Blind Controversy

[agtex42]

38 years of hunting the Texas coast, primarily Rockport and Matagorda. We find a nice spot on the shore or hunt out of a well camouflaged boat. Excellent hunting.

Agreed, hunker down in a mangrove or get a layout blind blended in right at the grassline. Has been the winning ticket for me as well!

[jaker_cc]

In POC I've literally had an airboat run THROUGH my decoy spread one way in the morning, and back THROUGH the same spread a couple hours later coming back. Three guys, had 2 Redheads hanging from the rack on the way back.

It would be a race to the ramp, and a fight once we got there. There's too much open space on the water to be a **** whit. And if they were just doing it to be a jack*** then even more reason. I'm a part of the generation that common sense isn't so common, although spending a ton of time out on the water I see things daily that makes me wish I wasn't in that age bracket. Flat bills, new boat and truck, Waterloo stickers everywhere, brand new Simms gear straight from the box, not a brain cell between the boatload.


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[Black Ice]

1st come first serve period. I don’t care if you bring a 10 year old make a wish kid when you go hunting. As far as the blind builders go on public land 1st come first serve also but I have enough respect to not hunt a blind that I didn’t put out. However if I like a spot that “your blind” is at and decide to hunt the shore then I’m not leaving if I was there first.


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[Tubby]

Public water + duck blind = public blind... first come, first serve. period!

When we were in high school 20+ years ago, we hunted in some old "public" duck blinds for several years. Never had much trouble. I can remember hunting them with my brother when I was about 10-12 years old... We'd brush them in a little bit and other hunters would too. Everyone was more respectful back then. Never knew who owned the blinds. Everyone that hunted them, took care of them, took their trash and hulls with them and repaired the blinds when they needed it.

Years passed and "hunters" would claim the blind... They'd show up and say it was their blind and threaten whoever was in there hunting... This went on for a couple of seasons. I know they weren't the real owners because the blinds were built while these supposed owners were still ****ting green...

After this went on for a couple years, the blinds got burned down... I don't know if it was the GW or hunters that did it... It's probably better that they did get burned...


IMO, probably around the early to mid 90's is when things started going south for the duck hunting world...


Ouch and I could tell you some of the worst public land duck hunting experiences we've ever had and y'all would call BS on us... I'll let you in on a couple of the milder experiences we've had...

No blinds, just setting up on the bank. Had to get to our "spot" at 2am to shine off other duck hunters. Even then, some jackwagon would haul *** in there 5 minutes until shooting time to set up 100 yards from us. We asked them nicely to move and we got the "california howdy" along with a few choice words that would show up like this **** on here... We even asked them to come hunt with us so we wouldn't be competing on each other's birds, again with the **** you comments...

Airboats, go-devils and weekend warriors would be cruising by 30 minutes after legal shooting time just to scout... had a few cruise right thru our decoy spreads... We never said anything to anyone...

Even guys we met and began hunting with that lived in a different area would show up in our spots and tell us that it was them that scouted it out... when truthfully, we had scouted it, found the birds and took them with us to hunt the spot... yet they "found" it.

Ever duck hunted public waters when a bass tournament was going on? Ever had a tournament fisherman fishing next to your decoy spread?

Had more things stolen from my truck at the boat ramp than I care to list...

Then the GW issues... Just ONE example: nothing like getting pulled over on the way TO the boat ramp at 3am being accused of shooting someone at the boat ramp..

About 5 years ago we hollered "calf rope" and bunch of us donated dog stands, waders, decoys, mojos and other hunting items to the Paris chapter of Delta Waterfowl and we quit duck hunting... I miss it terribly but I'm not going to fight with these *** holes over a stinking duck and I'm not paying for a private place. I'd rather jump shoot tanks at the deer lease

[cphillips]

I built a blind one time for a spot on public land (I know first come first serve). Hunted it a few times and had some of my best shoots, until one morning we got there around 4:30 and someone was already in it. Moved to another spot for that morning. Next trip same thing, same result. Third trip, yup you guessed it...went back that afternoon and cut the legs off and pulled it down. Imagine that persons expression when they went to get in the blind very early to find it removed. I built it in a very remote section that you couldn't get a boat to so I assume some ole boy was shot chasing after we whacked them on multiple hunts and found it, who knows.

