Good to see plenty of discussion of duck shooting on this forum. Last year, a rescuer was shot and wounded by a low blast fired by a 14-year-old boy, who was supposedly supervised by an adult. I understand no admissions were made and no witnesses came forward. No charges were laid; the victim sustained damage to her skull and teeth, with one pellet lodging near an eye. Witnesses who had seen earlier poor practice by the boy had moved away for their own safety. As for this duck shooting season – starting March 17 – I wonder what the consequences will be of the changeover of management. The Department of Sustainability and Environment is handing over responsibility for the season to the Department of Primary Industries. No one knows what that will mean in practice but it begs the question whether wild birds should be categorised as an ‘industry’ at all. Already in news media of the season’s annoucement, the hoary old ‘ducks are pests’ argument was dragged out. ===============================
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