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Duck season opened in Victoria on 20th March with protesters and vets stating they will try to treat and care for the injured birds.
Only ten percent of those shooting deer this season are members of the Game Council of New South Wales, a government funded organisation that runs training programs to teach gun safety and the most humane way to kill a deer. Over 100,000 other shooters will not necessarily have received this training.
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Sleeping deer with his proud antlers so highly prized by shooters |
There are strong fines for hunting on private property or out of season relating to the Game and Feral Animal Control Act 2002 and associated Regulation of 2004. Hunting on private property is known as poaching. The Game Council has a force of field-based game managers working on compliance and apprehending illegal hunters. Many are exempt from the licensing system including farmers, Aborigines shooting on native title land or Government agency personnel and professionals shooting as part of their paid employment. See the regulations on the Game Council’s website relating to shooting deer.
Recreational users of the State Forest might well be advised to refrain from bird watching, walking or horse riding while the thousands of guns are aimed at the deer for the remainder of the legal shooting season. |
