My comment which still needs to be approved:

"I am a duck hunter and proud of it.

Every year we get these silly attempts to try to show the Australia "public" is against duck hunting, and/or hunting in general. Everytime they get shot down and we hear no more from the particular media organisation as the result was one they weren't looking for. Please ABC as the results are so very much in favour continue with the story as it is a positive result for the environment.

Duck hunters and their organisations do more for conversation than any of the rat-bag 'greenie' organisations. They spend their own time and resources building nesting boxes, repairing levee banks, planting native plants and weeding noxious introduced plants. Mostly without any thanks whatsoever from the government or the public in general.

With their duck hunting permit fees they have allowed the purchase of land now used for wetlands and still in some cases, duck hunting reserves. Unfortunately the government has seen fit to appropriate the majority of these funds into general revenue for many decades, thereby decreasing the conservation that could be possible. SA could be a paradise of wetlands if these funds still went to where they were intended when the fees were originally introduced.

Ducks are a renewable resource. Like many Australian animals and birds they are able to breed up numbers after decreases due to drought etc. This natural ability means the very small percentage taken as part of duck shooting is totally irrelevant in conservation terms. Indeed it probably helps the total duck population remain healthy.

Ducks shot are used as game meat by duck hunters. Very few would be wasted or escape and the majority make lovely roasts. What is better than harvesting a bird which has lived its life in freedom in a viable duck population, or eating a chicken which has lived in a cage all its short pathetic life?

Duck hunting adds to regional communities by travelling hunters purchasing fuel, food, supplies, accomodation in the areas and to and from them. Many foreign hunters envy our hunting opportunities and pay far more for lesser hunts.

Duck hunting has been with us for at least a hundred years. My grand-father shot ducks and I hope and plan for my great-grandson to hunt them one day as well. Why shouldn't he with the excellent duck conservation we have today?"