LOCAL outdoor suppliers have welcomed the eventual announcement of the 2016 duck hunting season.
A 12-week season will begin on Saturday, March 19 and end on Monday, June 13.
The bag limit will be eight birds for the opening day and four birds per day for the remainder of the season.
Due to reduced habitat and low numbers, the hunting of Blue-winged Shoveler will be prohibited.
Loddon Valley Disposals owner, Julie Davey said the delayed decision on the season had disrupted her usual ordering to prepare for the influx of shooters to the region.
“I would have started ordering but I had been holding off,” she said.
“It was frustrating, it put us up in the air and we didn’t know what to do.”
Mrs Davey said while the business always carried some duck hunting stock, larger volumes were only ordered after the season had been confirmed.
“What we have here is all paid for so we have to be careful what we order,” she said.
Mrs Davey said her business was always well supported by duck hunters, who commonly purchased decoys, clothing and camouflage gear.
“Apart from locals, there are regulars that come in every year,” she said.
Kerang Sports and Toys owner, Terry Turvey said the business usually carried sufficient levels of supplies, so the delayed decision hadn’t affected him.
He said he generally sold large numbers of clay target equipment and fishing gear, as hunters looked to other activities when duck hunting didn’t prove fruitful.
Shooters and Fishers Party Member for Northern Victoria, Daniel Young, was highly critical of the State Government for its delayed announcement.
He said there was no reason for the delay.
“I have not seen one piece of evidence to suggest that the number of ducks harvested by hunters has a major impact on their populations or their ability to replenish these populations as water and habitat return,” he said.
