Ducks, hunters and rainfall at two sites in southern inland New South Wales

Abstract

Duck hunters have been surveyed on the opening morning of duck seasons since 1972 at Lake Cowal and Barrenbox Swamp in southern inland New South Wales. Mean numbers of ducks shot per hunter on opening morning reflected the numbers of ducks at the sites two to three weeks previously. At Barrenbox Swamp, but not at Lake Cowal, mean bag sizes were inversely related to recent local rainfall. Mean bag sizes on opening morning at Lake Cowal and Barrenbox Swamp did not diminish following reduction of the opening-day bag limit from 20 to 10 ducks per day in 1988. Generally, numbers of ducks and mean bag sizes at Lake Cowal and Barrenbox Swamp have not declined or increased since 1972 (exceptions are increased numbers but decreased bag sizes of Pacific black duck at Barrenbox Swamp, and increased bag sizes of maned duck at Lake Cowal). At neither hunting site were numbers of ducks related to mean bag sizes in the previous year. In summary, hunting does not appear to be adversely affecting numbers of major species of game ducks at either Lake Cowal or Barrenbox Swamp.