Most South Australians want duck shooting stopped because it is cruel and unnecessary. Many native ducks are wounded and not killed outright, suffering pain and distress. The wounding rate is always high because shotguns are used on birds who can be flying at more than 16 metres per second. A shotgun fires over 100 pellets with each shot, and these pellets disperse into a metre wide clump. Unless enough pellets hit a bird, and the pellets are in vital organs, the bird will be injured but not killed. Broken wings, legs and beaks are the result. Wounded birds may still be able to fly, or will fall but hide in wetland foliage and not be found by shooters. These unretrieved birds will most likely die slowly. This is unacceptable to most South Australians.

Only 1 in a 1000 SA voters holds a duck shooting permit, while most people are against it. Why does the government allow it to continue?

Shooting also has a negative impact on tourist activities. The season, usually March to June, includes school holidays, public holidays and weekends, which are peak recreation times. During this time the rivers and wetlands are also used by kayakers, birdwatchers, walkers, and houseboats. Many users will be families with  children. Shooting has a negative effect on ecotourism because families will be deterred from travelling to wetlands while shooting is going on, which is detrimental to regional economies.

The duck shooting season in 2022 ends on June 27. Let’s tell the government we want this to be the last killing season in SA.