Selling of duck blinds...

[Polecat]

We all know that it's illegal to sell a duck blind and each year tales are told of astronomical sums of money that changes hands for top pick blinds. What I've never heard of is an arrest, citation, or a conviction made concerning the above offense.

Is it all rumor and hear say concerning the selling of blinds or are citations being issued and we never hear of them? Is this something that is difficult at best to prove and get a conviction on? It would seem like with all the recent articles concerning arrests for baiting of turkeys and poaching of deer that there would have been something published concerning the above offense other than the usual, "It's illegal and don't engage in it." press release that's made every year

 

[Bone Collector]

I have never drawn for a blind. I intended to go yesterday and did not make it. Last year i was at Reelfoot with my brother and it was the day of the drawing. a guy told us we should go and see if we could get drawn high in the picking order. He said if you draw #1 it is worth between $4-6,000. I almost fell over. I had no idea it was illegal and do not see why the TWRA would get involved or stick their nose into it. If I draw #1 and some rich guy wants it and is willing to pay me to make his selection and the promise that I will not hunt it, then i see that as my business.

To me it is no different than some landowner leasing at $10-$20 an acre. While you may not own the blind, you have the rights to it and if you want to lease the rights for the season, that should be your right. IMO

 

[Grizzly Johnson]

If I draw #1 and some rich guy wants it and is willing to pay me to make his selection and the promise that I will not hunt it, then i see that as my business.

Well see, if you have no intentions of hunting it, then frankly you have no business putting in for the draw. What you are actually doing is ruining it for the rest of the hunters that do intend on hunting a blind and therefore attend the draw in hopes of getting lucky and being drawn..... comparing it to leasing land is a different ballgame all together.

That crap burns me up to no end..... You have locals that put in trying to get blinds along with many others several out of towners and the ones looking to make a buck..... It's bad enough the locals being not drawn and the out of towners being drawn.... it is really the devil when a man goes just to try and draw a top spot and then sell it to make a buck.

Not picking on you per say, but it is no different than a wealthy fellow paying for the license of 50 or 60 of his non-hunting friends or co-workers and bringing them to the drawing tipping the odds in his favor.....

I think they should go back to the computer draw like it was back in the days......

 

[Bone Collector]

If I draw #1 and some rich guy wants it and is willing to pay me to make his selection and the promise that I will not hunt it, then i see that as my business.

Well see, if you have no intentions of hunting it, then frankly you have no business putting in for the draw. What you are actually doing is ruining it for the rest of the hunters that do intend on hunting a blind and therefore attend the draw in hopes of getting lucky and being drawn..... comparing it to leasing land is a different ballgame all together.

That crap burns me up to no end..... You have locals that put in trying to get blinds along with many others several out of towners and the ones looking to make a buck..... It's bad enough the locals being not drawn and the out of towners being drawn.... it is really the devil when a man goes just to try and draw a top spot and then sell it to make a buck.

Not picking on you per say, but it is no different than a wealthy fellow paying for the license of 50 or 60 of his non-hunting friends or co-workers and bringing them to the drawing tipping the odds in his favor.....

I think they should go back to the computer draw like it was back in the days......

I didn't say that i would go to draw with no intention of hunting, but if say i did draw #1 and somebody offered me a lot of money and i decided I needed the money more than i needed to hunt, that should be my choice. I would never go with the intention of selling my pick if i did get picked.

I can't call ducks and have only hunted them a few times and had a blast, but it is too much to take on another expensive hobby at this point. If I would have went yesterday to the OH draw and got a blind I know plenty of people that do duck hunt and would go with me and call if they did not get drawn. I'm just saying if I drew high and someone offered money it should be my choice to sell.

 

[Grizzly Johnson]

Well still, if money makes you decide not to hunt but sell because someone offers you money, then don't put in and waste the odds for someone else who will hunt the blind no matter what is offered to them...... because for the simple fact THEY LOVE TO HUNT.

I can understand if you draw and some of your unlucky friends offer to take care of the work and still let you hunt the blind because you drew it.... that is one thing. But don't wast the draw for everyone else.

That's why I quit going to the Camden blind draw..... to many times the same guys ending up with the same blinds year after year....

NOT EVERYONE HAS DEEP POCKETS, the buying and selling undermines the whole principle of the draw..... I would love to see it go back to the computer draw..... would be faster and you wouldn't have to fight the crowds....

 

[Bone Collector]

Well still, if money makes you decide not to hunt but sell because someone offers you money, then don't put in and waste the odds for someone else who will hunt the blind no matter what is offered to them...... because for the simple fact THEY LOVE TO HUNT.

I can understand if you draw and some of your unlucky friends offer to take care of the work and still let you hunt the blind because you drew it.... that is one thing. But don't wast the draw for everyone else.

That's why I quit going to the Camden blind draw..... to many times the same guys ending up with the same blinds year after year....

NOT EVERYONE HAS DEEP POCKETS, the buying and selling undermines the whole principle of the draw..... I would love to see it go back to the computer draw..... would be faster and you wouldn't have to fight the crowds....

I love to hunt, just don't know what i would do if someone offered me $5,000. I could use that money and it me be better for my family to have it. If I had it my way i would have enough money and places to hunt every type of game this state has to offer.

I somewhat agree with you on the computer drawing in that you would not have to fight the crowds, heck you wouldn't have to leave your house, but I do not think it would improve anyones chances, in that the same people would have friends enter for them and pay for people to enter for them, thus increasing their odds. There is noway to stop people from doing it.

