COVID-19 - What needs to happen to re-start public land hunting?

What needs to happen to re-start public land hunting

There is a lot of talk and a lot of interest in the conditions to re-start public land hunting as COVID-19 restrictions ease. Indications from our contacts in Government are all positive that there will be an easing sooner rather than later. The reality is that nobody is in a position to cast forward and give firm dates when certain actions will be allowed.

Whilst the decisions of the National Cabinet have been applied selectively from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, the published decisions from that forum still give us a reasonable guide on where things are heading.Increased testing and the uptake of the COVIDSafe app are likely to be key data points considered when the National Cabinet next meets on Friday.

The National Principles for Sport and Recreation Activities give us some broad guidance. They acknowledge the positive role of recreational pursuits in the health and wellbeing of the community and point to International evidence that outdoor activities like hunting present a lower risk setting for COVID-19 transmission. They also establish a principle that participants in non-contact individual recreations must be considered in plans to scale back restrictions.

The principles go as far as to recommend that resumption of activities should be staged, with small group (<10 partcipants), non-contact outdoor recreation activities like hunting and fishing being the ‘first cabs off the rank’.

We continue to work closely and co-operatively with Governments across Australia to ensure that the low risk that deer hunting presents is well understood and accepted.

Deer hunters are the original social distancers!