Same thing happened to us about 4 years ago, you could take a boat so far and then you had to walk a mile and a half. We'd wait until lunch to come out just so know one could figure us out and never used the same route consistently. Well someone finally figured it out and then word spread and that was the end of our 3 and 4 man limits anytime we wanted to go. It was good for about 2 years. They were using our blind that we built, so we conveniently went in one day and tore the whole thing down. Figured we had done them a nice favor, sure would have liked to have seen the looks on their faces when they walked that long walk for nothing. Left them a note in a ziplock bag. "have fun building your on blind"

[hpdrifter]

I thought if the blind was on public water then it's a public blind too?

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maybe, but don't get caught running someone else's trotline.

[SoTXAg06]

I wish I could find the story from last year or the year before. This happened on public ground in AR. As it was a guy decides to he wants the duck hole that another group had beat him to. So he tells them he is a federal game warden, and they needed to move. Turned out there was an actual federal game warden that was watching this go down. The guy pretending to be a warden and his group got the book thrown at them.


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[bloodstick]

My little brother and his friends from New Iberia are die hard duck hunters in south Louisiana. They live for duck season and all they would hunt is public waters.
Several years ago, when he was 19 years old, he bought his first truck and Dad let him take the 14 ft aluminum boat with a buddy and hit up the local duck spots.
They were respectful of other hunters, knew the laws and stayed out of everyone else way. They came up on an old platform on the far end of lake Peigneur (lake from the famous salt mine collapse of the 80's). They fixed the floor, and brushed it in themselves. Had several good shoots out of it. Apparently, one of "those" guys who claimed stake to the area didn't like it and ran them out of the blind once using threats. The second time, they were shot at while driving the boat out. After the police said they needed proof and had to "catch the guys in the act" my dad took it into his own hands and just yanked the blind down with the boat. Left a nice little go Eff yourself sign on the last post as well.

Now they do things the hard way. They travel deep into the basin on the Attakipas WMA. Their duck holes are about a mile hike through the swamp from where they park the boat. Talk about a rough early morning toting deeks, shotgun, and shell bag. But they shoot limits so kudos to them.

[Bear82]

Let say there is 2 duck blinds on public water with 8 hunters in each one. 13 of the hunters kill a duck. What is the fraction of hunters who killed a duck?

[meangreen04]

Man, this is an interesting thread.

[hoytassassin]

I guess it could be, but it was about to go up in flames, so they had a choice. Stay or leave, they chose to leave. It was a good choice, I don't think the boss was kidding. I would never hunt out of someone else's blind, I don't care if it was on public land or not. It's about respect. Build your own, hunt your own, take care of your own.

First its public property so everyone has a right to it. No one can kick you out or light it on fire without serious consequences. That would be harassment and putting my life in danger. Being respectful as a hunter is showing up and seeing another person in your spot and going somewhere else. Away from them... not setting up 100 yards away. You don't call at birds working guys spread. Drive thru peoples set up. Sky blast. Set up at first light.

Your best bet is to cut brush before you go and make a make shift blind for your hunt. Then you pick it all up... including hulls and make it look like it was before. This is how you keep your "area" a secret and avoid conflicts

[hoytassassin]

Only way to combat all this is for TPWD to issue permits for blinds. You and the blind have this info on them at all times. 1 permit per person. That person has to be present for others to use that blind. Blind can be put up 1 month prior to season and must be removed 1 month afterwards. Get caught by the GW without the permit for the blind and you get a ticket. Other laws can be added to fill in any gaps

[bigchiefj]

You could also ban permanent blinds and issue tickets to anyone caught hunting out of them.

[Ouch]

Ouch and I could tell you some of the worst public land duck hunting experiences we've ever had and y'all would call BS on us...

About 5 years ago we hollered "calf rope" and bunch of us donated dog stands, waders, decoys, mojos and other hunting items to the Paris chapter of Delta Waterfowl and we quit duck hunting... I miss it terribly but I'm not going to fight with these *** holes over a stinking duck and I'm not paying for a private place. I'd rather jump shoot tanks at the deer lease

We'll have us a private place one of these days... mark my words.

[kyle1974]

Only way to combat all this is for TPWD to issue permits for blinds. You and the blind have this info on them at all times. 1 permit per person. That person has to be present for others to use that blind. Blind can be put up 1 month prior to season and must be removed 1 month afterwards. Get caught by the GW without the permit for the blind and you get a ticket. Other laws can be added to fill in any gaps

and then whoever gets the jump is automatically granted a few hundred acres of public hunting area as their own private place.

sweet?