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blinds,blind laws and just the general state of waterfowl

3K views 56 replies 20 participants last post by  LEWDOG 
#1 ·
I have been waterfowl hunting for quite a few years, I own a couple of blinds on family land, and generally just blessed with my own private spots.
Over the last few years, i have noticed around home I have been seeing less and less ducks and more blinds popping up. I have plenty of geese, though.
Anyway the last couple of warm days I had nothing going on so I decided to take a ride and run a couple of rivers south of me just to see what's going on.
Two things I noticed right off. I was surprised to see the numbers of ducks I did. I was also surprised to see the numbers of blinds. Had to be blinds ever 200 yards on average, maybe 3. Not only was it sad to have the waterline cluttered with so many blinds that are not going to be hunted but I feel bad for the new guys starting out. One spot I was just idling along looking in no hurry and some fellow felt the urge to stand on his dock and stare at me the whole time. I was obviously in a duck boat with my dog, and he was obviously not pleased as I passed 250-300 yards plus away from him on his river.
looking at the property owners on one of the rivers The land is owned by corps or other large groups. These groups have placed many obvious dummy blinds up and a couple spots next to the dummy blinds large piles of corn are obviously placed on the banks.
It really has turned into a sad state of affairs.
I can see why now many of you wish blind laws would go away. Honestly, I do too. The only reason I have a blind built in front of my property is if I didn't someone else would come along and build one and license it. I would just as soon hunt from a boat or the marsh. And wouldn't care if someone came along and hunted from a floating blind there either, Just hunt get your stuff up and go.
But the problem is all the spots are locked up with blinds leaving very few to no open public spots anymore. Would no blind laws help or hurt matters? How do places like Arkansas, Louisiana or elsewhere cope?
Seems to me its a money thing. I bet VADGIF makes more money off of blind licenses than hunting licenses. Boils down to the haves and have-nots. Game wardens don't seem to want to get involved with all the dummy blinds either, It comes down to who has the most money.
 
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#4 ·
haves and have nots is the most annoying thing in this state. public land. you want to hunt your private blind, without public hunters, buy land and make an impoundment.

they need to get rid of blind laws. they'd make up the costs in $41 float blind permits.

**** what you probably don't know is you can wade out in public water and hunt next to any blind you want. just don't get in it or hunt from a boat. stand in the marsh in public water and have a day.

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#5 ·
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crap what you probably don't know is you can wade out in public water and hunt next to any blind you want. just don't get in it or hunt from a boat. stand in the marsh in public water and have a day.

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How so? Does the law not state no hunting with in 500 yards of a blind occupied or not?
 
#7 ·
flint4045 said:
[

crap what you probably don't know is you can wade out in public water and hunt next to any blind you want. just don't get in it or hunt from a boat. stand in the marsh in public water and have a day.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
How so? Does the law not state no hunting with in 500 yards of a blind occupied or not?[/quote]

i spoke with a game warden in person at length. the blind laws are for blinds, not hunting. not an argument i'm getting into. just stating fact and do what you will, believe it or not or verify but my conscious would be clear. i don't need to do that tho but it's an option people should know exists.

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#8 ·
Kahunna I was going to be a reader for the first page of this thread for I'm not as much of a fan of blind laws as I was in years pass but you have put my name in the hat now .
VDS I don't know what size boots you wear do they have you walking on water or have you in a sinkbox , either way you are not going to get around the blind laws with that nonsenses :lol3: .
Then you go and say "they need to get rid of blind laws. they'd make up the costs in $41 float blind permits." If they got rid of blind laws , floating blind license would be no more , for a blind is a blind .
Flint , nothing is stopping you from buying a blind tag to keep other hunters from putting a water blind out front of your land and just not build a blind to replace the tag on a stick , it would be a Ghost Blind and floating blinds could come and go after Nov. 1st .
Blind laws were made when waterfront landowners hunted their waterfront and their kids took up the sport and started branching out in boats with blinds built on them . Now days that's just not the case and the floating blind has the hunters .

:scooter: LD :fingerhead:
 
#9 ·
1." § 29.1-349. Hunting, erecting blind within 500 yards of licensed blind.

A. No person shall hunt or shoot migratory waterfowl in the public waters of this Commonwealth from a boat, float, raft or other buoyant craft or device within 500 yards of any legally licensed erected stationary blind "

This is the law. Doesn't mean you won't get harassed or have Mr. Greenjeans show up if you're body booting.

