My License to shoot duck hunters!
I’ve been told by the Game Management Authority that I need a firearms licence, a game licence and have past a waterfowl identification test (WIT) before I can shoot duck hunters. By doing this it makes me think that the GMA are just trying to get as much money out of people as they can and it has nothing to do with game management or safety.
I should make it clear that when I say “shoot” duck hunters I mean with my cameras as I make YouTube videos, my plan was and still is to make a duck hunting video, If I call it a documentary I would need to fill in more paperwork. I was going to join a friend at the local morass on opening day of the 2016 duck hunting season but the mistake I made was to look into the rules.
I should make it clear that when I say “shoot” duck hunters I mean with my cameras as I make YouTube videos, my plan was and still is to make a duck hunting video, If I call it a documentary I would need to fill in more paperwork. I was going to join a friend at the local morass on opening day of the 2016 duck hunting season but the mistake I made was to look into the rules.
There is one rule that stopped me from getting the shots that I wanted, without a firearms licence, a game licence and a WIT I could not be within 25m of the water before 10am and within two hours of sunset. So what that rule means is that I’m fine to be there at the times that most, if not all the duck hunters are not.
After talking with the GMA I was told I could apply for an exception from the CEO so I wrote up a letter and I included as much information about what I was doing as I could and emailed it off. A week before the opening I emailed them again to see what was happening as I need to make plans. I then got a call from the GMA to say that they would not be giving me the exception as I could get all the footage I needed after 10am. |
If I'm just filming, why do I need a game license?
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It takes a lot to get me mad but this call did it, how do they know I can get all the footage that I need after 10am? And how am I meant to film from behind a hunter as the sun risers and the hunting begins at 10am when it starts at 7:10am? If they had said for safety reasons we can not grant you an exception without completing the Firearms Safety Course then I would have accepted that and I may have had time to do the course before the opening.
I have since asked the GMA if anyone has been given an exception and why. It appears that and I quote “Exemptions are typically provided to government officials who need to be on the wetlands in an observing capacity”.
As I write this I have completed my Firearms Safety Course and have my firearms licence paperwork ready to be sent off. I would recommend that if you are going to be around people with firearms that you go along to a Firearms Safety Course as it was interesting and informative, most of what they told us I already knew.
Once I have my firearms licence I will then need to get my game licence for 2017 and I will do the WIT first so I will be able to film duck hunting. The WIT is very important as I don’t want to misidentifying my targets, what if I was to film a non-game species? A game licence is valid from January 1st to December 31st each year so there is no point in getting it for this year but I should be out there next year filming and the GMA can’t do a thing about it.
I have since asked the GMA if anyone has been given an exception and why. It appears that and I quote “Exemptions are typically provided to government officials who need to be on the wetlands in an observing capacity”.
As I write this I have completed my Firearms Safety Course and have my firearms licence paperwork ready to be sent off. I would recommend that if you are going to be around people with firearms that you go along to a Firearms Safety Course as it was interesting and informative, most of what they told us I already knew.
Once I have my firearms licence I will then need to get my game licence for 2017 and I will do the WIT first so I will be able to film duck hunting. The WIT is very important as I don’t want to misidentifying my targets, what if I was to film a non-game species? A game licence is valid from January 1st to December 31st each year so there is no point in getting it for this year but I should be out there next year filming and the GMA can’t do a thing about it.
So for those that don’t hunt or for those that are not in Victoria you might be asking what I need to do to get a game licence, is there a test? Do I need to show that I understand the law? No, you just need to send the GMA some money and a form. You can hunt game before that payment and form makes it to the GMA. All that you need to have is your cheque stub or payment number to show that you have sent off for my game licence.
I believe if the GMA were serious about game management and the safety of hunters and the public then they would test the people that are applying for a game licence and post signs at the entrance or car parks to prohibited sections of these specified hunting areas telling the public that they can not enter at these times.
The morass that I’m not allowed in to unless it’s after 10am or before 4pm (Sunset is around 6pm at the moment) is a popular bird watching, walking and carp fishing site. I used to go there after work for a walk and know that I think about it I may have gone there last year during duck hunting season at a prohibited time.
-Dale Cray
I believe if the GMA were serious about game management and the safety of hunters and the public then they would test the people that are applying for a game licence and post signs at the entrance or car parks to prohibited sections of these specified hunting areas telling the public that they can not enter at these times.
The morass that I’m not allowed in to unless it’s after 10am or before 4pm (Sunset is around 6pm at the moment) is a popular bird watching, walking and carp fishing site. I used to go there after work for a walk and know that I think about it I may have gone there last year during duck hunting season at a prohibited time.
-Dale Cray
P.S. Just to make it clear, at this time I do not have strong feeling on the issue of duck hunting. Over the next year I hope to do a lot more research on the subject and talk with people about their views. I still plan on making a video on duck hunting and I have a few relate video ideas too.