 

[tickweed]

Three of us went to the drawing at Big Sandy. About 2700 people where in attendance. I've been going to this blind drawning since the early eightys, and we have drawn a few years, with our earlist pick being number 6 in 1981. Well, as luck would have it, we where drawn number 2 this year. I stood up, and took two steps, and a guy met me and offered me a hugh sum, I will have to say, I did think about it, but said no, thats not right. I went two more steps, and another guy offered me a larger sum. Then another guy matched his sum. Don't get me wrong, I love to waterfowl hunt in my heart as much as anybody I've ever known, I hunted five years in Tn., and never missed a day, but to be honest, I had to think about it. We said no, took our pick, and sat back down. I saw another one sold on down the line. I couldn't believe it. If guys have that kind of cash, why not rent a lease. We've had three calls since we got home. Unbeliveable!

 

[Goose Thumper]

tickweed i hope yall have a good year. they do any work to that blind last year? It was in rough shape 2 years ago

 

[Grizzly Johnson]

BC, I can understand, it is really a two edge sword..... if I hadn't grown up in Camden and seen the things I have seen and then have to settle for hunting the river (which can be just as good on certain days)...... it all just left a bad taste in my mouth.

Then you have to deal with peckerheads on the ramp that think they own the whole place..... we are all some type of hunter, as such, we should be treating each other with respect and act like they were raised with manners.



Well TW, I hope you guys have a dream season! You have my respect for resisting the temptation of selling..... Which blind did you pick if you don't mind me asking?

 

[tickweed]

Goose, we drove out and looked at it. It needs to be cleaned out, but overall in decent shape. I wish I knew you guys, Grizzly as well, cause you where more than welcome to come aboard. Still, you are welcome to hunt anytime, just get in touch with me. We took 108, we really looked at 10 in big sandy, but I've torn my right shoulder out this past June, and I'm gonna be lucky to make the early part of Illinois bow season,which is early Oct. So, building a blind for one year wasn't really an option for us. I've had 106 before, so I know we will watch 107 kill many, but on a north west wind we will be in the driver's seat if its like it used to be. We'll still get our part, and I hope you guys will come and be in on it! As far as resisting, it was tough, five figures tough. Oh well, it really doesnt matter to a diehard!

 

[Spoonbillmallard]

Hey tickweed.....I congradulate you for not selling. It takes a honorable and die hard waterfowl hunter to say no to those kind of numbers. I have often thought about what I would say if it ever happened to me out there. And every time I just can't see me selling a blind. I would much rather hunt it all year with my friends and make memories. I hope you guys lead the bottoms this year. We have been at Camden draws for the past couple of years with no luck. Decided to go to Dover draws this year and once again no luck. But I hope you guys give em a good wackin.....and good job on not selling!!!

 

[Anonymous]

Great job for not selling !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Goose Thumper]

yea you did fine. 106 smoked em a couple years ago, well over 600, but would much rather be in 8. I'll be in gin this year or 125. Maybe we can hook up and hunt together sometime. Ive grown up hunting camden.

 

[NoNtYpiCaL1]

Hey tick...If all the people at the draw had your attitude it would be a much better place to draw in big sandy. I hunted out of 107 time or 2 couple years ago and 8 did as good as us those days, but the hunting was terrible at that time also. I would like to experience that field when hunting is it right.

 

[Grizzly Johnson]

Hey tick...If all the people at the draw had your attitude it would be a much better place to draw in big sandy.

You got that right!!!

 

[WestTn Huntin man]

Here is some info on the blinds. Some had to be burned because of flood damage. Blinds are Big buisness in more ways than one. All the people that come to town really help the local ecomony. Alot of people doing the buying make thier money back many times over as guides out of thier blinds.Honestly you couldn't pay me enough to fight the crowds.
http://news.mywebpal.com/news_tool_v2.c ... =8373&on=1

 

[Grizzly Johnson]

Honestly you couldn't pay me enough to fight the crowds.

That's why I quit going.... along with the money changing hands.

 

[Polecat]

Blinds are Big buisness in more ways than one. All the people that come to town really help the local ecomony. Alot of people doing the buying make thier money back many times over as guides out of thier blinds.
http://news.mywebpal.com/news_tool_v2.c ... =8373&on=1

You nailed it right there with that observation. Guiding out of a blind on a public WMA. If you want to cut back on the buying of blinds make that a prohibited act. If a guy's charging 250.00 a day and hunts an average of 6 guys a day he's looking at 1500.00 a day not counting tips. Now figure a 60 day season with most wma's closed to hunting 3 days a week. So you looking at around 35- 36 days. 1500 x 36 = $54,000.00. Not bad figuring that person wasn't even responsible for the planting of crops. It's an even better proposition if there's already a blind on site that doesn't require anything more than the cutting and touching up of some brush.

 

[12 Point]

The Reelfoot Lake blind drawing was the same way this year. One person that used to be a local that no longer lives here brought a bunch of his employee's that work for him to our blind drawing, had them sign up and ended up with 5 or 6 of our local blinds. Have been told that he sells them out to the highest bidder also. Its just not right for a person that used to be a local here to do that to the folks that he was raised and grew up with. Am totally against a person doing that. I look at it, if he has the money to pay them to come enter the drawing, then why not lease his own land or pit from someone. If he has that kind of money, he could just buy his own and lease them out.

 

[Grizzly Johnson]

I look at it, if he has the money to pay them to come enter the drawing, then why not lease his own land or pit from someone. If he has that kind of money, he could just buy his own and lease them out.

AMEN brother!!