My last post regarding the changes to the duck blind draw and tier system

[JDUB]

Maybe, if some don't show up on days drawn, it will somehow help on pressure on the birds. That's been my main concern. Because if the current trend keeps building, it wont matter if we draw or not. Seems to me, main focus is really being missed. Resource needs better management.

A whole bunch of these blinds are 2-500 yds apart. If you think they are resting if you dont hunt then you havent hunted these places much. And if they happen to be falling into one of the empty holes no one showed up to im sure a group will go searching for a cripple they shot and accidentally run them all up.

 

[Bone Collector]

Man I am glad I never got into duck hunting.... I do have a boat, and would be open to trying it out of say a "mobile blind" but I am not dealing with the headaches of doing the blind draw.

I will say this. If I understand this correctly this would essentially eliminate the odds of someone not showing up to a blind to hunt thus giving a person who was not drawn an opportunity to use the blind, correct? If I am right, that is too bad.

I hunted ducks one time (January 1995) right out of boot camp. It is fun for sure, but we were never drawn for a blind, just a bunch of 18-20 yr old kids that would go to a blind at day break and if no one was there, get in and hope they didn't show up. If they did, we gave them the blind as they were drawn, that only happened one time though.

 

[RUGER]

I will say this. If I understand this correctly this would essentially eliminate the odds of someone not showing up to a blind to hunt thus giving a person who was not drawn an opportunity to use the blind, correct? If I am right, that is too bad.

That is correct.
Took probably 90% of the hunting opportunity away from the top blinds in the wma.

OH YEAH AND they are gonna spend upwards of $30,000 per spot for these to sit empty.
Thank goodness nobody will leave a fat cake wrapper in them though.

 

[poorhunter]

In Indiana where I grew up the reserve draws were for one day a year and you didn't draw a specific blind but a "choice". If you drew #1 for the day you put in for you got first choice of blinds, if you drew #10 you got tenth choice etc. On the WMAs three days a week were reserve hunts and four days a week were daily draws where you drew a choice number and picked blinds each day. The blinds were state owned and were for 3 hunters max. Same for the goose pits in the surrounding fields. I did this for a few years but the hunting was spotty at best and when it was good you had at least 100 groups at the morning draws trying to get one of 30 blinds of which only 10-15 had a realistic chance of a good hunt. Then we just quit hunting in Indiana and drove to North Dakota where my parents grew up and hunted pretty much wherever we wanted and killed limits almost every day. This was from '95-2001 and even in that short time we could see the winds of change coming to waterfowl hunting up there. "Guides" were leasing up thousands and thousands of acres and cutting out the poor DIY'er's. I have no idea what it's like now. Same thing happened in Canada too. Haven't waterfowl hunted since then because way too many waterfowlers are jerks and too much of the resource is claimed by those with that attitude. These threads have confirmed that...not saying the ones commenting on the threads are jerks but way way too many waterfowlers are.

 

[tickweed]

A whole bunch of these blinds are 2-500 yds apart. If you think they are resting if you dont hunt then you havent hunted these places much. And if they happen to be falling into one of the empty holes no one showed up to im sure a group will go searching for a cripple they shot and accidentally run them all up.

I havent hunted much? You've lost your mind. I've hunted all of the wmas in west Tn, more than most will ever hunt. I hunted 5 yrs in a row, never missed a day. If you cant see how the numbers are shifting, then you are lost as last yrs Easter egg. All most are worried about is the draw, the blinds. I cant believe twra is trying to provide everyone a blind, spending that kind of money. Manage the resource.

 

[tickweed]

I havent hunted much? You've lost your mind. I've hunted all of the wmas in west Tn, more than most will ever hunt. I hunted 5 yrs in a row, never missed a day. If you cant see how the numbers are shifting, then you are lost as last yrs Easter egg. All most are worried about is the draw, the blinds. I cant believe twra is trying to provide everyone a blind, spending that kind of money. Manage the resource.

And on top of this, its gonna be a joke for first timers trying to find these blinds

 

[Levee Jumper]

And on top of this, its gonna be a joke for first timers trying to find these blinds

Ive never seen a Tracker side console pulling over levees and running through the timber but you just might next year when the rivers jump out of their banks lol

 

[hard county]

I hunt in tennessee. Dont kill many ducks, 112 this season, but always have a good time.

