Sustainable Hunting Action Plan 2016-2020
The Sustainable Hunting Action Plan 2016-2020 (SHAP 2016-2020) was a $5.3 million investment that supported and guided the game hunting industry's long-term growth.
The SHAP 2016-2020 took a common sense approach to ensuring the long term sustainability of hunting in Victoria and concentrated on practical actions that maximised benefits for the environment, the economy, and the whole Victorian community. The SHAP's vision is that all Victorians will gain from growing the economic, environmental and social benefits of responsible, sustainable and safe hunting, now and into the future.
This vision was realised through the delivery of 22 clear and measurable actions under the first SHAP that aligned with the Victorian Government's expectations and the four objectives of:
- promoting responsible hunting
- growing hunting's benefits
- improving hunting opportunities
- ensuring sustainable hunting.
Download the Sustainable Hunting Action Plan (2016-2020):
Promoting responsible hunting
The cornerstone of responsible hunting is making sure hunters have access to accurate information that improves their education and training. As part of that education and training, all participants, including hunting organisations and the industry, must promote responsible hunting, including the humane treatment of all animals hunted and used for hunting, and recognising the non-hunting activities of other users in those areas where hunting is permitted.
Responsible hunting actions were focussed on providing better information, education and training programs to hunters, collaborating with stakeholders to promote responsible hunting, and improving enforcement
Action
Provide better access to information
Lead: GMA
Delivered
Progress
Complete
- Game Management Authority hunting website complete.
- An introduction to game hunting brochure provided to all new Game Licence applicants.
- Game Hunting in Victoria manual provided to over 50,000 licensed game hunters and distributed at hunting retail stores, industry expos (SSAA Shot and Wild Deer) and to hunting organisations.
- Release of new GMA Facebook page.
Action
Educate and train new hunters
Lead: GMA
Delivered
Progress
Complete
- Game Hunting in Victoria manual mailed out to over 50,000 licensed game hunters distributed at hunting retail stores, industry expos (SSAA Shot and Wild Deer) and to hunting organisations.
- An introduction to game hunting brochure provided to all new Game Licence applicants.
- An introduction to better game bird hunting produced and available in hardcopy and electronically.
- Electronic version of the Game Hunting in Victoria manual available.
- Be a better gamebird hunter – Shotgunning Education Program Handbook 2nd edition produced and available in hardcopy and electronically.
- The Gamebird Hunting Essentials Masterclass which was developed to increase the proficiency of hunters and subsequently reduce wounding losses in game bird hunting.
Action
Improve compliance and enforcement
Lead: GMA
Delivered
Progress
Complete
- Environmental Compliance Managers forum with GMA, Victoria Police, Parks Victoria, VFA, EPA and DELWP established.
- Changes to the Wildlife (Game) Regulations 2012 to require hunters to recover game birds and game bird meat.
- Legislative changes made to clarify that the GMA can appoint Authorised Officers.
Action
Work with hunting stakeholders
Lead: GMA
Delivered
Progress
Complete
- ‘Respect: Hunt Responsibly’ campaign delivered with industry, hunting organisations and partners.
- Promotion of responsible hunting at events including:
- Stand at SSAA Shot Expo 2017
- Duck Fever and Hound Registration Days
- ADA Hunter Education Weekend
- Snake Island Ballot
- Wild Deer Hunting Guiding and Fishing Expo 2018.
Action
Update hunting-related welfare codes
Lead: DJPR
Underway
Progress
Underway
- The development of a new animal welfare Act for Victoria has commenced. This reform will enable the development of new hunting codes in the future.
Action
Improve firearm carriage, transport and storage compliance
Lead: DJPR
Delivered
Progress
Complete
- Grant of $440,000 over four years provided to the Firearm Safety Foundation (Vic) to develop firearm safety information.
- Firearm Safety Code review and new books.
- Firearm Safety Better Practice guidelines developed.
- Creation of YouTube videos on key safety messages.
- Development of firearm safety information and awareness.
Find out more about the Firearm Safety Foundation (Victoria).
