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

[Smashdn]

Hard Country shaking things up with some common

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.

This is a very interesting way of putting it. Given that those who lobbied for the changes wanted TWRA to give them access, provide the blind and brush it for them.

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.

7 out of 10 of us are from ky. The others are guys that work together or just guys that drew a blind in the same area the year before. We see each other at the ramp in the am and talk. We let each other know where we are going in case we get in a bind.

We've only been doing the blind draw for 3 years. It is very little extra effort if any. We are just courteous to people and they return the favor.

None of our group was drawn this past year. We left the ramp earlier and hopped blinds or hunted the temporary blinds. Also not hard, just got to put a little extra work in. I personally went about two weeks before season to check to see what blinds were brushed. That will give you an idea of it will be able to be hopped or not the first few weekends.

I wouldn't care if the draw went away provided the blinds stayed and were taken care.

I've got a boat blind too. And have used it in TN. But it is much more enjoyable to be in a permanent blind. Easier to get set-up and easier to hunt more folks and kids from.

 

[Smashdn]

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.

You proved what you quoted.

 

[JDUB]

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.

That is very well put and i agree with everything you have said here.

 

[hard county]

You proved what you quoted.

I'm not sure what you mean, if 2 boats can hunt 4 people each how is that different than an 8 man blind?

 

[waynesworld]

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.

Smash you misunderstand, I understood how it worked form many post on the website in the past when I moved down here over 18 years ago from South Dakota. I just never put in for a blind because I couldn't go to the draws at the boat ramps or just never thought of it when they were getting done. No i am not a huge duck hunter and if never get drawn for a blind would not bother me. But i do buy a sportsman lisc and so i am able to put in for the draws. Now if your post actually reflect how long you been on this forum then you may not known different post that I think i even made about the draws were if i get drawn I would be invite anyone from TNDeer to come any time they wanted. But if the blinds are so sought after and the birds are so few why doesn't TWRA close them to out of state people? I know there are states that do that for other hunting.

Oh and Smash if you are an alter logon and just using that one to vent then that's on you. I never got asked for my opinion on what the commission should do, I just stated that sometimes people think there is a better way to do things but don't know all the side effects. After some of the very lengthy explanations from Ruger I do realize it is not as simple as the hunting deer in the WMA.

 

[RUGER]

I'm not sure what you mean, if 2 boats can hunt 4 people each how is that different than an 8 man blind?

All I know is if you are gonna hunt 4 people out of one boat you are gonna need a big flippin boat.

Oh and just some useless information for you... a boat that big will NOT go under the trestle at Gooch thus no access with it.

Just another little "quirk" about hunting areas you have never been to.

 

[Smashdn]

I'm not sure what you mean, if 2 boats can hunt 4 people each how is that different than an 8 man blind?

I don't have to carry in a "load of bamboo" to hunt two boatloads of people from one of the permanent blinds. I park the boat or boats in the boat hide and get in the blind. Worse case I have to park one boat down the bank a ways if the hide only holds one boat.

Where you putting decoys and guns and people with this boat load of bamboo?

 

[hard county]

I don't have to carry in a "load of bamboo" to hunt two boatloads of people from one of the permanent blinds. I park the boat or boats in the boat hide and get in the blind. Worse case I have to park one boat down the bank a ways if the hide only holds one boat.

Where you putting decoys and guns and people with this boat load of bamboo?

You go in the day before if you even need to. Usually it's already done by the people who hunted before. People go scout the place the day before in daylight and may add some cane or set up somewhere different for the wind in which case you need a few boat loads. It's done this way at places like white oak wma if you've ever hunted there. I believe it's a better system.

 

[hard county]

All I know is if you are gonna hunt 4 people out of one boat you are gonna need a big flippin boat.

Oh and just some useless information for you... a boat that big will NOT go under the trestle at Gooch thus no access with it.

Just another little "quirk" about hunting areas you have never been to.

I would want to scout it out of course before I hunted but I've been duck hunting since I was 8 years old and I've always managed to find my way somehow.

 

[BlackEagle1]

All I know is if you are gonna hunt 4 people out of one boat you are gonna need a big flippin boat.