I'm happy with any changes in the wmas that make them to where I might actually get to hunt one. I've been 1 time and decided I'd had enough then and there. I've heard countless horror stories of duckblind drama and boat ramp drama, boat races, sky busting.

In my opinion, converting every wma to numbered fence post areas would make things much better. Most hunters are already using 20,000 dollar boats a 2,000 dollar boat blind won't be the end of the world.

Spread everyone out 1000 yards minimum and go to 7 day computerized draws. Twra numbers from the draw are the ones allowed in the boat plus kids under 18.

That would be the legislation that would have me excited to put in for a draw but I doubt I'll see it happen.

 

[Headhunter]

I hunt in tennessee. Dont kill many ducks, 112 this season, but always have a good time.

I'm happy with any changes in the wmas that make them to where I might actually get to hunt one. I've been 1 time and decided I'd had enough then and there. I've heard countless horror stories of duckblind drama and boat ramp drama, boat races, sky busting.

In my opinion, converting every wma to numbered fence post areas would make things much better. Most hunters are already using 20,000 dollar boats a 2,000 dollar boat blind won't be the end of the world.

Spread everyone out 1000 yards minimum and go to 7 day computerized draws. Twra numbers from the draw are the ones allowed in the boat plus kids under 18.

That would be the legislation that would have me excited to put in for a draw but I doubt I'll see it happen.

another vote for the rich man. I personally don't know a duck hunter who uses a 20,000 dollar boat to hunt. I am sure some do, but most I know have a john boat and with a tiller motor and sure don't have $20,000 in it, not even close.

Glad you are rich, but for those of us who aren't, that is a crap idea.

 

[hard county]

another vote for the rich man. I personally don't know a duck hunter who uses a 20,000 dollar boat to hunt. I am sure some do, but most I know have a john boat and with a tiller motor and sure don't have $20,000 in it, not even close.

Glad you are rich, but for those of us who aren't, that is a crap idea.

You don't need to be rich to own a boat blind. And for those that can't afford to own a boat blind it's not the responsibility of the tennessee license buyer or tax payer to build you a duck blind.

If I go elk hunting out west I don't expect to be able to build a shack on public land or have the colorado wildlife officers provide me with one. And I expect that the tag will be 1,000 bucks because that's honestly just a fair price.

I'm not a rich man but I just don't think it's the government's job to give me every recreational opportunity that exists.

Id love to have an airplane and I think it would be a blast to be able to go fly around every weekend but I don't expect there to be a publically owned hangar so that people like myself that can't afford to fly have that privelege.

 

[Smashdn]

Well if they would have asked me I would had been in favor of it before reading all the great information that you all have posted. Before you all jump in and say I am stupide and should be banned from this site I will clarify why I would have supported.
First I will state I have never hunted ducks in TN. When I hunted them in SD and MN most blinds were not open to the public. So only the rich people got to hunt blinds. We did have some places to hunt the sloughs and around some lakes but it was all first come gets the location and someone may go 10 yards over and hunt. When I fist came to TN over 18 years ago I looked into blind draws and thought them to be something that I couldn't do as far as go to a boat ramp and apply for a year spot and then there was the grouping thing. So I didn't hunt, when the ability to apply online came I put in for it last year. There again I was not very smart of the different blinds and there location but I put in for the area of OH that I had my boat docked. I didn't get any probably for the good. But if you asked me that I could be in a drawing for a blind for just a week I would think that it would mean I stood a better chance. I have seen some blinds on OH and some on Woods Res. Both looked easy enough to get to and use. But when Ruger made the post about all you would have to get to one some other place I thought the week thing may not be the best idea. I hope things keep improving and we all get a chance on enjoying all that TN has to offer, not just the rich or the people in the privet know it clubs. Believe me when I say it can be worse.

So you had a boat on OH and been to the blinds and couldn't/wouldn't put in for the draw until it went online? Ever think of picking up the phone and asking the wma staff how it worked? Put a post on here asking how it worked? Ask about blind hopping?