2. A floating blind license is the absolute most freakin ridiculous thing I've ever heard of. I pay DGIF to register my boat (or not if it's a human powered canoe) and it is licensed for EVERY OTHER legal recreational activity on public water.

3. I understand a blind requiring a license to record the location of structure erected on public water. It's kind of like a dock. You get permits to build a structure on PUBLIC water, which you do not own. You do have ownership and exclusive use of the structure. You don't have exclusive fishing rights to the structure. If you see a dude fishing from his dock and you come up in boat and fish that same dock, you deserve to have your arse kicked or at least get sinker hurled at your boat. If nobody is there, fish that dock. It isn't hard to put things in perspective.
 
#10 ·
LEWDOG said:
Kahunna I was going to be a reader for the first page of this thread for I'm not as much of a fan of blind laws as I was in years pass but you have put my name in the hat now .
VDS I don't know what size boots you wear do they have you walking on water or have you in a sinkbox , either way you are not going to get around the blind laws with that nonsenses :lol3: .
Then you go and say "they need to get rid of blind laws. they'd make up the costs in $41 float blind permits." If they got rid of blind laws , floating blind license would be no more , for a blind is a blind .
Flint , nothing is stopping you from buying a blind tag to keep other hunters from putting a water blind out front of your land and just not build a blind to replace the tag on a stick , it would be a Ghost Blind and floating blinds could come and go after Nov. 1st .
Blind laws were made when waterfront landowners hunted their waterfront and their kids took up the sport and started branching out in boats with blinds built on them . Now days that's just not the case and the floating blind has the hunters .

:scooter: LD :fingerhead:
my county does not allow floating blinds. Could use the blind stake. And I know game wardens that will enforce the 500 yard rule around ghost blinds. Where is the ruling on ghost blinds? I would like to read the actual law.
 
#12 ·
Flint , Do you understand the difference of a dummy blind and a ghost blind . It happens on November 1st , it reads in the blind laws the requirements of what a blind is and a tag on a stick doesn't make those requirements so there for the license is nailed to a ghost blind .
Kuhanna you and I have been on these forums a long time so you know I don't brag on how I'm a great hunter posting pictures of my kills . You also know I love to build and use fixed blinds and have always champion our good blind laws . The problem is these laws have outlived there need and are now being used to stop the hunt . Either they need to go away or loose ground and stop the laws at the first bridge on all rivers .
House bill 1875 is not the fix , IMO.

:smile: LD :wink:
 
#17 ·
27 ducks what's your point ? We're you hunting out of a fixed blind or a floating blind over on the eastern shore ? Private land or public water ?

:huh: LD :smile:
 
#20 ·
This year ive delt with a whole new blind issue. So I have a blind in a creek mouth off the potomac. Had a MD float hunter set up 100 yards off me in the potomac. Had a talk with a warden he said can't do anything about it and that md blind laws don't require md to follow va blind laws.
 
#22 ·
Ok , I agree and yes I did have those ideas of ways they could make blind laws work , and unlike years pass , I would be ok with doing away with them all together . I will say that with the lack of birds we have here I would bet that baiting would become a problem again without blind laws .

:smile: LD :eek:
 
#23 ·
kahunna said:
top - Yeah, know those VDGIF regs, but my point was that no county prohibits floating blinds within its borders. You can hunt out of a float blind in each one of those n neck counties (some less than others, obviously with the Potomac/Maryland's border).
While no county currently prohibits the complete use of floating blinds, Some counties Did and now require the use of a blind stake. So basically after all the other fixed blinds, licenses are sold you can by a floating blind stake. Drive it in the mud at X and THEN tie your floating blind to it. You are still not mobile and why use a floating blind stake when you can just build a blind in that spot? Personally, I would like to see no permanent blinds allowed below the mean low water line. If you want a permanent blind build it on your property or lease not the public waterway. Or at least limit it to 100 or two yards from your property line. And limit riparian rights to one or two blinds. I know landowners than buy 25 blind licenses a year and put around their shore. Okay, maybe not 25 but a lot. And those people never hunt. Probably never by a hunting license.
I am really about over waterfowl hunting on a navigatable water. To many a holes
 
#24 ·
The absolute pisspoor waterfowl hunting in Virginia compared to just about anywhere else tends me to thinkin blind laws are a blessing. As of now any concentration of birds on public water not protected by blinds or hunting restrictions is immediately spotted, blown out, and the survivors sent packing to points south. Somebody else said it perfectly Virginia is now a 1 day stopover for waterfowl.
 
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