INVESTIGATORS do not have enough evidence to prove who was responsible for the 900 game and non-game bird shootings at Box Flat Swamp, near Boort in Victoria.

The Department of Environment and Primary Industries and police investigated the mass shooting of birds on March 16, on the opening weekend of the 2013 duck shooting season.

A total of 915 birds were killed including 760 game birds and 155 non-game birds.

A statement released by the DEPI this morning said while most hunters made admissions to being at Box Flat Swap, which is 7km north of Boort, no admissions were made to the offences and no-one came forward to identify individuals responsible for the offences.

No charges have been laid.

The department collected physical evidence from the site, spoke to a range of people including hunters and landowners and collected surveillance and electronic evidence.

But the physical and electronic evidence did not sufficiently probe who was responsible for the offences, the statement said.

The department said one of the reasons for this was because shotgun ballistics do not generally provide useful forensic evidence to link individuals with an offence.

The department said if sufficient evidence did become available, they will resume the investigation.

From the investigation the department will now develop an education campaign which will focus on hunter’s obligations and responsibilities under Victorian law.

