for assessment and management of the program and NT Parks and Wildlife is responsible for the issuance of permits and compliance of permit conditions.
NT Parks and Wildlife is responsible for four parks and reserves where hunting is allowed:
- Harrison Dam Conservation Reserve
- Howard Springs Hunting Reserve
- Lambells Lagoon Conservation Reserve
- Shoal Bay Coastal Reserve
Hunting can also take place on designated Crown Land with a permit and on private property (including Aboriginal land) as long as the hunters have prior written permission of the landholder and can meet the setback conditions under the Firearms Act 1997. See this link for more information.
Hunters must hold a valid NT Parks and Wildlife waterfowl hunting permit, available through this link.
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