The Issues Duck Hunting

Duck hunting - help the RSPCA kill the sport!

Introduction

Every year hundreds of thousands of ducks are shot over the wetlands of Australia in the name of a ‘sport’ - recreational duck hunting. Some of these ducks will be killed outright. Some will be wounded, brought down and killed on retrieval. Many others will be crippled or wounded and will die within a few hours or days. Some will suffer prolonged pain before they die.

Why is duck hunting so cruel?

In order for duck shooting to be humane, all ducks shot would have to be killed outright by the hunter*. This is not the case. Some ducks are brought down and killed by the hunter on retrieval, usually by wringing the neck. Others are crippled (brought down but not retrieved) and these may die within hours, days or weeks of being shot. Other ducks will be wounded but will fly on. Some ducks will escape unscathed.

* For duck shooting to be as humane as abattoir slaughter it must be possible for a hunter of average skill to kill all ducks instantly or, on very rare occasions, with a second shot within a few seconds.

Why are so many ducks wounded?

Because limitations in the way shotguns operate make it impossible to ensure that a duck is killed outright, even by a skilled marksman. There is a high level of cruelty in duck hunting that cannot be eliminated unless the practice is banned.

Hunting with a shotgun

Ducks are usually shot with a 12 gauge shotgun. A shotgun, unlike a rifle, fires a cluster of pellets rather than a single bullet. As the pellets leave the gun they gradually spread out in a cigar-shaped cloud which increases in diameter the further it is from the gun. If the duck is fully within the cloud of pellets it may be killed outright, but this depends on exactly what pattern the pellets have formed.

The spread of pellets from a shotgun is irregular, so at normal hunting range it is impossible to ensure, even when the duck is within the target area, that it will be hit by enough pellets to kill it. If the duck is on the edge of the circle of pellets it will be wounded rather than killed. If the duck is within the circle but just out of range it will be wounded as the pellets will be travelling too slowly to kill.

Ducks need to be struck by three to eight pellets for a relatively quick kill, depending on the size of the pellets. A hunter will usually have to fire between four and ten shots for each duck they kill. These shots will be aimed at a number of ducks, only one of which will be downed and (eventually) bagged (Sanderson & Bellrose 1986: Victorian DCE 1991).

Crippling and wounding rates

There is no definitive figure on the percentage of ducks crippled or wounded as a result of duck hunting, but an estimate can be made using a number of different methods.

Embedded pellets

One way is to examine the incidence of shotgun pellets embedded in the bodies of live birds. Studies of this type have found that the percentage of birds with embedded pellets ranged from 6% to 19% of ducks, depending on the size of the duck (Norman 1976).

This level of wounding in live ducks is very concerning, especially given that

• it does not include crippling and fatal shot wounds; and
• these surveys include ducks that have not been shot at (and therefore could never be wounded) which dilutes the overall wounding rate.

Hunter interviews and hidden observers

Another method used to estimate wounding levels is to interview hunters on the number of ducks wounded per duck retrieved. This is an extremely unreliable (and unscientific) method since hunters have been shown to grossly underestimate crippling rates.

A Canadian study which compared hunter estimates with reports from hidden observers who had watched the shooters and counted the number of ducks they crippled found that hunters reported a crippling rate of 6-18% of ducks bagged compared to the observed level of 20-45% (Nieman et al 1987).

These results indicate that hunter assessments are a totally unsuitable method of estimating wounding rates. Overall, the Nieman et al study found a crippling rate of 40% of the total harvest. When calculated as a proportion of ducks bagged, this represents a rate of 6.6 ducks crippled for every 10 ducks bagged*.

* Crippling loss rates are expressed as a percentage of the total kill, not of the bag limit, therefore the rate must be adjusted to provide a rate per bag limit. For a bag limit of 10 and a crippling rate of 40%, the losses per bag are calculated as 6.6 ducks (Norton & Thomas 1994).

Researchers examining a range of crippling studies concluded that the crippling rate reported by Neiman et al (1987) was the "best documented and most realistic value available" (Norton & Thomas 1994).Even this only covers those birds which are wounded so badly that they are immediately downed - many more birds will be injured but will fly on.

Computer simulation

An estimate of wounding rates has been calculated using a computer model of which simulated the effects of a hunter shooting at a duck. Unlike the previous methods discussed, this accounts for all wounding, not just crippled ducks that are downed but not retrieved.

