Duck hunting
Duck Hunting Permits are not currently available. For more information about permits see Hunting permits.
An open season for duck hunting has been declared for South Australia in 2025.
This page provides a summary of important information on duck hunting including permitted species and areas for hunting, what restrictions apply and links to permit information.
Season dates
The open season begins at sunrise on Saturday 22 March 2025 and ends at sunset on Sunday 29 June 2025.
Important: some Game Reserves have restricted dates for the 2025 open season.
Season times
Shooting is permitted between sunrise and sunset on any given day of the open season at approved locations.
Duck species
For the 2025 open season, the protected species permitted for duck hunting are:
- grey teal (Anas gracilis)
- chestnut teal (Anas castanea)
- Pacific black duck (Anas superciliosa)
- Australian shelduck (mountain duck) (Tadorna tadornoides)
- maned (wood) duck (Chenonetta jubata).
Non-permitted duck species:
For the 2025 open season, the protected species not permitted for duck hunting are:
- pink-eared duck (Malacorhynchusmembranaceus)
- hardhead (Aythya australis)
- Australasian (blue-winged) shoveler (Anas rhynchotis).
The taking of eggs of any duck species during the open season is prohibited.
Daily bag limit
On any day of the open season, a person must not take more than six (6) ducks of the permitted species listed above, including not more than two (2) of the following species:
- Australian shelduck (mountain duck) (Tadorna tadornoides).
Hunting locations
Duck hunting is permitted:
- on Game Reserves explicitly declared in the open season notice. See Game Reserves.
- on some unalienated Crown land. See details of areas of excluded unalienated Crown land.
- on private land or dedicated Crown land with the written permission of the landowner. Use this landowner permission template to seek permission.
Hunting is not permitted within:
- all reserves and sanctuaries constituted under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972 (except for specified game reserves),
- all wilderness protection areas and all wilderness protection zones constituted under the Wilderness Protection Act 1992, and
- all sanctuary zones within any marine park established under the Marine Parks Act 2007
- an area within 150 metres either side of any barrage structure.
Humane hunting requirements
Any hunting of game birds during open season must comply with the Code of practice for the humane destruction of birds by shooting in South Australia. This document outlines the minimum standards and most appropriate, humane method of destroying native animals to minimise pain and suffering.
Firearms
Duck can only be taken with a firearm that:
- has a smooth bore diameter of 19 mm or less (12 gauge)
- can be raised and held at arms’ length and fired from the shoulder with no other support
- has a capacity of three (3) cartridges or less or has a plugged magazine preventing more than three (3) cartridges from being loaded.
The permit holder is only permitted to use break action, bolt action and lever action shotguns. Lever release shot guns are not permitted.
Ammunition
The following must not be used to hunt duck in South Australia:
- shot of a diameter more than 4.1 mm
- lead shot (nor may you have lead shot in your possession while duck hunting).
Several wetlands in South Australia are known to have high densities of spent lead shot in the surface mud of the areas favoured for hunting. This lead can be ingested by some waterbirds and can cause varying degrees of lead poisoning.
Bismuth, steel or molybdenum shot may be used for duck hunting in South Australia. Bismuth may be used in any shotgun that can use commercial lead shot. Hunters should take care with the guns they use, as not all guns are suitable for steel shot. You should check with the firearm manufacturer or distributor before using steel shot.
Permits
For each open season, a Duck Hunting Permit is required to hunt or assist someone to hunt duck.
To ensure that duck hunters have the necessary skills to identify game and non-game waterfowl, all first-time permit applicants are required to pass the Waterfowl Identification Test (WIT) to obtain a permit. Information about the online Waterfowl Identification Test will be made available soon.
Permits are not currently available. Permit applications will be available prior to the opening of the season. For more information about permits see Hunting permits.
Mandatory Hunting Survey
Open season hunting permit holders are required to complete a hunting survey within 30 days of the conclusion of the open season. This survey provides useful information on species populations and distribution valuable towards the declaration of future open seasons.
Duck hunting in Game Reserves
Duck hunting during a declared open season is permitted on some Game Reserves. See below for maps and specific restrictions applicable to each game reserve.
Maps are also available for use on your smartphone or other handheld device through Avenza Maps. Install the app and search for and downloaded the map you need. The map will show your real-time location within the reserve on your device and can be used without a network connection.
Game Reserves
Open season restrictions: Closed to hunting for the entirety of the 2025 duck open season.
Open season restrictions: General open season conditions apply. See map.
Bucks Lake Game Reserve is located on the Limestone coast approximately 37 km south-west of Mt Gambier. The coastal lake is seasonally inundated by flows from Lake Bonney SE and is home to 52 recorded native bird species.
Open season restrictions: date restrictions and area restrictions apply in addition to the general open season conditions. See map.
Chowilla Game Reserve is on the River Murray in South Australia. Covering over 17,000 hectares the reserve shares a border with New South Wales and Victoria. It forms part of the Chowilla floodplain and is a Ramsar wetland of international significance and a ‘nationally important’ wetland.
Open season dates
Hunting is permitted between sunrise and sunset on the following open season dates:
March 2025 - Saturday 22, Sunday 23, Saturday 29 and Sunday 30.
April 2025 - Saturday 5 and Sunday 6.
