SSAA Duck Hunters Club

03/06/2026

UPDATED: It was the media that named and shamed the anti-hunting activist, not the GMA. The outlet (ABC) should apologise for that serious error of fact.

Facts matter. Context matters. Accuracy matters.

The ABC has published a story raising serious concerns about hunting compliance and Victoria’s regulator. Scrutiny is fair - but so is expecting the full picture.

Our response looks at:
✔️ What the compliance data actually shows
✔️ The reality of enforcement against illegal hunting
✔️ The legal position on public access to wetlands
✔️ Context around historical allegations relied upon in the story
✔️ Why it matters who actually commissioned the Pegasus Report

Illegal hunting hurts wildlife, hurts lawful hunters and hurts public confidence. We support strong compliance and equal application of the law - whoever breaks it.

But public debate should be built on evidence, not implication.

Read the full response here: https://ssaavic.com.au/facts-matter-in-any-discussion-about-hunting-compliance/

29/05/2026

Dowd Morass State Game Reserve near Sale will fully reopen to duck hunting and Green Lake, including Fresh Lake, near Corop will close to hunting from Sunday, 31 May 2026 (inclusive).

Dowd Morass has been partially closed since the beginning of the 2026 duck season to provide refuge to a breeding colony of protected Australasian Darters. Dowd Morass will now fully open to hunting as breeding has concluded and the young have left the nest.

Green Lake and the immediately adjacent Fresh Lake near Corop will be closed to hunting from this Sunday as recent surveys show significant numbers of endangered Brolga are routinely present at the wetlands.

Closing wetlands ensures that threatened species are protected and duck hunting remains sustainable. If the reason for closure no longer exists, wetlands may be reopened to hunting.

Wetlands will continue to be monitored for the remainder of the season. Hunters are reminded to check the GMA website for updates to hunting arrangements before they go hunting, at https://shorturl.at/aRNTg

People are urged to report illegal hunting and breaches to public safety laws to the GMA online at https://shorturl.at/vGkhr or by calling 136 186.

The 2026 duck season will close 30 minutes after sunset on Monday, 8 June 2026. The daily bag limit is nine birds per day.

13/05/2026

06/05/2026

Some changes to wetlands in Victoria.

How is your season going? share your stories with us

Lake Cooper and Green Lake will reopen to duck hunting and the whole of Tower Hill State Game Reserve will be closed to hunting from Friday, 8 May 2026 (inclusive). https://shorturl.at/5g91D

Recent surveys have found that the threatened species previously detected at Lake Cooper and Green Lake near Corop and have moved on or significantly reduced in number.

The western lake at Tower Hill State Game Reserve has been closed to duck hunting since the start of the season. The whole Reserve will now be closed, as recent surveys found significant numbers of Blue-Winged Shoveler across both the western and eastern lakes.

Closing wetlands ensures that threatened species are protected and duck hunting remains sustainable. If the reason for closure no longer exists, wetlands may be reopened to hunting.

Wetlands will continue to be monitored for the remainder of the season. Hunters are reminded to check the GMA website regularly for updates to hunting arrangements before they go hunting, at (Link)

People are urged to report illegal hunting and breaches to public safety laws to the GMA online at https://shorturl.at/vGkhr or by calling 136 186.

The 2026 duck season will close 30 minutes after sunset on Monday, 8 June 2026. The daily bag limit is nine birds per day. Hunting of the Blue-winged Shoveler is prohibited.

23/04/2026

This is great news from the field, these trackers are part of a groundbreaking research program to understand the life of waterfowl in south east Australia.

Thanks to the duck hunter who returned this tracker from a Grey Teal harvested at Laanecoorie Reservoir, near Eddington, on 12 April 2026.

We originally banded and attached the tracker to the duck at Lara on 14 August 2025 for research into the movement and survivorship of game ducks.

62 ducks have been fitted with solar-powered backpack trackers so far, with hundreds more to be fitted over the next few years. Track their progress here: https://shorturl.at/DRJMn

If you find a tracker, please contact [email protected]

Even if the tracker appears damaged, please contact the GMA as it may be repairable and able to be redeployed on another duck.

The knowledge gained from this research will help improve our understanding of game duck ecology and contribute to population modelling to inform Adaptive Harvest Management for duck hunting in Victoria. Thank you for your support!

13/04/2026

Authorised Officers from the GMA, Victoria Police and partner agencies are patrolling wetlands, creeks, rivers and lakes on private and public land across Victoria to ensure duck hunting remains responsible and sustainable.

30/03/2026

Jalapeno duck poppers are an easy 4 ingredient recipe that can either be a great appetiser or as part of a meal.

Now that we're in the full swing of the season it's a great time to experiment with the harvest, so share your recipes with us.

27/03/2026

Duck hunters are "locking out" Victorians from public wetlands, according to some activists.

Except the law says non-hunters can access State Game Reserves for most of the day.
Except Victoria's 200 SGRs were built with hunters' licence fees while everyone else was draining wetlands for crops.
Except 90% of these reserves have zero infrastructure, 40% have no vehicle access, and the biggest documented threat to their health is illegal grazing and landholder encroachment - not blokes in a tinnie at dawn.

And the "Kakadu of the South" thing? Ducks are among the most nomadic animals on the continent. They don't live in a reserve. They follow the rain. That's why we have science-based adaptive harvest management instead of a bumper sticker.

The people screaming loudest about "our wetlands" might want to meet the people who actually built and fund them.

No, duck hunters aren't locking anyone out of public wetlands.
https://ssaavic.com.au/no-duck-hunters-arent-locking-anyone-out-of-public-wetlands/

26/03/2026

This is a bit of a long read, but this article highlights the important `behind the scenes` work SSAA Victoria alongside other hunting and shooting organisations for the betterment of all hunters in the state.

Victoria's proposed Animal Care and Protection Bill won't be going to Parliament in 2026, and we welcome that outcome.

We've engaged with this process since 2020, alongside the Australian Deer Association, Field & Game Australia, Victorian Hound Hunters VHH and the Australian Bowhunters Association.

Our position never changed: we support genuine animal welfare protections, but not a bill that treated hunting as cruelty by definition and left the door wide open to regulatory overreach.

The Government has looked carefully at what was in front of it and reached the right conclusions. Read our full take at the link. 🔗
https://ssaavic.com.au/victorias-animal-welfare-overhaul-is-off-the-table-and-thats-the-right-outcome/

19/03/2026

At duck season opening yesterday, SSAA Victoria staff witnessed animal rights activists actively hindering and harassing hunters, while also behaving belligerently and uncooperatively with authorities.

This morning, we woke to credible reports of boats being vandalised overnight and access to public land being blocked by an apparent deliberate act of environmental vandalism, with a tree dropped across a public road.

SSAA Victoria proudly and unapologetically plays a leadership role in setting clear expectations of hunter behaviour through our support for the REDUCE and RESPECT campaigns. Compliance data consistently shows that hunter behaviour is generally very good and, where unacceptable behaviour does occur, we are the first to call it out publicly.

The animal rights movement, by contrast, too often turns a blind eye to the unlawful behaviour of its frontline activists - and in some cases appears to excuse, encourage or romanticise it.

As we have said consistently, the right to protest and to disagree with laws is a fundamental and valued part of a free society. What is not a right is breaking the law to indulge your own intolerance, vandalising the environment or public assets, or interfering with private property and lawful activity.

If the leaders of the animal rights movement have any credibility, they should come out now and unequivocally condemn the illegal behaviour of their activists.

And for those spray-painting boats overnight: that is not how you spell “punt”.