Duck season arrangements
The Victorian Government announced the following arrangements for the 2023 duck hunting season:
Season length
Season open – 8.00am on Wednesday 26 April 2023
Season close – 30 minutes after sunset on Tuesday 30 May 2023.
Bag limits (modified)
Daily bag limit of four (4) game ducks per day for the entire season.
Hunting the Blue-winged Shoveler is prohibited for the entire season.
Hunting the Hardhead is prohibited for the entire season.
Start and finish times
For every day of the 2023 duck season, hunting starts at 8am. Hunting finishes 30 minutes after sunset each day.
Game duck species permitted to be taken
Six game duck species are permitted to be hunted during the 2023 season. Species permitted are Pacific Black Duck, Mountain Duck, Chestnut Teal, Grey Teal, Pink-eared Duck, and Wood Duck.
The Blue-winged Shoveler and Hardhead have been listed as threatened species under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 and cannot be hunted during the 2023 season
Retrieval of downed game ducks
Regulations require hunters to make all reasonable efforts to immediately retrieve all downed game ducks and to salvage at least the breast meat from all harvested ducks.
Other arrangements
All other hunting arrangements remain unchanged.
Only non-toxic shot can be used to hunt ducks anywhere in Victoria. Lead is not permitted.
Hunters are reminded to review our education material to ensure accurate identification of waterfowl, humane dispatch methods and responsible hunting techniques.
Please monitor the GMA website before and during the season to see if wetlands have been closed to hunting or hunting has been further regulated.
Hunters are reminded to hunt responsibly at all times.