Tier 2 Hopping Tickets

[younggun308]

@RUGER, I'm genuinely sorry for how painful the changes were for you and others on here who have multiple lifetimes' worth of memories under in-person draws, and season-long blinds. May not be as bad as a death in the family, but appears to be about as bad as a divorce. I don't know.

I just hope these threads—which invariably end up not being about the specific thing in a specific place that happened, but the one same thing that happened in March (or was it February?)—are helpful for you getting through it, not making it worse.

I don't think you honestly believe the Commission will reverse any of it. But if it's any consolation, I've only put in for local blinds near me—which I have realistic odds now of drawing multiple times a season instead of banking 4+ preference points to *maybe* hunt 2 days in West TN. If I'm driving west for ducks, I might as well drive a little further past the state line. Don't need a blind to do that. I suspect over time, with point creep, others will do the same. And the pool of applicants will overwhelmingly swing back to West and Middle Tennesseans.

Sort of like how people are gradually bailing out of the President's Island lottery after hitting once; sticking with it only because of sunk costs (i.e. they already have 10 points, might as well put in 2 more years). Some don't even do that.

 

[RUGER]

@younggun308
The removal of the in person draws is the equivalence of canceling Christmas morning to an 8 year old.
Whether we were drawn or not, there was always that hope.
With the current botched computer draw instead of there being 1,200 to 2,000 people there, you are now going against around 45,000 applicants.
Many of these applicants will be drawn with good intentions and then decide it is too much work.
These blinds will either sit empty or will put into another tier and create boat hunting only spots.
This is NOT a good situation at a place like Gooch.
Others will put in and get drawn and never even try to go.

I don't have anything against anyone coming to Gooch to duck hunt. What I have a problem with is the agency taking away the top 5 spots in the WMA and giving them away to people that are too lazy to commit to the work it takes to hunt a blind all year.
Yeah I know, everyone deserves "opportunity" I get it and I get the desire that is there. Again, I think the agency needs to build me a cold water stream in West TN that I can trout fish out of. Same thing.

I and my friends have a lot of blood, sweat and tears from the years I have been lucky and worked our butts off getting a blind ready to kill about 50 ducks in a year.
I think people will stop applying when they figure out just because we are in West TN there are limits every day.
That is not the case.
I have hunted Gooch for going on 10 years and have never killed a limit of ducks in a day.
Never been in a blind that limited out for the day.
I have never had a top 5 blind though. See my point?

I ain't gonna say I don't believe they will change it back but I can promise you this without a doubt and 100% I have sent literally HUNDREDS of emails and made a bunch of phone calls regarding this issue and pleading my case and moreso, I will not stop doing so.
I am going to fight it tooth and nail till the bitter (or sweet) end.
I will also help anyone that asks for my input.

My biggest concern is the safety of it all. I know there are countless waterfowl hunters out there that have forgotten more than I will ever know about duck hunting and there are people that are in that same regard as to running a boat.
That said, unless you have been there and done that you can't IMAGINE the difference of getting to a duck blind at Gooch with normal water levels compared to what it takes when the river is out. You can ask @woodyard about his very first trip to the blind on opening morning a few years ago. LOL

A guy I hunt with had to sit in his boat and watch as one of his best friends almost drowned trying to get back out one day.
Only by the grace of God, he did not die. He was a very experienced hunter and had alot of knowledge of Gooch and he STILL dang near died.
That is why I help when I can, just hate to know someone might die because of this farce of an opportunity increase.

As for presidents island, I got drawn on my 6th attempt and a couple weeks before my hunt my father died.
I didn't go to the hunt and I have never put in for it again due to me taking someone else's spot that year.

Best of luck to you this year.

 

[Pic IN the Casa]

@RUGER, I'm genuinely sorry for how painful the changes were for you and others on here who have multiple lifetimes' worth of memories under in-person draws, and season-long blinds. May not be as bad as a death in the family, but appears to be about as bad as a divorce. I don't know.

I just hope these threads—which invariably end up not being about the specific thing in a specific place that happened, but the one same thing that happened in March (or was it February?)—are helpful for you getting through it, not making it worse.

