Australia has a population of about 26 million[1] while theCommonwealth Government estimating there are 640,000recreationalhunters in the country. There are around 6 millionlegally owned guns in Australia, ranging fromairguns tosingle-shot,bolt-action,pump-action,lever-action orsemi-automatic firearms.[2]
Many species ofgame animals in Australia have beenintroduced byEuropean settlers since the 18th century.[3] Among these are traditional game species such asdeer,red foxes andupland birds (quails,pheasants andpartridges), as well as otherinvasive species includingrabbits/hares,cats,dogs,goats,pigs,donkeys,horses,feral cattle (includingbanteng),water buffaloes andcamels. Nativewaterfowls are also targeted, and thecommercial harvest of kangaroos byprofessional hunters was recorded as 1.6 million in 2012.[4]
The most commonly hunted animals by recreational hunters are rabbits, foxes, ducks,feral pigs,feral cats andferal goats.[5]Hunting of rabbits, in particular, is encouraged across all of Australia, as they are considered a highly invasivepest, and the most common form of hunting isground shooting.
The recreationalhunting of foxes is also commonly done by shooting. However, this usually requires other techniques to lure the animal (e.g. using afox whistle, which makes a sound mimicking a distressedprey) and thenspotlighting theeyeshine to locate and shoot the animal.[6]
Six species ofdeer can be found in Australia.[7]
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Only three states and one territory permits the hunting ofwaterfowl using firearms. Hunting with a permit is allowed in theNorthern Territory,South Australia,Tasmania andVictoria.[8] In addition to the native species, theMallard is a feral species inAustralia and is permitted to be hunted.[9] Penalties apply for hunters who kill or injure non-listed species. Waterfowl that are fully protected in all states and territories and therefore must not be shot include: theCape Barren goose,Black swan,Freckled duck,Blue-billed duck andBurdekin duck.[10]
Whenhunting withshotguns, there is a risk of accidentally injuringducks. As ducks often fly in flocks, there is a potential for multiple ducks to be hit when hunters shoot into theflock to target anindividual. The duck struck by the central cluster of theshot typically dies and falls to the ground. However, ducks on the periphery of the shot may still be hit by somepellets, which they survive but result in lifelong suffering.[11]
A survey conducted inVictoria on hunting four species of nativeducks revealed a significant number of injured birds. Some of these birds survive, while others suffer before eventually dying. Approximately 26% of the shot ducks are either wounded ormutilated. Of these, 12% will be wounded and survive, whereas between 14% and 33% will be mutilated. The likely outcome for mutilated birds is a slow, painful death.[12] AnX-ray study of ducks caught using nets inVictoria found that between 6% and 19% of the ducks live with embeddedshot pellets in theirbodies.[13] Thisanimal cruelty has been mostly neglected by government officials.[14]
| Common name | Species | Northern Territory[15] | South Australia[16] | Victoria[17] | Tasmania[18] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chestnut teal | Anas castanea | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Grey teal | Anas gracilis | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mallard (introduced species) | Anas platyrhynchos | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Australasian shoveller | Anas rhynchotis | No | No | Yes | No |
| Pacific black duck | Anas superciliosa | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Magpie goose | Anseranas semipalmata | Yes | No | No | No |
| Hardhead | Aythya australis | Yes | No | Yes | No |
| Australian wood duck | Chenonetta jubata | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Wandering whistling duck | Dendrocygna arcuata | Yes | No | No | No |
| Plumed whistling duck | Dendrocygna eytoni | Yes | No | No | No |
| Pink-eared duck | Malacorhynchus membranaceus | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Mountain duck / Australian shelduck | Tadorna tadornoides | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Laws related to hunting vary between eachstate or territory.[19] Except where otherwise stated, most states and territories allow the hunting of pest species – feral dogs, feral goats, feral pigs, foxes, hares, and rabbits – at any time of year with the landowner's permission. Every state and territory requires those carrying firearms to belicensed to do so. A survey of recreational hunters identified the following usage rates of particular hunting methods: 92%rifles, 16%bow and arrows,3%black powdermuzzleloaders, 56%shotguns, 9%dogs only and 3% others.[5]
All that is required to hunt inAustralian Capital Territory is a valid firearms licence. Individuals between the ages of 12 – 17 can hold a minor's firearms licence, allowing them to hunt under adult supervision. However, hunting is restricted to pest animals on private property and may only be carried out with the landowner's permission.
