Duck Season

[bobt]

perhaps I could offer you a coupon for free photos from Getty? Would that stop you taking photographs?

I think that you just proved my point quite nicely. In both cases it's the shooting that is the focus - not the end result. Photographers and duck hunters both like the shooting, except photographers don't kill.

[ricktas]

I think that you just proved my point quite nicely. In both cases it's the shooting that is the focus - not the end result. Photographers and duck hunters both like the shooting, except photographers don't kill.

But you did not answer my question: If I offered you a Getty coupon, would YOU stop taking photographs?

[Bear Dale]

No offence here at all bobt have you ever seen what Ducks, pigs rabbits and carp do to our land at all?


(and)

Just like Rick has already said, game ducks taste very different to ducks form a farm, but in saying that I do enjoy to eat them too.

It's a big country, I think a lot of people are unaware of just how big Australia is.

When I grew up (and I'm only 50) every hardware store in nearly every country town sold firearms and ammunition. Grace Brothers would measure you up for a shotgun, all Australian KMart stores sold firearms and ammo in their sports sections, seriously most country toy and sports shops stocked firearms!

I used to take a Lee Enfield .303 rifle home with me after cadets on a Friday afternoon when we were going on a camp the next morning to Singleton on an Eastern Suburbs (Sydney) bus and no one gave me a second glance.

I think whats happening is that we have so many people now living in cities that have no contact whatsoever with firearms besides reading in newspapers about how bad and dangerous they are.

Yet the fox, cat, pig, duck and other feral populations are ever increasing.

You know just one fox getting a 55gr pill in head at high speed saves the lives of countless thousands (yes thats thousands) of native wildlife from being eaten.

The duck population has exploded, why not shoot them for the table? Or would it be more humane to put out 20 tonnes of poison grain and let them writh in agony whilst they were slowly poisoned and then let the goanna's, snakes, birds of prey etc die from eating poisoned ducks?

[bobt]

No offence here at all bobt have you ever seen what Ducks, pigs rabbits and carp do to our land at all?

No offense at all, we all have views and should be able to express them. I do agree wholeheartedly that there are all sorts of situations where culling is needed to protect our land. I also accept that some hunters do so for reasons other than what is oddly described as "sport". However, those (and you) are not the focus of my argument. My primary objection is that many (not all) hunters are simply seeing this as a sport. There are all sorts of magazines describing it as a sport. No matter how they might subsequently justify it, a large proportion of duck hunters see themselves as sportsmen engaging in a sport. Now Olympians are engaging in a sport when they compete in shooting competitions - THAT is sport. However, going out with the deliberate intention to kill creatures simply for the thrill of it just isn't a sport - and neither is it sporting to shoot a creature which has no defenses just because you can.

Those who cull animals do so as part of their daily lives, and are a different story altogether. They don't hide behind an alleged "sport" or kill far more ducks than they can reasonably eat. So called sporting shooters kill for pleasure - end of.

I understand that you are not one of those.

- - - Updated - - -

But you did not answer my question: If I offered you a Getty coupon, would YOU stop taking photographs?

Well I think I did answer the question. I wouldn't stop taking photos just because you gave me one because it's not just the photo (read "duck") that's important to me - it's the thrill of using my equipment, my skills etc to capture my subject (read "prey").

The hunter is the same - if I offered him a pile of duck carcasses he would still want to use his skills, stalk his prey and then kill it because that's where the thrill is. The two situations are parallel. In both cases, if you take away the adrenalin rush you defeat the whole purpose of the exercise. However, when I shoot I don't kill my subject, I leave it intact for another photographer to enjoy. I also leave the subject free to enjoy its own life. My "sport" harms no-one.

[ricktas]

I agree with you on that Bob. I do not see hunting as a 'sport'. I often wonder why the hunting organisations even call themselves that. I personally do not use the term sport shooter, I refer to call it hunting. I have not been duck hunting for a few years, but still like to get an occasional Roo or Rabbit. I do not sit at home and think 'oh I should go out and kill a few animals', my thinking is 'I would not mind a feed or two of roo patties/roast rabbit'. As do the shooters I know. We are hunters, not sports people!