I don't think you honestly believe the Commission will reverse any of it. But if it's any consolation, I've only put in for local blinds near me—which I have realistic odds now of drawing multiple times a season instead of banking 4+ preference points to *maybe* hunt 2 days in West TN. If I'm driving west for ducks, I might as well drive a little further past the state line. Don't need a blind to do that. I suspect over time, with point creep, others will do the same. And the pool of applicants will overwhelmingly swing back to West and Middle Tennesseans.

Sort of like how people are gradually bailing out of the President's Island lottery after hitting once; sticking with it only because of sunk costs (i.e. they already have 10 points, might as well put in 2 more years). Some don't even do that.

All of this quota draw stuff boils down to what had already played out:

Empty blinds.

Badly brushed and no further upkeep on blinds from quota hunters.

On an outside the immediate picture topic:
Many youth groups use in person draws for auction/fundraising events.

For me it comes down to persons with absolutely no skin in the game taking away opportunities from folks that are willing to keep a blind looking good for 60 days. The lazy are being catered to. And yes, eventually enough duck hunters will buy MO or AR tags. But hey, I guess TWRA will offset that by giving tickets to blindhoppers.

 

[RUGER]

All of this quota draw stuff boils down to what had already played out:

Empty blinds.

Badly brushed and no further upkeep on blinds from quota hunters.

On an outside the immediate picture topic:
Many youth groups use in person draws for auction/fundraising events.

For me it comes down to persons with absolutely no skin in the game taking away opportunities from folks that are willing to keep a blind looking good for 60 days. The lazy are being catered to. And yes, eventually enough duck hunters will buy MO or AR tags. But hey, I guess TWRA will offset that by giving tickets to blindhoppers.

I already have my name on a list for a pit in Missouri for next year.

 

[Dodge Man]

I already have my name on a list for a pit in Missouri for next year.

I hunted SEMO just north of Big Lake and it was Dead! We hunted daylight until 3pm and didn't see 100 ducks total. From what I understand it had been slow overall for most of that area so far.

 

[UpperTully]

I think if folks keep the stir going about these blinds and the botched draw system, something will give. It has to because to many people are negatively affected.

I didn't put in for a season long blind but I did try to apply for walk in holes for Eagle Lake at Shelby Forest during the first and mid season segments. The first segment It showed I applied for a priority point when I never did. When I applied for the mid season segment, It never would let me do anything so I said screw it. I don't have time to play phone tag with the quota hunt lady every time I want to apply.

I used duck hunt a lot more than I do now. I LOVE to get after them but between TWRA and the Feds, most of the good holes have gone draw hunt within an hour of me and I find my self sitting at home because I'm rarely off on the weekends to even participate in a draw hunt.

This whole process reminds me of the stupid decision to turn turkey season on WMAs in West Tn to a quota hunt back in 2014 or 2015. A hunter got drawn for 1 weekend hunt and that was it. It seems TWRAs answer to everything is quota hunts but it's forcing hunters out of the sport.

 

[clwg97]

@younggun308
The removal of the in person draws is the equivalence of canceling Christmas morning to an 8 year old.
Whether we were drawn or not, there was always that hope.
With the current botched computer draw instead of there being 1,200 to 2,000 people there, you are now going against around 45,000 applicants.
Many of these applicants will be drawn with good intentions and then decide it is too much work.
These blinds will either sit empty or will put into another tier and create boat hunting only spots.
This is NOT a good situation at a place like Gooch.
Others will put in and get drawn and never even try to go.

I don't have anything against anyone coming to Gooch to duck hunt. What I have a problem with is the agency taking away the top 5 spots in the WMA and giving them away to people that are too lazy to commit to the work it takes to hunt a blind all year.
Yeah I know, everyone deserves "opportunity" I get it and I get the desire that is there. Again, I think the agency needs to build me a cold water stream in West TN that I can trout fish out of. Same thing.

I and my friends have a lot of blood, sweat and tears from the years I have been lucky and worked our butts off getting a blind ready to kill about 50 ducks in a year.
I think people will stop applying when they figure out just because we are in West TN there are limits every day.
That is not the case.
I have hunted Gooch for going on 10 years and have never killed a limit of ducks in a day.
Never been in a blind that limited out for the day.
I have never had a top 5 blind though. See my point?

