Tasmanian duck hunters blame protesters for burning shooting shelters at Moulting Lagoon

Cameron Hugo has been going hunting for ducks at Moulting Lagoon on Tasmania's east coast since he was four.

"We're all a tight-knit community around here, a lot of hunters are from the area — it brings us all together," Mr Hugo said.

Duck hunting has regularly occurred in the area for 80 years, with the season usually starting in March. 

But over the past four years, hunters have entered the early autumn period with a sense of uncertainty.

Mr Hugo's duck hunting shelters, known as "hides" — structures big enough for two to three shooters to take cover in and wait for unsuspecting ducks — have been consistently burnt out.

It has also happened to hides belonging to his family and friends.

"You just don't know until you get here, or you have someone call you before you get here and say your hide has been burnt again," Mr Hugo said.

"It's appalling."

The hides are mostly wooden structures built on banks of the lagoon and covered in shrubs or tree material.

The cost of rebuilding one can be up to $1,000, and can take a few weekends to complete.

Duck hunting has long been a contested activity in Tasmania, and Moulting Lagoon's opening weekend is usually marked by protests.

The hunters said they believed the burning was done by someone opposed to duck hunting.

"It would have to be, for them [to] take the time and effort to go out there and burn the hides, it would have to be someone opposing duck hunting," Mr Hugo said.

The state's Police Minister, Felix Ellis, told state parliament earlier this month that several hides had been burnt in the early hours of February 26, and that Tasmania Police was investigating.

Mr Ellis estimated about 80 hides had been burnt since 2022.

He said there was a pattern of behaviour behind the burnings, with the incidents coinciding with the start of the hunting season, and affecting hunters who were engaging in "lawful recreational activity".

"They have a right to do so safely without their property being destroyed," Mr Ellis said.

Hunters remain undeterred

Duck hunting has been taking place at Moulting Lagoon since the 1940s.

The area was officially allocated as a game hunting reserve around 15 years ago, and since the early 2000s, all hides on the lagoon have been registered with the Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service.

Hunters are also asked to pay a registration fee of $11 a year per hide.

Duck hunter Jimmy Howard said the burnouts had been frustrating, given the time and effort that went into preparation for the hunting season.

"We're only allowed to hunt for three months of the year," Mr Howard said.

"It's just repeated the process again — we build the hide next to a destroyed one, and start again."

He did not expect hunters would be put off by the burnt-out hides.

Moulting Lagoon — which is registered on the international wetland conservation list known as Ramsar — is now dotted with hides, and the remnants of previous burnt-out ones.

Mr Hugo believed the charred remains posed an environmental risk.

"They've done more damage by burning these hides in the last four to six years than us hunters could ever do — there's debris washing up, they've just made a mess," he said.

Tasmanian Shooters, Fishers and Farmers MP Carlo Di Falco said duck hunters should not have to put up with their hides being burnt, and labelled the burnouts "childish".

"If you object strongly to duck hunting, mate, contact the lawmakers' lobby to get your view across," Mr Di Falco said.

He said he wanted more focus on enforcement from the state Parks and Wildlife Service (PWS) and Tasmania Police.

"Back in the old days there used to be enforcement officers that used to always hang around the area," Mr Di Falco said.

"The budgets are under strain as most people know — they're doing the best they can with the budgets that they have."

Duck hunting activity declines

Tasmanian Conservation Trust chief executive Peter McGlone has been protesting against duck hunting for 34 years.

Mr McGlone said he discouraged anyone from burning land during bushfire-prone months, and he had no idea if a protester was responsible for the burnouts.  

"It could be people burning hides down because they're concerned about the cruelty of duck shooting," Mr McGlone said.

"It could be people burning hides down because they think the hides spoil the view of Moulting Lagoon, and I think that's correct."

In 2024, 1,010 duck hunting licenses were issued — the lowest number in 10 years. 

The number of ducks reported as being taken was also at its lowest since 2020.

Mr McGlone said during his time opposing duck hunting, he had seen a decline in both the number of protesters and duck hunters.

He suggested duck hunters could move to building "mobile" hides: tents that could be placed over a boat, and taken home at the end of the day.

"No-one can burn their hide down, and they can continue to practice their duck shooting if they wish, and we'll continue to protest them."