Deer, duck and quail seasons, hog deer, hounds and pest animals. Dates, bag limits and hours below come from Game Management Authority and are linked to the source page, last checked 2026-10-12.
Open in Victoria today: Pest animals, Red, fallow, chital and rusa deer, Sambar deer.
Status is worked out from the agency dates each day. Always confirm on the official agency page before you hunt.
| Species | Area | Dates | Bag | Status | Hours | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pest animals No season applies to pest animals. DEECA's pest hunting areas cover red fox, European hare, European rabbit, goat, pig and wild dogs, but each parcel's code limits which: tap a hunting area for its rule (for example, foxes and rabbits only). No licence is needed for pest animals, but a firearm licence still is. | Statewide | All year | — | Open now | — | Source: Game Management Authority, pest animals; DEECA hunt25 pest hunting dataset (checked 2026-10-12) |
| Red, fallow, chital and rusa deer | Statewide | All year | No limit | Open now | 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset | Source: Game Management Authority (checked 2026-10-07) |
| Sambar deer – Stalking Stalking has no closed season. Hunting with hounds is a separate season. | Statewide | All year | No limit | Open now | 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset | Source: Game Management Authority (checked 2026-10-07) |
| Sambar deer – Hounds Closed from the Friday before Easter to the Wednesday after when Easter falls in April. Only registered beagles, bloodhounds, harriers, black and tan coonhounds and bluetick coonhounds may be used. | Statewide | 1 Apr – 30 Nov 2026 | No limit | Open now | 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset | Source: Game Management Authority (checked 2026-10-07) |
| Blue-winged shoveler Listed as threatened and may not be hunted in the 2026 season. | Statewide | Closed for the 2026 season | 0 | Last season (2026) Next season not announced yet | — | Source: Game Management Authority, 2026 duck season (checked 2026-10-07) |
| Duck Seven species may be hunted: Pacific black duck, grey teal, chestnut teal, wood duck, mountain duck, hardhead and pink-eared duck. Blue-winged shoveler may not be hunted. Lead shot is prohibited. Some wetlands are closed separately; check GMA before you go. | Statewide | 18 Mar – 8 Jun 2026 | 9 | Last season (2026) Next season not announced yet | 18–22 March: 8am to 30 minutes after sunset. Then 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset. | Source: Game Management Authority, 2026 duck season (checked 2026-10-07) |
| Hog deer Some public land is hunted by ballot only. The hunting-area rule on the map says when a ballot applies. | Statewide | 1 Apr – 30 Apr 2026 | 1 male, 1 female season | Closed | 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset | Source: Game Management Authority (checked 2026-10-07) |
| Stubble quail The season runs from the first Saturday in April to 30 June each year. Shotgun no larger than 12 gauge. Lead shot is prohibited for all game bird hunting. | Statewide | 4 Apr – 30 Jun 2026 | 20 | Closed | — | Source: Game Management Authority, when to hunt quail (checked 2026-10-07) |
Official agency
Always confirm dates and rules with Game Management Authority before you hunt.
See hunting areas, public land boundaries and season dates for Victoria on an offline map in the HuntScout app.
Where you can hunt, and how to read the map: Victoria public land hunting maps guide.
Also see all Australian states, New South Wales, Tasmania, South Australia, Northern Territory and New Zealand.