New South Wales allows the hunting of deer. In NSW game species include ducks, which may be hunted under theNew South Wales Game Bird Management Program, as well as wild deer,California quails, partridges, pheasants,peafowl and turkeys. Dogs, cats and hares are classified as both feral and game.[20]
TheNorthern Territory freely allows the hunting of feral animals on private land with the landowner's permission as long as the hunter holds a valid firearms licence. This excepts feral pigs andwaterfowl, for which a permit is required to hunt on certain reserves. The Northern Territory considers many animals to be feral:Arabian camels,buffaloes,banteng,cane toads, donkeys, feral cats, horses, wild dogs, feral cattle,house sparrows, pigeons,sambar deer, rusa deer,chital andturtle doves. All waterfowl hunters require a permit to hunt and may only do so during the declared open season. Waterfowl includes the following species: magpie geese, Pacific black duck,wandering whistling duck,plumed whistling duck, grey teal, pink-eared duck, hardhead duck, maned duck.
InQueensland, some native species (with a permit[21]) and all pest species may be hunted at any time of the year with the landowner's permission. A weapons licence is required to carry firearms. No species are declared as game animals, but many animals are declared pests in Queensland instead. Species commonly hunted includered deer,chital,fallow deer,rusa,dingo, feral dog,rabbits,hares, cats, foxes, goats, pigs, dogs, donkeys,horses andferal cattle.
South Australia allows the hunting of game species during open season. Species listed as game are thestubble quail,Pacific black duck,grey teal,chestnut teal,Australian shelduck,pink-eared duck andmaned duck. Some native species and all introduced species may be hunted at any time of the year. Namely camels, deer,starling, domestic pigeon, European blackbird and the spotted turtle-dove.
A game licence is required to hunt inTasmania, pests and feral creatures are eligible to be hunted on private, state and crown land. Tasmania classifies as game species: deer, wild duck, brown quail and pheasant. For non-commercial purposes,muttonbirds andwallabies may also be hunted. Pests can be hunted on crown land at any time, however on private and state land hunts are only carried out with explicit permission from the owner of the private land. Minor permits in both firearms and hunting can be applied for if under the age of 18 years. There are two different grades of minor permits available from 12 years.
Hunting ofgame species is allowed duringopen seasons under a statelicence scheme. InVictoria, state licenses are issued to: 26,200duck hunters, 29,000quail hunters, and 32,000deer hunters.
Victoria allows the hunting of manynative andintroduced species, includingstubble quail,pheasants,partridges,European quail,California quail,Pacific black duck,grey teal,hardhead,Australian shelduck,pink-eared duck,Australian wood duck,chestnut teal,Australasian shoveller,hog deer,red deer,sambar deer andfallow deer.
Victoria makes no restrictions on the hunting ofpest orferal animals instate forests, or onprivate lands as long as the hunter has permission from the landowner. Both hares and feral dogs are classified as pests, and can be hunted at any time throughout the year.
InWestern Australia, only feral species may be hunted on private land with the landowner's permission, subject to holding a valid firearms licence. These species include camels, donkeys, feral cattle, wood ducks, feral dogs, feral horse, hares and starling.
Aboriginal Australians lived on the Australian continent for thousands of years before Europeans settlement in the late 1700s. They had a wealth of animals to hunt and had very refined and sometimes ingenious ways of hunting them.[22]
Boomerangs have been used as a hunting tool by Aboriginal Peoples for tens of thousands of years.[citation needed] The way a hunter tends to use a boomerang is to rustle tree branches, causing the birds inside to be startled and fly into nets that the hunter had already set up between trees. Contrary to popular belief, Aboriginal hunting boomerangs are not designed to return to the thrower. Related to the boomerang, athrowing stick is bigger and heavier. These heftier weapons are used to hunt bigger animals such as kangaroos. They were thrown straight at their target and could even break bones on impact. This made it a lethal tool in the hands of an experienced hunter. Aboriginals usefire to clear vegetation from patches of land to make it easier to hunt game.[23] Among the animals hunted aremonitor lizards.
The National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 1975 (Cth) mandates Aboriginal people are not subject to general conservation restrictions so long as they engage in hunting only for food, ceremonial or religious purposes (in all cases must be non-commercial).[24] However, restrictions may be put in place to protect wildlife and must specifically state that such restrictions apply to Aboriginal people.[25] This section does not give an Aboriginal person right of entry onto land. Entry onto private land, state forests, national parks or other kinds of crown land is regulated under State or Territory Legislation and is variable.[26]
There has been a number of controversies surrounding indigenous Australians and the Australian government regarding their hunting rights.In 1993, the Australian Government brought in legislation called the Native Title Act. This act meant that the Australian Government recognised that the Aboriginal Australians have rights to and interests to their land that come from their traditional laws and customs. One of the activities that are covered by the Native Title is the right for Aboriginal peoples to hunt otherwise endangered species for food or ceremonial purposes.[citation needed] The killing of endangered is a wide source of outrage with many[who?] calling for a rewrite of the legislation to protect the endangered species.