Growing hunting's benefits
There are many positive outcomes in growing hunting's benefits.
In order to grow the social and economic benefits of hunting, the SHAP 2016-2020informed hunters of seasonal arrangements using social media and other technology, made game meat processing easier, monitored the economic benefits of hunting to inform future decisions and facilitated hunting tourism.
To protect threatened, endangered and at-risk species, hunting regulations, including where hunting may and may not occur, were sometimes varied at very short notice.
To make it easier for hunters to plan, the SHAP 2016-2020 examined the most effective ways to tell stakeholders about seasonal variations, including better use of technology and social media.
To minimise waste and help hunters maximise the use of harvested game, the SHAP 2016-2020 investigated and removed barriers to game meat processing.
Action
Improve seasonal announcements
Lead: GMA
Delivered
Progress
Complete
- Victorian Game Hunting App used to communicate seasonal variations, wetland closures and openings.
- Release of new GMA Facebook page.
- Production and distribution of various fact sheets explaining seasonal conditions, regulatory changes and promoting responsible hunting.
- Letters sent to all duck hunters in 2018 to advise of changes to regulations.
- Redevelopment of the Game Hunting Victoria phone app.
- Redevelopment and upgrades to the GMA website.
Action
Facilitate game meat processing
Lead: DJPR
Delivered
Progress
Complete
- Removed regulatory barriers so farmers can now dispose of problem deer and commercial field harvesters and meat processors can process deer for human and pet consumption.
- Find out more about these changes to commercial processing of wild deer.
- Legislative changes enabled recreational hunters to have wild deer processed for personal consumption by certain unlicensed providers.
- Feasibility of removing barriers that prevent deer hunters taking deer to retail butchers was explored, however, this was not implemented.
Action
Monitor social and economic benefits
Lead: DJPR
Delivered
Progress
Complete
- An economic study was commissioned to determine the contribution of hunting to the economy in 2019.
Action
Promote regional hunting opportunities
Lead: DJPR
Delivered
Progress
Complete
- Opportunities to promote regional hunting opportunities were explored with Towong Shire Council.
Improving hunting opportunities
360 signs and information totems have been replaced or upgraded at State Game Reserves.
SHAP 2016-2020 actions improved hunters’ access to accurate and easily accessible information on where, when and what they can hunt. Actions also improved hunters access to hunting areas and expanded game and pest hunting opportunities where appropriate.
Key initiatives to provide accurate and easily accessible information included new and updated maps and better physical signage on public land. This increased awareness of hunting locations, conditions and opportunities, aided hunter compliance and improved public understanding.
Better access to hunting areas like State Game Reserves and the Victorian Alps was also important in improving hunting opportunities.
Action
Improve hunting location knowledge
Lead: DELWP and Parks Victoria
Delivered
Progress
Complete`
- New hunting maps showing where hunting of game and pest species is permitted on public land in Victoria are now available both as web based maps and on the More to Explore phone app. See the new hunting maps.
- Replacement and upgrade of 360 new signs and information totems at 130 State Game Reserves and Parks that permit deer hunting across Victoria.
- New signs to improve hunter information in State Forest locations.
Action
Provide better hunting access
Lead: DELWP and Parks Victoria
Delivered
Progress
Complete
- Improved access to 10 State Game Reserves which had undefined or locked access points.
- Review of opportunities to use existing helipad facilities in the alpine region for hunting.
- Audit of State Game Reserves completed by the GMA and made available.
Underway
- Further access improvements to additional State Game Reserves are being progressed by Parks Victoria in consultation with hunting stakeholders.
Action
Expand pest hunting
Lead: DELWP
Delivered
Progress
Complete
- Changes made to the Wildlife (State Game Reserves) Regulations 2014 to allow recreational hunters to allow foxes, hares and rabbits to be hunted on State Game Reserves during the open season for duck hunting.
- Learn more about hunting pest animals on state game reserves.
Action
Expand game hunting
Lead: DELWP
Delivered
Progress
Complete
- An additional 90,000ha of Victoria’s Alpine National Park opened for recreational hunting of deer and additional species of deer able to be hunted.