Oh and just some useless information for you... a boat that big will NOT go under the trestle at Gooch thus no access with it.

Just another little "quirk" about hunting areas you have never been to.

You can float a Toyota truck under the trestle on the shallow side when the waters right ...... . I have made some sketchy crossing in that bottom.

 

[RUGER]

You can float a Toyota truck under the trestle on the shallow side when the waters right ...... . I have made some sketchy crossing in that bottom.

Yep my son pretty much fried the wiring in his truck there.

 

[Smashdn]

You go in the day before if you even need to. Usually it's already done by the people who hunted before. People go scout the place the day before in daylight and may add some cane or set up somewhere different for the wind in which case you need a few boat loads. It's done this way at places like white oak wma if you've ever hunted there. I believe it's a better system.

So you go in the day before and run birds out to build a blind?

Better system than pulling into blind that is already built and brushed. Uh huh.

 

[hard county]

So you go in the day before and run birds out to build a blind?

Better system than pulling into blind that is already built and brushed. Uh huh.

I mean it works. People kill limits of bird that way all across the country. most wmas get hunted every day regardless so not many resting. Hunting the same blind is all about killing new ducks anyway. Always has been.

 

[Smashdn]

I mean it works. People kill limits of bird that way all across the country. most wmas get hunted every day regardless so not many resting. Hunting the same blind is all about killing new ducks anyway. Always has been.

Why is TWRA wanting to rest areas then?

 

[RUGER]

Why is TWRA wanting to rest areas then?

They don't.
ONE commissioner wanted the change so here we are.

 

[tickweed]

Believe it or not, rest days, shorter hours help. True, we kill or have better days on flight ducks, ducks new to the area, but when ducks aren't pressured as hard, they stay in same area, use an area longer. we catch birds coming from one refuge to another, or leaving refuges going to feed. Yes, many get wise , but you still will fool some. Hunt em to death, they move only at night, feed mainly at night.

 

[Dodge Man]

Believe it or not, rest days, shorter hours help. True, we kill or have better days on flight ducks, ducks new to the area, but when ducks aren't pressured as hard, they stay in same area, use an area longer. we catch birds coming from one refuge to another, or leaving refuges going to feed. Yes, many get wise , but you still will fool some. Hunt em to death, they move only at night, feed mainly at night.

If you look at the TN Mallard project very few ducks are leaving the refuge and surrounding area. When they do they just go sit another place for a few days and move very little. Almost no ducks out of the ones they have with a satellite tracker are going from refuge to food every day like most people think they do. The duck move way less on a dayly basis then I have always thought or been told.

 

[TNGunsmoke]

If you look at the TN Mallard project very few ducks are leaving the refuge and surrounding area. When they do they just go sit another place for a few days and move very little. Almost no ducks out of the ones they have with a satellite tracker are going from refuge to food every day like most people think they do. The duck move way less on a dayly basis then I have always thought or been told.

Would you leave if you had all the food you could eat, plenty of water, and no one shooting at you? I wouldn't.

 

[Headhunter]

Believe it or not, rest days, shorter hours help. True, we kill or have better days on flight ducks, ducks new to the area, but when ducks aren't pressured as hard, they stay in same area, use an area longer. we catch birds coming from one refuge to another, or leaving refuges going to feed. Yes, many get wise , but you still will fool some. Hunt em to death, they move only at night, feed mainly at night.

rest days mean nothing when there are no ducks around to be bothered, meaning they either are not here or they are staying on the refuge with all the food. Has to be ducks around for them to be bothered.

 

[younggun308]

If you look at the TN Mallard project very few ducks are leaving the refuge and surrounding area. When they do they just go sit another place for a few days and move very little. Almost no ducks out of the ones they have with a satellite tracker are going from refuge to food every day like most people think they do. The duck move way less on a dayly basis then I have always thought or been told.

Since all the birds they track are caught on refuges, I suspect endogeneity explains why they never leave. Those ducks have found the refuge. But not every duck does. It's not like they have GPS coordinates taking them on the same route, to the same destination.
Point is, had they trapped and stuck trackers on ducks outside the refuges, they might have had different results (albeit take a major hit to their sample size, since it's much easier to catch ducks on a refuge than elsewhere).