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Blind Laws Question, Decoys

3K views 11 replies 6 participants last post by  BlackDog1100 
#1 ·
Hey everyone,

So i've read the blind laws and the local laws in my area. I built a blind for my old 14' aluminum boat. Regarding the blind laws, what does the license tag for a licensed blind look like? I understand I need to stay 500 yards away. And, how about distance I should stay away from a house? Is there any guidance on this, or should I just use good judgement on this one.

Mostly i'll be hunting shallower marshy areas near the mouth of the Rappahannock.

On the decoys, my spread is about 24 birds, bluebills (mostly), bufflehead and some puddle ducks. I have a few mallards too. I'm in the mood for an early christmas present, any suggestions to what I can add?

Thanks
 
#3 ·
from dgif

Floating Blinds, Where Prohibited
The use of floating blinds is prohibited in the counties of Caroline, King George, Essex, Westmoreland, and Richmond in any of the public marshes, guts, streams, branches, creeks, or bays, including among others, Green Bay and Port Tobago Bay, flowing into the Rappahannock River or in any of its tributaries, or in Buckner's Creek, Nomini Creek and Nomini Bay, flowing into the Potomac River or any of its tributaries, except from a licensed Offshore Blind Stake Site.
 
#4 ·
no stake needed at the mouth of the rapp. The stakes start further up the river I believe.

A licensed blind will have an orange reflective plate that is about 4" x 8". In the center, it will have a colored decal that indicates a year. The year is important. If the year isn't the most current, the blind does not carry the 500 yard zone. For example, in the 2013-2014 season, any blind with a 2013 tag or earlier is null & void. Only blinds with 2014 tags are valid for the 2013-2014 season. The color changes each year, so it's a little easier to identify from a distance if you know the color for the current year.

house distance varies from county to county. some counties have no set distance. use good judgment.

get some geese

Good luck!
 
#6 ·
Thanks for the replies. Good to know the blind must have a 2014 tag and its a 4x8" reflective orange plate. There are a few blinds in the area, so i'll make sure to check them for a current tag.

imaduckin - i'm not duckin in any of those counties, so I think i'm good.

January is definitely not a good time to be out in the open water in a 14' aluminum boat. I'll be towing the boat behind my 24' fishing boat from my house to more protected waters, then anchor the big boat and take the duck boat the last few hundred yards up to wherever i'll be hunting. I did some good scouting earlier this year, I have a few spots picked out that I can set up decoys in about 3' of water, in nice protected areas with marsh grass along the shore.

Part of my question is what type of decoys and setup I should use. I'm used to hunting open salt water in a fixed blind. Set up with redheads, blue bills and bufflehead decoys and those are the most common type of ducks we shoot. I know there are a lot of buffleheads and blue bills in the bay area. But i'll be in a more marshy place close to shore, so I am wondering what ducks I can expect. I might augment my decoy spread with a bunch of mallards in a group set away from my bluebills.
 
#7 ·
id put out some divers and black duck dekes with a few mallards , maybe 5 or 6 blacks and the same amount of mallards. put the divers out away from the grass and the blacks and mallards at the edge of the grass
 
#8 ·
1. I'll be in VA for the next 3 seasons and I am already getting prepared. I hope the end of your season goes better than mine up her in RI.
2. I'm pumped to see how active the VA forum is. I've lived all over and followed a bunch of forums and most states forums are ziplip
3. I generally hunt on foot or from a brushed up square back canoe. I like hunting puddlers on small to medium sized waters. I have an awesome black dog who loves scooping up ducks, and I generally shoot a remington
4. I'm not sure if these blind laws are incredibly confusing or if I just can't believe what I'm reading, but like everyone I have questions

So what I think they are saying is:
- To use my canoe when it is brushed up I need to have a special license which is called a floating blind license? Is this the case everywhere, even WMAs?
- In addition, if I want to essentially "reserve" public land, or land on a WMA I can do so by buying an offshore stake license? Once I have this I license I can put this stake where ever I want, and this is now my hunting spot as long as its not to close to a house or someone elses spot???? Can I move the stake? Is this applicable everywhere or just off the coast?

i know you guys get these questions all the time, so I appreciate your help and patience.
 
#9 ·
Some of what you asked is really black and white in the game laws booklet. Available online.

http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/hunting/re ... d-laws.asp

Here's a couple quotes for ya...

Offshore Blind Stake Site
Is a specific location in the public waters where a stake is licensed for the purpose of hunting and shooting waterfowl from a licensed floating blind. Valid only in the counties of Caroline, King George, Essex, Westmoreland, and Richmond.

Floating Blind
Is a floating device, whether in motion or anchored, that can be occupied by and conceal one or more hunters, uses a means of concealment other than the device's paint or coloration, and is used in the public waters for the purpose of hunting and shooting waterfowl.
 
#10 ·
I know it seems black and white to you having hunted here before, perhaps for many years, but for someone who has hunted all over the country and never experienced laws like these it is not as black and white to me as it is to you.

I have read those quotes over and over, but having never experienced them in the field I don't feel like I'm necessarily interpreting them correctly (hence my fairly direct questions), and I want to be sure I really understand things so I can jump right hunting next year and not be caught without the right license to get after some birds.

Appreciate the help
 
#11 ·
Take a look the Code of VA, specifically Title 29.1, Section 340 - 350. Read them carefully. They say what they mean and they mean what they say.

Also, areas that are lit up at night are full of people and plenty of them have money to spend. Don't expect to find good hunting easily within a short drive of the lights.

 
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