Action
Partner with Traditional Owners
Lead: DJPR
Delivered
Progress
Complete
- The development of the Traditional Owner Game Management Strategy Traditional Owner Game Management Strategy.pdf (PDF 1884.82 KB)
was led by the Federation of Victorian Traditional Owner Corporations in collaboration with Traditional Owners and Victorian Government agencies. Implementation of the Strategy will be progressed under the Sustainable Hunting Action Plan 2021-2024.
Action
Develop an online game licensing system
Lead: GMA
Delivered
Progress
Complete
- Stakeholders were consulted in early 2020.
- A new Game Licensing System (MyGL) is now available. Learn more about MyGL.
Ensuring sustainable hunting
There are several actions that helped ensure hunting is sustainable.
Sustainable hunting relies on good science, research and sound game, conservation and land management.
Improving habitat management in State Game Reserves was a priority, along with helping land managers to work with hunting organisations on integrated pest management and deer control programs.
A statewide deer management strategy was developed that will reduce the impact of deer on native biodiversity and their damage to property, while maintaining hunting opportunities.
Undertake research, monitoring and evaluation
Lead: GMA
Underway
Progress
Complete
- Joint review of a model to achieve adaptive harvest management objectives was undertaken in conjunction with NSW DPI.
- Commissioning of an independent expert panel which reviewed and supports Victoria’s population model which will inform adaptive harvest management for game duck hunting. The expert panel found that the modelling framework is theoretically sound and appropriate. The model will be a key tool in ensuring duck hunting remains sustainable.
- The GMA conducted aerial surveys of game duck populations across Victoria in 2020 and 2021. This was part of a game duck monitoring project to inform development of adaptive harvest management. Read for more details about the monitoring program.
- Research methodology in the movement and habitat use of Stubble Quail developed.
- Initial review of Blue-winged Shoveler as a game species.
- The Victorian Game Hunting Licence holders survey, which focused on how hunters want to be communicated with and what game hunting topics are of importance to them.
- The following research was published by the GMA:
- Game Research Strategy.
- Study into the impacts of disturbance on game ducks and other waterbirds.
- Gamebird aging field guide.
- Implementation of movement and habitat use of Stubble Quail program.
- Outcomes of Hog deer distribution and abundance project.
Ongoing
- Work is progressing to develop a framework for adaptive harvest model of game ducks in Victoria.
Improve State Game Reserve habitat
Lead: GMA and Parks Victoria
Delivered
Progress
Complete
- An Audit of State Game Reserves completed by GMA and made available.
- Management principles to maintain quality habitats for hunting are complete.
- Demonstration sites to apply new management principles have been selected including Dowd Morass State Game Reserve, McDonalds Swamp State Game Reserve and Tang Tang Swamp State Game Reserve.
- Habitat improvement works have commenced on these sites and will continue in 2020-21.
Develop a deer management strategy
Lead: DJPR and DELWP
Delivered
Progress
Complete
- The draft strategy was released for public consultation in October 2018.
- A new Victorian Deer Control Strategy was released in October 2020.
Improve control programs
Lead: Parks Victoria
Delivered
Progress
Complete
- Funding of $300,000 over four years provided to the ADA to deliver control programs.
- Control programs were delivered with SSAA and ADA including:
- 12 projects with the ADA
- 30 projects with the SSAA.
Improve data collection
Lead: GMA
Delivered
Progress
Complete
- Changes to method for hunter opening weekend bag surveys.
- GMA has refined the approach for annual harvest surveys for deer and game birds
- Survey of Game Licence holders to better understand demographics and communication needs
Support the National Hunting Archive
Lead: DJPR
Underway
Progress
Complete
- Grant of $40,000 provided to the Wetlands Environmental Taskforce Trust to develop electronic catalogue system of historical information.
Underway
- Work to develop the catalogue database was delayed due to COVID-19 restrictions and was planned for completion in 2021
Page last updated: 17 January 2024