AARON Hemley, of Stawell, says going out to hunt ducks this season is not worth the money and effort after the state government announced tight restrictions for the 2020 season on Wednesday.
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The restrictions include a bag limit of three ducks, a shorter season, and more lakes and wetlands closed off to hunters.
Mr Hemley, who is a professional kangaroo shooter, said "it just doesn't make sense" to attend the opening weekend - scheduled for May 2 - under the new restrictions.
"My young bloke has just got his shooters licence and we've just started going out and doing the father son bonding thing that most blokes do with that (weekend)," he said.
"It's a bit of an outing for the first weekend of the duck hunting season and to only have three birds to shoot - it's a bit rough. Most blokes won't do it."
A hunting licence can be obtained free of charge from the age of 12 to 17, but Mr Hemley said he paid $160 for a licence that covers him for three years.
"We put a petition in to get some money back on our game licences," he said.
"If it's a three duck bag limit, why are we paying the full amount? I'd like to see the duck shooters reimbursed for the money they don't get to use.
"If you're going to spend $160 for that three years to be guaranteed to have your choice to shoot your bag limit of eight or 10 or whatever it is - it's not right (that you can't)."
A report commissioned by the federal health department found that during 2018 in Victoria hunters and shooters contributed $638 gross million to the economy with hunting-related expenditure.
"It's about the communities we support as well, and the small towns we go to rely on that this time of year, being so dry," Mr Hemley said.
"It's one of those sad things where the do-gooders don't realise what they're doing."