For the life of me I cannot understand how folks unwilling to do a little leg work for their own benefit are the ones being listened to regarding the current blind situation. It is almost like those who do a little research and scout are being penalized for having done so. It's "not fair" that guys talk and know when blinds will be open. It's not fair that groups get together ahead of the drawing and plan out how to make the best use of their drawing opportunities.

Group of guys I hunt with made sure we had someone with a boat in every group as a sign on or drawn hunter. We figured out who was going to be hunting the most and who would likely hunt with who to maximize our chances of drawing multiple blinds. Planning. It worked. I want to say we had primary access to 4 blinds among about 10 people. Plus all the blinds we could hop.

If you aren't hunting on a wma because of the old system that's on you.

 

[Headhunter]

You don't need to be rich to own a boat blind. And for those that can't afford to own a boat blind it's not the responsibility of the tennessee license buyer or tax payer to build you a duck blind.

If I go elk hunting out west I don't expect to be able to build a shack on public land or have the colorado wildlife officers provide me with one. And I expect that the tag will be 1,000 bucks because that's honestly just a fair price.

I'm not a rich man but I just don't think it's the government's job to give me every recreational opportunity that exists.

Id love to have an airplane and I think it would be a blast to be able to go fly around every weekend but I don't expect there to be a publically owned hangar so that people like myself that can't afford to fly have that privelege.

Don't have to be rich? You are the one who said most duck hunters already have a $20,000 boat and adding a $2,000 blind would not be a big deal. You really think that?

I sure don't have, or have ever had, and not anyone else I hunted with, a $20,000 boat or a $2,000 dollar blind. Heck even a $1000 dollar duck boat would have been nice to us. When there used to be ducks come through middle Tennessee in good numbers, we killed a pile of ducks using a john boat I bought for $500 and 1962 model 18 HP evinrude motor.

And I have no clue how your post above pertains to what you posted before.

 

[Smashdn]

You don't need to be rich to own a boat blind. And for those that can't afford to own a boat blind it's not the responsibility of the tennessee license buyer or tax payer to build you a duck blind.

If I go elk hunting out west I don't expect to be able to build a shack on public land or have the colorado wildlife officers provide me with one. And I expect that the tag will be 1,000 bucks because that's honestly just a fair price.

I'm not a rich man but I just don't think it's the government's job to give me every recreational opportunity that exists.

Id love to have an airplane and I think it would be a blast to be able to go fly around every weekend but I don't expect there to be a publically owned hangar so that people like myself that can't afford to fly have that privelege.

A boat blind is not the same thing as a boat taken to a blind. The amount of people you can hunt and how you hunt from the two is very different.

 

[hard county]

Don't have to be rich? You are the one who said most duck hunters already have a $20,000 boat and adding a $2,000 blind would not be a big deal. You really think that?

I sure don't have, or have ever had, and not anyone else I hunted with, a $20,000 boat or a $2,000 dollar blind. Heck even a $1000 dollar duck boat would have been nice to us. When there used to be ducks come through middle Tennessee in good numbers, we killed a pile of ducks using a john boat I bought for $500 and 1962 model 18 HP evinrude motor.

And I have no clue how your post above pertains to what you posted before.

I said that because if you go to b lake or any of these other massively popular wmas you're going to see prodrives mounted on welded boats in the vast majority.

And my post is in response to you saying that needing to have money to hunt is somehow a bad thing. Most hobbies cost money. People cut off their satellite tv and work overtime so they can hunt. It's been that way as long as I've been a hunter.

 

[Shady]

Hard Country shaking things up with some common sense around here.

Let's face it, the public guys had the old system figured out, now the new changes are making a few folks uncomfortable. It's not about more or less opportunities for others, it's about less opportunities for you. Every single duck hunter I know, couldn't care less about anyone else but himself and whoever is in their hunting group for the morning.

You want more opportunities and a better quality hunt? Go buy or lease private ground. Doesn't take many guys to have some buying/leasing power for decent ground. Take matters into your own hands. Quit depending on some government agency to do the right thing in any aspect of you life. They have and always will let you down.

We all make sacrifices for the things we love. How bad do you love it?

I am by no means rich, and have had nothing given to me. I just learned long ago that I had to work hard enough to make enough money to support the things I love. You have 305 days to ensure you enjoy 60. It really is that simple. Don't complicate things.