The study analysed hunters’ hit rates to determine the level of wounding and calculated that a shooter who takes on average 6 shots to kill a bird (a conservative estimate compared to published studies) would wound between 60 and 120 ducks for every 100 bagged. Overall the study concluded that most competent shooters will wound at least one duck for every duck bagged (Russell 1994a, b).

What is the rate of crippling and wounding caused by duck shooting? Studies indicate that between 6.6 and 10 ducks are crippled or wounded for every 10 ducks that are bagged (shot and retrieved by the hunter).

Comments from RSPCA Inspectors present at the 1994 Victorian duck season opening:

• It is not possible for relevant government departments or the police to enforce existing legislation relating to duck shooting.
• There were vast areas of the state where shooting goes on without inspection.
• Shooting commenced before conditions allowed accurate identification of species.
• In unmonitored areas shooting commenced up to 40 minutes before the allotted time.
• Many shots were fired at extreme range where accurate species identification and the chance of a clean kill were highly unlikely.
• Observations were made of ducks being wounded but not brought down.
• A number of shooters were observed to continue shooting rather than following-up and recovering downed birds.
• An estimated 95% of shots fired did not meet their target and would have been deposited in the water and on dry land. In states where lead shot is still used this represents a serious pollution risk.
• Other species of birds were seen to be frightened or distressed by the shooting. Birds can become exhausted after flying around for hours and have difficulty maintaining height.

Where is it legal?

Recreational duck hunting is permitted in Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and the Northern Territory. Only in the ACT, New South Wales and Western Australia is it illegal to hunt ducks for sport. Ducks can be shot in NSW and WA under licence when they are thought to be causing damage to crops, dams or waterways.

The ban in NSW was introduced in 1995 following a recommendation from the Animal Welfare Advisory Committee which concluded that "the level of pain and suffering through cruelty in duck hunting is unreasonably high and that it is unnecessary and unjustifiable in circumstances where the activity is undertaken to satisfy a sporting urge".

It is time that those states where duck hunting is still permitted took the issue of cruelty seriously and followed the lead of NSW and WA in banning this cruel ‘sport’.

Duck hunting legislation in Australia:

ACT - The ACT is a wildlife refuge and all native waterfowl are protected

NSW - Recreational duck hunting was banned in 1995. Shooting is still permitted for ducks that cause, or have the potential to cause, damage to crops. A review of the ban will be conducted in 2000.

NT - Recreational duck hunting is permitted. Open season runs from Sat 21 Aug to Sun 19 Dec 1999.

QLD - Recreational duck hunting is permitted. Open season runs from Sat 15 May to Sun 8 Aug 1999.

SA - Recreational duck hunting is permitted. Open season runs from Sat 12 Feb to Sun 18 June 2000

TAS - Recreational duck hunting is permitted. Open season runs from Sat 11 March to Mon 12 June 2000.

VIC - Recreational duck hunting is permitted. Open season runs from Sat 18 March to Mon 12 June 2000.

WA - Recreational duck hunting was banned in 1990. Shooting is still permitted on properties where ducks are causing damage to dams or waterways.

How many ducks are shot?

No overall figure for the number of ducks shot is available, however an estimate can be made of the number shot and bagged (retrieved by the hunter).

The Victorian Department of Natural Resources and Environment calculate seasonal duck kills from the number of active duck hunters and bag limits each year.

In the period 1987-97 the average number of ducks killed per year was estimated at 772,000.

If this 10-year estimate is extrapolated to account for the 4,250 licensed duck hunters outside Victoria, the number of ducks shot and bagged by duck hunters each year across Australia is over 900,000.

How many ducks are crippled or wounded?

It is estimated that between 594,000 and 900,000 ducks are crippled or wounded every year as a result of duck hunting activities. In addition, approximately 900,000 ducks are killed outright.

What species and how many ducks can be shot?

There are ten different species of native duck that can be hunted in Australia (Table 1), although only two of these species (Pacific black duck and grey teal) can be shot in every state where duck hunting is still permitted. Each state sets its own laws to control which species can be shot and which species are protected, as well as setting limits (known as bag limits) on the maximum number of birds that can be shot and retrieved by a single hunter on any one day (Table 2).

