The Victorian Fox and Wild Dog Bounty has entered the digital age.
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To streamline payment processes for bounty participants, Agriculture Victoria has introduced a digital bounty application system.
The new system will ensure payment is quick and easy and allow participants to keep track of bounty applications.
Over the coming months as the department transitions to a digital system, hunters will still have access to the paper-based system.
Hunters can access the form at agriculture.vic.gov.au/bounty and input email and banking details.
Hunters are asked to pre-register online, chat to bounty collection staff on collections days or call the customer service centre on 136 186.
Acceptable entire fox scalps and entire wild dog body parts will be collected from eligible members of the public at specific dates and times, and from scheduled collection centres.
The most recent collection in Bendigo on May 9 netted 637 fox scalps from 15 participants.
Since the re-commencement of the fox bounty in March, the Bendigo collection centre has received 1872 fox scalps from 40 participants.
Agriculture Victoria biosecurity manager established invasive animals Jason Wishart said the Victorian fox bounty is part of an integrated approach to the management of foxes.
Mr Wishart said fox populations could fluctuate according to seasonal conditions, diseases and parasites, habitat disruption, food abundance and the effectiveness of control programs.
He said foxes were well established throughout Victoria and were beyond eradication from the state, meaning ongoing management was required to mitigate their impacts.
"Effective management requires a co-ordinated approach implemented at landscape scale and supported by integrated control techniques, such as baiting, trapping, exclusion fencing and shooting," he said.
"Variation between seasons and collections sites is often related to hunter participation and fluctuating fox populations."
Since the bounty started in 2011, Agriculture Victoria has collected over 960,000 fox scalps and 4300 wild dog body parts from more than 20,000 participants.
The next fox bounty collection date at the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning site in Epsom is Monday, June 6.
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