May 2025 - Saturday 3, Sunday 4, Saturday 10, Sunday 11, Saturday 17, Sunday 18, Saturday 24 and Sunday 25.
June 2025 - Saturday 14, Sunday 15, Saturday 21, Sunday 22, Saturday 28 and Sunday 29.
Area restrictions
The open season applies to the whole reserve, subject to the following exclusions:
- for safety reasons, all of the area within a 500 metre radius centred upon the Chowilla Homestead, shearing shed, Lock 6 on the River Murray, the Chowilla Creek Regulator, Pipeclay Weir, Slaney Weir and Coombool Outstation (homestead) including any portion of creeks or waterbodies within 500 metres of these sites.
- Within Chowilla Game Reserve, all of the area within a 100 metre radius of the shorelines of Werta Wert wetland and Coombool Swamp, including the Werta Wert wetland and Coombool Swamp themselves.
Currency Creek Game Reserve is adjacent to the River Murray channel on the outskirts of Goolwa, approximately 90 km from Adelaide. Currency Creek Game Reserve is a coastal freshwater lake and forms part of the Coorong, Lakes Alexandrina and Albert Ramsar Wetland.
Open season restrictions: General open season conditions apply. See map.
Lake Robe Game Reserve is located 5 km south of Robe on the Limestone Coast next to Little Dip Conservation Park. The Reserve includes Lake Robe a hypersaline lake and is host to a diverse range of waterbirds. It is listed as a wetland of national importance under the Directory of Important Wetlands in Australia.
Open season restrictions: General open season conditions apply. See map.
Loch Luna Game Reserve is a wetland area located in the Riverland north of Cobdogla. The reserve is around 2,000 hectares in area and consists of small waterways and lakes.
Open season restrictions: date restrictions and area restrictions apply in addition to the general open season conditions. See map.
Date restrictions
Hunting is permitted between 30 minutes prior to sunrise and 30 minutes after sunset on the following open season dates:
March 2025 - Saturday 22, Sunday 23, Saturday 29 and Sunday 30.
April 2025 - Saturday 5 and Sunday 6.
May 2025 - Saturday 3, Sunday 4, Saturday 10, Sunday 11, Saturday 17, Sunday 18, Saturday 24, Sunday 25 and Saturday 31.
June 2025 - Sunday 1, Saturday 14, Sunday 15, Saturday 21, Sunday 22, Saturday 28 and Sunday 29.
Area restrictions
The open season applies to all creeks and associated backwaters of the reserve, subject to the following exclusions:
- a 500 metre radius of any house or outbuilding, and within 300 metres of any road or bridge
- a 500 metres radius of the homestead (E 442325, N 6216583) of Section 706 McIntosh Division Hundred of Cobdogla Irrigation Area.
All lines are geodesics based on the Geocentric Datum of Australia 1994 (GDA94).
Located in the Riverland on the River Murray floodplain near Cobdogla, Moorook Game Reserve includes a medium-sized lake called Wachtels Lagoon. This is a permanent wetland filled by the river. Moorook Game Reserve is about 220 km from Adelaide and 70 km from the Victorian border.
Open season restrictions: date restrictions and reserve area restrictions apply in addition to the general open season conditions. See map.
Date restrictions
Hunting is permitted between 30 minutes prior to sunrise and 30 minutes after sunset on the following open season dates:
March 2025 - Saturday 22, Sunday 23, Saturday 29 and Sunday 30.
April 2025 - Saturday 5 and Sunday 6.
May 2025 - Saturday 3, Sunday 4, Saturday 10, Sunday 11, Saturday 17, Sunday 18, Saturday 24, Sunday 25 and Saturday 31.
June 2025 - Sunday 1, Saturday 14, Sunday 15, Saturday 21, Sunday 22, Saturday 28 and Sunday 29.
Area restrictions
The open season applies to the whole reserve, subject to the following exclusions:
- the western boundary of Sections 474, 475 and 476, Hundred of Moorook, County of Albert, adjacent to the Kingston-Loxton Highway
- an area of Wachtels Lagoon being the land and water contained within and bounded by a line commencing at E 442748, N 6210926, then south-easterly to E 443079, N 6210458, then south-easterly to E 443268, N 6209307, then westerly to E 442454, N 6209208, then north-easterly to E 441377, N 6209958, then north-easterly to the point of commencement.
All lines are geodesics based on the Geocentric Datum of Australia 1994 (GDA94).
Open season restrictions: General open season conditions apply. See map.
Mud Islands Game Reserve is comprised of 10 small islands in Lake Alexandrina. It forms part of the Coorong and Lakes Alexandrina and Albert Ramsar Wetland and is located around 19 km from south-east of Goolwa. It is only accessible by boat.
Open season restrictions
General open season conditions apply. See map.
Poocher Swamp Game Reserve is a small reserve west of Bordertown near the South Australia / Victoria border. Filled from Tatiara Creek, it typically fills 7 years out of 10 and is one of the last remaining permanent river red gum wetlands in the upper south-east of South Australia.
Open season restrictions
Closed to hunting for the entirety of the 2025 duck open season. This is due to construction activities being undertaken as part of the Healthy Coorong Healthy Basin project. See map.
Contact us
For more information about duck hunting, please contact the Fauna Permits Unit.
