THE state government's fox and wild dog bounty has started in the Wimmera for 2019.
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Agriculture Victoria Biosecurity Officers will be at designated collection centres from March 4, with the first collection in Horsham scheduled for March 20.
During the 2018 calendar year, 10,517 entire fox scalps and three wild dog body parts were submitted at the Horsham collection centre.
A total of 66,597 entire fox scalps have been submitted at the Horsham collection centre since the bounty started in 2011.
The St Arnaud collection centre received 4090 entire fox scalps during the 2018 calendar year.
Since 2011, 23,589 entire fox scalps have been submitted to the St Arnaud centre.
The bounty has run since 2011. Last year it was reported that there had been a drop in the number of fox scalps being collected in the Wimmera since 2016.
A total of 9037 fox scalps were handed in to the Horsham collection centre in 2015-16, which dropped to 5147 in 2016-17.
Agriculture Victoria leading biosecurity officer Nigel Roberts said he thought the bounty had been a success,
“(Since 2011) we have collected more than 722,000 fox scalps and 3,000 wild dog skin pieces through the bounty,” he said.
“We expect larger numbers of scalps and wild dog skin pieces to be submitted in the first few months as farmers and hunters usually stockpile while the bounty shuts down over summer.
“There is also a peak in fox hunting activity as young, vulnerable juvenile foxes are displaced around the landscape at the end of summer and beginning of autumn.”
He urged hunters to refresh their knowledge with the terms and conditions of the bounty.
“It’s important that everyone participating knows the requirements, so they can benefit from the bounty,” he said.
Eligible participants can submit entire fox scalps for a $10 reward.
Bounties will be collected from March until the end of October.
The first Horsham collection will be held at MB 5384 Noradjuha Rd Horsham on March 20 between 1.30pm and 3.30pm. Eight more collections will be held throughout the year.
The first St Arnaud collection will be held on March 21 at 4 Montague Street, St Arnaud between 10.30am and 12.30pm.
Last month it was announced the Wimmera Catchment Management Authority was in the process of setting up a large-scale fox baiting program in Little Desert National Park and the private land surrounding it.
The three-year program will run from from February until April, and then again from September to November.
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