An annual survey of duck populations in Eastern Australia is carried out jointly by NSW, Victoria, SA and CSIRO Wildlife and Ecology. The survey assess the possible impact of hunters and the effects of available wetland habitat on waterbird populations. The results of this survey are used to assess which species will be included in the open season and what bag limits will be set.

Waterfowl Identification Test

The Waterfowl Identification Test (WIT) examines shooters on their ability to recognise individual game bird species. Since its introduction in a number of states there has been a reduction in the recorded shooting of protected birds during the duck hunting season, but this is also attributable to the change in firearms legislation and a drop in hunter numbers. The use of identification testing is no guarantee that protected species will not be shot. In the Northern Territory there is no identification test and little is know about what species are taken since records are not collected and hunting is so difficult to police.

Table 1: Duck species that can be shot in each state

* These species have been protected in South Australia for the 2000 season only

Table 2: Bag limits and shooting times

* Bag limits for the 2000 season have not yet been set

How many hunters are there?

There are around 27,500 licensed duck shooters in Australia (the number of unlicensed shooters is unknown) (Table 3). Applications for licences have fallen significantly over the past 10 years with several states seeing a drop in numbers of over 50%.

This decline is the result of a number of factors:

• the introduction of compulsory waterfowl identification tests in most states;
• changes in firearms legislation; and
• a general decline in the popularity of duck hunting.

Victoria is by far the most active duck hunting state with 85% of all licensed hunters residing in this state. In addition to the high level of hunting activity in Victoria itself, many of these hunters also travel interstate to shoot duck outside of the Victorian open season.

Over 80% of the licences to shoot ducks for crop damage mitigation in New South Wales are issued to residents of Victoria. South Australia is the second biggest hunting state with around 2000 licensed hunters. The NT, Queensland and Tasmania have less than 1000 hunters each.

Table 3: Licensed duck shooters

Lead shot

Lead has been recognised internationally as a serious environmental contaminant for many decades. The vast majority of lead poisoning in waterbirds results from the ingestion of lead shot from game bird shooting.

Birds swallow grit to grind down food in the gizzard prior to digestion. When they ingest lead shot it is also ground down and is absorbed into the bird’s bloodstream. Lead salts accumulate in the tissues leading to progressive muscle paralysis, muscle wasting and starvation.

It only takes a small amount of lead to poison a bird (one lead shot pellet may be enough to kill). Birds may die quickly, in the case of severe poisoning, or suffer chronic symptoms including anaemia, kidney and heart damage, increased susceptibility to infectious diseases, starvation and predation. Lead poisoning can also have severe effects on birds’ fertility and development of offspring. Predators are also vulnerable to lead poisoning if they eat birds that have consumed lead shot or have pellets embedded in their bodies.

Lead contamination is permanent

Lead shot deposited in the soil is eventually broken down into compounds which are absorbed by soil and plants. This permanently contaminates the soil as the absorbed lead cannot be retrieved. Organisms exposed to lead contamination experience reduced growth and survival. An estimated 350 tonnes of lead shot is deposited annually into Australian wetlands as a result of hunting activity (Sharley et al 1992). Research undertaken in Victoria and South Australia has shown that wetlands used consistently for duck hunting have high levels of accumulated spent lead shot.

Lead shot is still used

Many countries have implemented bans on the use of lead shot for hunting waterbirds because of its toxicity, including countries with a strong hunting tradition such as Canada and the USA. In 1996 the Australia and New Zealand Environment and Conservation Council (ANZECC) published a report on alternatives to the use of lead shot in duck hunting in Australia. The report recommended a national phase-out of lead shot in all areas within 4 years, with bans in place in high risk areas such as game reserves within 2-3 years.

There are a number of non-toxic alternatives to lead available including steel, bismuth or tungsten polymer shot which are widely available in Australia. These alternatives are equivalent in price, availability and performance to lead shot and can be used in most shotguns.

Despite the ANZECC recommendation, the only mandatory bans on lead shot currently in place are in South Australia (for all areas) and the Northern Territory where lead shot cannot be used in selected areas (Howard Springs Hunting Reserve, Harrison Dam and Lambells Lagoon). Up to now, other states have encouraged the uptake of non-toxic shot but have not implemented any bans.