****Lord help us if things change and we actually have ducks decide to migrate to these parts like the old days. Then things will get rowdy.

 

[JDUB]

And on top of this, its gonna be a joke for first timers trying to find these blinds

I agree.

 

[JDUB]

I havent hunted much? You've lost your mind. I've hunted all of the wmas in west Tn, more than most will ever hunt. I hunted 5 yrs in a row, never missed a day. If you cant see how the numbers are shifting, then you are lost as last yrs Easter egg. All most are worried about is the draw, the blinds. I cant believe twra is trying to provide everyone a blind, spending that kind of money. Manage the resource.

I think you may have mis-understood what i was trying to say. All i was saying is that birds arent going to be able to sit in a hole with people hunting 2-3-400 yds from them. they will figure out that nobody is hunting that spot and go run them up. If you are worried about pressure then the whole wma needs to be closed for periods of time, one group not hunting a wma that still has 15- whatever 60 day spots is not going to help with pressure. I also agree numbers are shifting, whether it be pressure, weather or the amount of food available is up for debate.

 

[hard county]

A boat blind is not the same thing as a boat taken to a blind. The amount of people you can hunt and how you hunt from the two is very different.

You can park two boats in a duck hole. In my local wma white oak it's very common. And if you take a few boat loads of bamboo you can pull between two rows of came so thick you might not even need a boat blind.

 

[bluewinged46er]

Group of guys I hunt with made sure we had someone with a boat in every group as a sign on or drawn hunter. We figured out who was going to be hunting the most and who would likely hunt with who to maximize our chances of drawing multiple blinds. Planning. It worked. I want to say we had primary access to 4 blinds among about 10 people. Plus all the blinds we could hop.

If you aren't hunting on a wma because of the old system that's on you.

This is a great description of what I would call the "system within the system". It is legitimately maximizing your opportunity by working within the system to increase your odds. I think it is great that it is possible to have primary access to 4 binds for the season and I applaud your creativity in working within the system to make that happen. I do think, however, that most of those in favor of these changes are not part of a well-connected group of local hunters like the one you describe. So while some have the opportunity to hunt blinds as part of a primary group year after year, others are left to blind hop and to use public walk-in areas. I think you have shined a bright light on what creates the widely varying views of these changes. Thanks for the insight.

 

[tickweed]

I think you may have mis-understood what i was trying to say. All i was saying is that birds arent going to be able to sit in a hole with people hunting 2-3-400 yds from them. they will figure out that nobody is hunting that spot and go run them up. If you are worried about pressure then the whole wma needs to be closed for periods of time, one group not hunting a wma that still has 15- whatever 60 day spots is not going to help with pressure. I also agree numbers are shifting, whether it be pressure, weather or the amount of food available is up for debate.

I agree with you. I just really believe the demand has way outreached the source. I know many want to hunt. I don't blame them. I want to elk hunt in east Tn. Ive been out west elk hunting twenty times. I don't expect TWRA to fix it where I can Elk hunt if I want to in east Tn., whenever I chose. The resource is not there, nor wont be in my lifetime. Many of our waterfowl wmas are hunted to death. Why in the world would TWRA spend that kind of money on prefabbed blinds just so a few could hunt. Why not spend it on wma improvements? manage it like thorny, bogota? make all waterfowl wmas huntable only certain days, hours? it would greatly improve the quality of hunts. why have open areas on the wmas that are uncontrolled, that allow unlimited boats in whenever? All this does is ruin the hunt for everyone. Bluff road side at Tigrett is a joke opening weekend, every year. People start lining up at the ramp sometimes on Thanksgiving day to be first in to hunt maybe 3 good state holes. we held lots of ducks years ago early, but the week before season, people boat ride all day long, everyday, run em up. guess what? now, we don't have em anymore. Shut it down the week before, like other WMAS. Unlimited pressure. I have called commissioners, TWRA, Jason Maxaddon. Non listen. How about managing the resource, and hunters. Im all for wmas, draw blinds, but put whats important first. The ducks. you can have all the blinds you want, but we are slowly losing the flyway to the central flyway. To be honest, Im bout sick with this whole deal.