I ain't gonna say I don't believe they will change it back but I can promise you this without a doubt and 100% I have sent literally HUNDREDS of emails and made a bunch of phone calls regarding this issue and pleading my case and moreso, I will not stop doing so.
I am going to fight it tooth and nail till the bitter (or sweet) end.
I will also help anyone that asks for my input.

My biggest concern is the safety of it all. I know there are countless waterfowl hunters out there that have forgotten more than I will ever know about duck hunting and there are people that are in that same regard as to running a boat.
That said, unless you have been there and done that you can't IMAGINE the difference of getting to a duck blind at Gooch with normal water levels compared to what it takes when the river is out. You can ask @woodyard about his very first trip to the blind on opening morning a few years ago. LOL

A guy I hunt with had to sit in his boat and watch as one of his best friends almost drowned trying to get back out one day.
Only by the grace of God, he did not die. He was a very experienced hunter and had alot of knowledge of Gooch and he STILL dang near died.
That is why I help when I can, just hate to know someone might die because of this farce of an opportunity increase.

As for presidents island, I got drawn on my 6th attempt and a couple weeks before my hunt my father died.
I didn't go to the hunt and I have never put in for it again due to me taking someone else's spot that year.

Best of luck to you this year.

If we are putting in a petition for cool water trout stream in west Tennessee, where do I sign?

 

[clwg97]

I hunted SEMO just north of Big Lake and it was Dead! We hunted daylight until 3pm and didn't see 100 ducks total. From what I understand it had been slow overall for most of that area so far.

I have spent a lot of days trying to draw out at Otter Slough, and when its on there it is on. It is one of my favorite places to hunt. But over the last 10 years it has slowly gotten worse and worse and every spot around it and further south is loaded up with private fields and pits and those birds are getting hammered.

 

[mike243]

Well looks like we need to make all the deer draw hunts in person along with the ducks, local folks and retired or folks with $$ who can afford to take off from work will get to hunt. they do a couple deer hunts like that here and its typically the same folks do it year in and out. I would never put in for a season pit as the logistics are just too much for a every weekend deal, no way would I cause another hunter a missed chance because I Might get a chance to show up 1 or 2 times .No good solution imo. I see both sides but some body is drawing the pits to sell and make $ needs burned , bet lots of folks know who they are but the good ol buddy system wins out?

 

[Smashdn]

It's the first Saturday in August. Not like it sneaks up on anyone. On Jan 1 put in for the vacation day.

Even if you draw a blind and can't hunt it every weekend, as long as you fix it and brush it, you haven't taken anyone's opportunity. Now if you don't brush it and there is an un-brushed box sitting there in the way that is a different story.

 

[mike243]

Kinda lost me, whether it brushed or not don't mean squat, setting empty is still a waste brush or no brush lmao I have to put in my vacation in early November for the whole next year, $300-$500 for a weekend at a chance to shoot at birds or maybe not.

 

[Crazyeye]

Kinda lost me, whether it brushed or not don't mean squat, setting empty is still a waste brush or no brush lmao I have to put in my vacation in early November for the whole next year, $300-$500 for a weekend at a chance to shoot at birds or maybe not.

How do you get time to hunt then. How are going to know when to take off for 3 separate draws.

 

[mike243]

I cant predict nothing, I only put in for hunts that coincide with my vacation weeks. its tough but been that way a long time, $$ family first hunting last.

 

[Smashdn]

You draw a 60 day blind and brush it, it won't sit empty. Someone will hunt it if it is worth hunting. No waste there. Might appear that way to you if you are at work I guess.

Had some young guys trying to hop ours last weekend. Would have let them hunt but we had two boats going out and a full house.

Not sure what is lmao worthy in your post.

 

[drake799]

So the logical thing to do is completely change the system so it's easier on people that don't know if they'll even be able to hunt anyway LOL.

 

[drake799]

That's what irks me so much about this. TWRA is "worried" about people that aren't really "worried" about hunting at all