Victoria has recently announced proposals to phase-out the use of lead shot over a 3-year period starting this year with a mandatory ban on the use of lead shot in all State Game Reserves. It is proposed that this ban is will be extended to cover the use of lead shot all public land in 2001 and all private land in 2002. The proposals will be finalised following a consultation period which ended on 1 February. In the mean time, Victoria and NSW are conducting a joint shooter education campaign to encourage the voluntary adoption of lead shot in these states. NSW does not at present intend to introduce a mandatory ban on the use of lead shot although it is actively encouraging licensees under its Game Management Program to use non-toxic alternatives.

Conservation and game management

Conservation and shooting

A proportion of game bird licence fees is used towards conservation work and shooting organisations claim that they act as a valuable conservation force. However, the input of shooting organisations and licence fees is minimal when compared to other conservation efforts.

Furthermore, when balanced against the immense cruelty involved and the damage the environment caused by spent lead shot, there is no conservation argument for the continuation of recreational duck hunting.

Duck populations are principally determined by water levels, with wet winters leading to high breeding rates and dry winters to low rates.

With current hunting levels the number of ducks killed by hunters in one year has no impact on the next year (Stokes 1990). There is no evidence that duck shooting is a major contributor to the control of population numbers.

Game bird management programs

In NSW and WA recreational duck hunting is not permitted. However ducks can be shot under licence when they are thought to be causing damage to crops, dams or waterways.

Western Australia

Western Australia has a limited season for mountain duck and wood duck. These species can only be taken between 1 January and 30 June each year and only on properties where they are causing damage to dams or waterways.

The shooter must obtain a letter from the property owner and ducks taken off the property must have an intact wing for identification. Shooting may only take place between sunrise and sunset. A maximum of 50 to 100 birds can be shot depending on the size of the property.

New South Wales

The NSW Game Bird Management Program enables landholders to legally control ducks and other game birds that cause damage to crops. Licences are issued to shooters after passing the WIT. Land holders must obtain an Occupier’s License which state the species and number of birds which can be culled.

Game birds can only be culled on or over crops (rice fields) by a licensed occupier or shooter. Most of the shooting takes place early in the rice growing season (September to November). In 1999 123,093 ducks were shot under the NSW Program. The annual total varies according to duck numbers and seasonal effects on rice crops.

The average number of ducks shot/year since 1995 is 90,753.The number of ducks shot did not rise significantly following the closure of the duck hunting open season in 1995 (Curtin & Kingsford 1997). A review of the season closure is due to take place in May 2000.

The RSPCA is greatly concerned about the outcome of this review and urges the NSW government to ensure that the ban on recreational duck hunting in NSW is made permanent.

There were 3710 shooters licensed under the NSW Program in 1999. Over 80% of these shooters are from Victoria. Although the purpose of duck shooting in NSW is for crop damage mitigation, the reality is that the NSW Program provides Victorian hunters with the equivalent of a second open season in the Spring in addition to the March to June open season in Victoria.

Unlike any other state or territory, there is no night shooting curfew in NSW. Shooting in poor light makes it extremely difficult to identify and retrieve birds and greatly increases the likelihood of injuries.

The RSPCA would like to see a ban on night shooting of ducks in NSW.

Reference list

Note: Information on legislation and regulations were provided by the relevant government authority in each state.

Curtin Al & Kingsford RT (1997) An analysis of the problem of ducks on rice in New South Wales. Research Report for NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service.

Nieman DJ, Hochbaum GS, Caswell FD & Turner BC (1987) Monitoring hunter performance in prairie Canada. Trans 52^nd NA Wild & Nat Res Conf 52:233-245.

Norton MR & Thomas VG (1994) Economic analyses of ‘crippling losses’ of North American waterfowl and their policy implications for management. Environmental Conservation 21(4):347-353.

Russell G (1994a) Shotgun wounding characteristics. Mapletech (Special issue) pp17-23.

Russell G (1994b) A bird in the hand, a bird in the bush. New Scientist 16 April p9.

Sanderson GC & Bellrose FC (1986) A Review of the Problem of Lead Poisoning in Waterfowl. Illinois Natural History Survey.

Stokes KJ (1990) Report of the Task Force Enquiring into Duck Hunting in South Australia. Department if Lands, SA.

Victorian DCE (1991) Lead Shot to be Phased out. Dept of Conservation and the Environment, Victoria.

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