The Pheasant, A Great Game Bird

SO FAR, it has been a pretty miserable year for us bird hunters and shotgunners in particular. The 2021 Victorian Duck season, which was looked forward to by thousands of shotgunners, has been nothing but farcical.

With good rainfall the previous year and an estimated 2.5 million ducks in Victoria, we all had reason to be optimistic. But not according to those in power and, after examining all the relevant information, which should have meant a full season with a full bag, they dutifully slapped us across the face by declaring a 20-day season with a daily bag limit of 2 ducks. This was later modified to 5 birds a day in an attempt to pacify growing discontent.

If you were from the city and couldn’t get to the Wednesday opening, your season was ended before it began, as yet again Victoria was forced into another lockdown on the Thursday. Country shooters fared a little better as restrictions were lifted a week later, allowing us to head out. So, with Duck Season over before it started, what are the options for the shotgunner once the restrictions are over? Not many, by