Hunters will have a bag limit of two birds per day, according to the state's Game Management Authority

Police and GMA officers will be patrolling public land and private properties to ensure compliance with hunting, animal welfare, and public safety laws.

All licensed hunters must pass a Waterfowl Identification Test before being permitted to hunt ducks.

Following surveys, some hunting some species of duck will be prohibited - according to the media release, this includes the Blue-winged Shoveler, and the Grey and Chestnut Teal (north of the Princes Highway only).

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"Given the similarity in appearance of the Grey Teal and the female Chestnut Teal, both species will be prohibited from being hunted north of the Princes Highway/Freeway. Chestnut Teal are more commonly found in coastal wetlands, south of the Princes Highway / Freeway, where they are permitted to be hunted," the release states.

"The arrangements for the 2021 duck season are based on analysis of habitat and waterbird surveys conducted across eastern Australia and other data relating to game duck abundance, habitat distribution and climate."

"Seven of the eight species of game duck can be hunted during 2021. The game duck species that can be hunted are Pacific Black Duck; Chestnut Teal and Grey Teal (south of Princes Highway/Freeway only); Hardhead; Australian Shelduck; Pink-eared Duck; and Australian Wood Duck."

Some wetlands may be closed depending on conditions.

Lake Bolac resident Neil Murray said the lake is a popular area for tourists and also attracts an array of birdlife - from large birds such as brolga and pelicans, to pacific black ducks, grey teal and threatened species.

But each shooting season, Mr Murray said the peace and serenity of the area was disturbed by an influx of hundreds of shooters.

The shooting season does not only impact native water birds, which are hunted, killed and injured in their own habitats, but other animals living in the area, including wallabies, are also disrupted.

As the weeks drag on it also "disturbs the peace" for the human residents, with Mr Murray saying residents were all on edge during the season.

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"It sounds like a war going on and it goes on for weeks," Mr Murray said.

"You just hear this 'pop pop pop' in the mornings and we are just so sick of it".

Aside from the impact on animals and the environment, he said it also adversely affected tourism in the area.

With the recreational lake a popular spot with campers with an interest in water sports and fishing, he said many chose to steer clear of the area during one of the most beautiful times of the year as the activities were incompatible with the shooting season.

"People don't come when the duck shooters are here," he said. "People want to camp and enjoy the serenity but the shooting here destroys all that.

"How can you relax when there's people with guns beside you and waterfowl trying to get away?"

Mr Murray added the shooters also posed a risk, with some residents living on the lake foreshore finding pellets in their properties and landing on their roofs, while beer cans, cartridges and injured ducks were left behind.

He wants to see the lake made a sanctuary for waterfowl and other animals.

"In this day and age, I don't want duck shooting to be allowed. I am against duck shooting because with diminishing habitat we should be doing our best to protect the precious waterfowl."

Animal Justice Party MP Andy Meddick said duck shooting involved "extraordinary animal cruelty".

"We're not talking about a single rifle here which fires a single bullet, which would require an extraordinary marksmanship to begin with to take a headshot on a moving bird at dawn or dusk, which is essentially in the dark when all you've got to identify it is a shadow.

"We're talking about shotguns where pellets fly through the air and all sorts of other animals and birds are wounded and die, including protected species like swans.

"They're often just left to drown or die in the weeds."

A GMA report about hunters' knowledge, released last year, revealed that only 20 per cent of duck and quail shooters understood how to correctly identify game species, while only 13 per cent knew how to dispatch a downed bird.

Calling it a hangover from a bygone era, he said it was time for Victoria to follow other states - including Western Australia, Queensland, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory - and ban recreational duck shooting all together.

The RSPCA noted its "disappointment" that the season has been announced, urging a review of the decision.

In a media release, chief executive Dr Liz Walker said there are "multiple evidence-based reasons why the 2021 season should not proceed".

"Duck hunting results in a substantial number of ducks being wounded, with some surviving, whilst others will suffer before eventually dying. Australian studies show approximately 26 per cent of birds shot with a shotgun will be wounded or maimed. The likely outcome for wounded, maimed or crippled birds is a slow and painful death," she said.

"Comparing this wounding rate of 26 per cent with the reported total harvest figure of 238,666 from the 2019 season (as the 2020 season was impacted by COVID-19), we estimate that over 62,000 ducks were wounded and not killed outright in the 2019 season. This amount of wounding is unacceptably high and cannot be tolerated."