Yes, I could go to the supermarket and buy some, but still, someone, somewhere had to slaughter it, for it to be in the supermarket in the first place.

[Kym]

Duck is very tasty!! Shooter eat what they kill. All good!!

[zeroharm]

Some give the rest a VERY bad name!! Waking up at 5am to the sounds of hunters shooting anything they can see ON MY DAM!!! leaves me with a bad taste.. Apparently if they are on the road it is not trespassing (so they told me) Bit hard when you can't let your pet ducks/geese etc out for a paddle.. Each to their own, just do it properly..

[I @ M]

Some give the rest a VERY bad name!! Waking up at 5am to the sounds of hunters shooting anything they can see ON MY DAM!!! leaves me with a bad taste.. Apparently if they are on the road it is not trespassing (so they told me) Bit hard when you can't let your pet ducks/geese etc out for a paddle.. Each to their own, just do it properly..

Simple, go to the local police with their vehicle registration number and ask if the law in NSW allows them to shoot over your land without your permission.

It is definitely the case in Vic that you cannot shoot on or over private property without the owners permission.

Idiots like that need a severe wake up call.

[bobt]

someone, somewhere had to slaughter it, for it to be in the supermarket in the first place.

This where our society as a whole is hypocritical. We love to chuck a lamb chop on the barbie, but few of us would take a photo of a cute little lamb and then slit its throat! Dead spiders and cockroaches are different from cuddly and cute animals but we eat cute animals every day. Generally we only see things in life that we choose to see. I'm just as guilty of that as the next person.

[zeroharm]

Simple, go to the local police with their vehicle registration number and ask if the law in NSW allows them to shoot over your land without your permission.

It is definitely the case in Vic that you cannot shoot on or over private property without the owners permission.

Idiots like that need a severe wake up call.

This was in Victoria.. Police were called, nothing happened, apparently it was all a mistake!!(didn't realise it was private property.. Fence did not give any clues!!) Hence the statement "some give the rest a bad name" I don't care what anyone else does, just as long as they do it properly...

[Bear Dale]

This where our society as a whole is hypocritical. We love to chuck a lamb chop on the barbie, but few of us would take a photo of a cute little lamb and then slit its throat! Dead spiders and cockroaches are different from cuddly and cute animals but we eat cute animals every day. Generally we only see things in life that we choose to see. I'm just as guilty of that as the next person.

I've read that referred to as the 'Bambi Syndrome'.

[ricktas]

This where our society as a whole is hypocritical. We love to chuck a lamb chop on the barbie, but few of us would take a photo of a cute little lamb and then slit its throat! Dead spiders and cockroaches are different from cuddly and cute animals but we eat cute animals every day. Generally we only see things in life that we choose to see. I'm just as guilty of that as the next person.

And that is where we differ. I grew up on a farm so am quite capable of slaughtering that cow,pig,sheep, chicken, and skinning or plucking it removing any parts we deem not suitable for consumption. Do I get 'enjoyment' out of doing so, not really, but as you say, we love a lamb chop on the barbie, and someone has to do it.

To me there is no difference between slaughtering a chook from the backyard to a wild duck. Both are done so for humans to eat. It is only our own 'sensibilities' that seem to create some difference as to which is appropriate and which isn't. Some people's 'sensibilities' are in a different place to others, but who is right? I have eaten horse steak (not in Australia), but the horses were bred specifically for eating, however in Australia I reckon most people would find horse on the menu as somehow 'bad'.

[Duane Pipe]

I have never eaten wild Duck but I would love too, I have shot them with my camera but never a gun! and thats only because I dont own one.
I gave my young ferret its first kill on a rabbit kitten today It was her first time out and I think that she deserved the feed, So now she knows what its all about she should hunt for me a lot better than she did today I am doing something with my 9 year old that I did as kid...... Its better walking through undulating farmland Than having him sit on his arse all day in front of the pc Gaming. Our family loves a feed of rabbit.
My Dad was paying $19.00 for Supermarket Rabbits that are tasteless farmed Crap.. Lets go Hunting

[I @ M]

This was in Victoria.. Police were called, nothing happened, apparently it was all a mistake!!(didn't realise it was private property.. Fence did not give any clues!!) Hence the statement "some give the rest a bad name" I don't care what anyone else does, just as long as they do it properly...

