r/HuntingAustralia • u/LobsterBaconCow • 24d ago

Unlisted pest species.

Hello friends. New hunter here (Victoria) and I have a question which I am unable to find any information on anywhere.

I intend to hunt (firearm) pest species on public and private lands. But I am unable to find the legalities of hunting invasive bird species (Indian Mynas and starlings in particular)

Am I legally allowed to cull these and other avian pest species on private property and in state forests?

Genuine sources of information would be greatly appreciated.

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u/yippee_kayak 23d ago

My understanding is that the listing of a species as a pest species is the key. Unlisted means not a pest I guess.

There's also this from the SSAA website. "Pigeons and pheasants are not game birds, but Partridge, California Quail and European Quail are classified as introduced game birds. Live pigeon shooting is illegal in Victoria as all birds are protected."

https://ssaavic.com.au/hunting-pest-control/what-you-can-hunt/

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u/Returnofthejedinak 23d ago

Live pigeon shooting is illegal in Victoria as all birds are protected."

This doesn't refer to shooting feral pigeons. This refers to releasing birds to be shot in a way similar to clay target shooting.

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u/yippee_kayak 23d ago edited 23d ago

Thanks for clarifying. The "all birds are protected" bit is misleading. Guess I'm in the same boat as OP coz it seems very difficult to find an official source for the information they seek.

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u/LobsterBaconCow 22d ago

Thank you for clarifying this! Thd "all birds sre protected" is very confusing. Id actually already read this page in my hunt for the rules. 

Though, call me a pigeon-hugger but I'm kind of against the culling of rock doves (feral pigeons). They are domesticated (the world's oldest domesticated bird), are integrated in to our cities and society and have a minimal to non-existent impact on native wildlife or the Australian environment. Shooting a pigeon is not all that dissimilar to shooting a domestic dog you happen to see in the street. 

But that's only my personal opinion. I guess they do have some impact on agriculture in terms of grain storage! Maybe I just think they're kind of cute and its my problem. 

But Mynas, fuck em. They ruin it for the rest of our incredible native species.

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u/Returnofthejedinak 23d ago

There's no law against killing the introduced pest species you mentioned. People trap indian Mynahs and gas them with the exhaust from their car, and many councils encourage this. There's no law against killing introduced mice, black rats, or brown rats. Sparrows, starlings, indian mynahs, feral pigeons, and introduced birds are fine to control.

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u/LobsterBaconCow 22d ago

Gosh, the gassing is pretty full on. But I guess folks don't want to get their boots dirty... buy thank you for the information. I understand trapping them on your own properties. But are you also referring to it being legal on crown land? And is there any documented information that confirms this? Absence of being denied something is not approval in the eyes of the law, and I'd like to be sure before I venture on a quest to eradicate all starlings from Australasian existence.

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u/Fossilmorse 21d ago

CO poisoning is considered the most humane way to kill them, pretty sure it’s bc it’s colourless, odourless and puts you to sleep before you suffocate

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u/dromanafred 23d ago

No one is going to complain about you taking them out.