Sorry zero, I assumed that you were in NSW by your location.
Regardless, your Vic police district will have a district / regional firearms officer ( they have changed the name again recently ) and I am sure he /she would be very keen to hear why there wasn't something done about a totally flagrant breach of the law ( mistake, my foot!!! ) because they really do like to pull miscreants into line.

Our local RFO /DFO gleefully tells about the fines that he managed to hand out to the licensed shooter who was sitting in the middle of a swamp on duck opening morning without a current duck ID certificate and claimed that he was hunting bunnies.

[zeroharm]

Sorry zero, I assumed that you were in NSW by your location.
Regardless, your Vic police district will have a district / regional firearms officer ( they have changed the name again recently ) and I am sure he /she would be very keen to hear why there wasn't something done about a totally flagrant breach of the law ( mistake, my foot!!! ) because they really do like to pull miscreants into line.

Our local RFO /DFO gleefully tells about the fines that he managed to hand out to the licensed shooter who was sitting in the middle of a swamp on duck opening morning without a current duck ID certificate and claimed that he was hunting bunnies.

All good..I am not opposed to hunting, I am opposed to cruelty and disregard.. The law have never helped when it came to unlawful behaviour on my land ( 600 snares found scattered around my property, called the police when the perps came to reclaim, only to be told they were "mistaken" once again) any one of those snares could of killed my dog.. I allow hunting for feral animals on my land as long as you knock on my door and ask!! I love ferrets, but do not allow any injury of native animals.. I have also seen the destruction foxes, rabbits, pigs have on the land ...

I work in NSW, I have a large property in central Vic my work makes me travel..

PS.. I have never tried duck but would rather eat one that has lived a free life.. Just my opinion..

[Steve Axford]

I'm generally on the side of zero and Bob. I think that the responsible shooters probably outnumber the irresponsible, but it doesn't take many idiots to cause a lot of damage, particularly when those idiots have guns. I had some idiot friends who liked to go out pig shooting. One time they got lost for 3 days. Bloody lucky to survive. The relied on a GPS that soon ran out of battery - duh! The rarely got a pig but I'll bet they shot at something along the way.
The whole issue is a bit similar to allowing people to drive on beaches. It's fine when not many do it and those that do probably need to as it's the only way to get to some places. But - when lots of people start doing it for fun it becomes very destructive and fortunately usually gets stopped in the end.

[ameerat42]

Hmm! A fifth season. How did Vivaldi vote?
A(Quick! Duck!)m.

PS. And where's the duck gravy for this poll?

[extraball]

all of us should say nay! Imagine a pleasant afternoon of photography spoiled by, a bum full of bird-shot.

[ricktas]

I'm generally on the side of zero and Bob. I think that the responsible shooters probably outnumber the irresponsible, but it doesn't take many idiots to cause a lot of damage, particularly when those idiots have guns. I had some idiot friends who liked to go out pig shooting. One time they got lost for 3 days. Bloody lucky to survive. The relied on a GPS that soon ran out of battery - duh! The rarely got a pig but I'll bet they shot at something along the way.
The whole issue is a bit similar to allowing people to drive on beaches. It's fine when not many do it and those that do probably need to as it's the only way to get to some places. But - when lots of people start doing it for fun it becomes very destructive and fortunately usually gets stopped in the end.

I agree, but then that is the same with motor vehicle drivers (not just on beaches), and yet we can get licenses for that rather easily too. Cars and guns both kill, however we do not seem to have this 'zero' perception for all car drives the same as we do all (duck) hunters.

[Steve Axford]

But our society would not work without cars and trucks. It would function quite well without duck hunters.