I am new to the area and have been feeling my way around public land (not a fan of knee deep sludging in marsh) but i ran across a couple blinds on public land today and was curious so i pulled out the regs and read that "does not restrict others from using or hunting on the public land where the blind is located" In my mind (mind you this is coming from a mentality of another state and not familiar with wisconsin laws) that say the the land the blind is on is still public but DNR tells me that the blind is off limits for the entire season but if i want to i can hunt next to it, but not in it whatsoever. Does this mean that if you can get out there early enough and set up a blind that you can essentially have a free lease on public land for the entire season? Again I am just trying to clarify so I don't have a pre dawn discussion with and unhappy owner of a blind.
If on public land, the blind is first come first served. Not sure where exactly you live but the DNR builds quote a few permanent blinds for us. Also you are only able to set out a permanent blind 1 week before season and needs to be taken down 1 week after season. Hope this helps.
This subject varies from state to state and from site to site. Some areas let registered blind builders make permanent blinds, some only allow temp. ones built with materials found on-site while others allow no brush cutting etc. The question is too broad and the answer varies by location. Check your local site regs and ask local gw or other hunters.
sent from my fancy phone that has a really cool kickstand via tapaskwawk
If that blind is on land owned by the state of Wisconsin or on Federal land such as the Mississippi that blind is yours to use. Nobody can build a blind on any of these lands and expect it to be theirs for the season. Once it is built it becomes 1st come 1st serve. Remember that if the blind is placed illegally (violating open water laws etc.) and you are hunting out of it and get caught it's your ass that gets the fine. In short a legal blind is yours to hunt and no one can kick you out including the person who built it. I feel even ethically there is no problem in hunting another blind. I built a lot of blinds and hunted a lot of other blinds. It's just courteous to keep it in good repair and don't alter it much or damage it.
i agree with brad. I use other peoples blinds and always pick up after myself and leave it better than the way i found it. Common courtesy for someone who took the time to build it and bring it to the spot.
ive never hunted the mississippi so the regs might be different there. I have hunted public land on the rock river tho. We do normally get some birds. The rule is (for what i believe) that you can make a blind on public land and leave it there from one week before the opener until one week after the closer. You must have your name, address, and DNR number written on the blind at least 1 inch lettering. Others are not allowed in your blind because it is your property unless there is no name on the blind. That doesnt mean that you have specific space just for you. If someone really wanted to they could sit down right next to your blind and would be legal. That is unethical though.
I hunted out of a blind today that was labeled properly as i could see it and i brought a trash bag with me knowing i would find hulls and such. As for the Ethics of it i have gotten two different answers from DNR so far and can not seem to get a call back from the game warden, as he is ultimately going to be who I have to deal with if something arises.
In response to Thomas I personally don't feel it is ethical to be able to put up a blind on public land (land that you and I paid taxes and bought our licenses and tags in order to use) and have it somehow be private property. The land underneath it is still public so therefore would that person be taking away my right to use that land? I understand that I may have different opinions that some and I have understood i will have to agree to disagree with those. I will keep this thread posted with my findings when I get the final answer from the Game Warden.
It's a free for all here on the miss. First come, first serve. what cracks me up are the guys that come out 10 minutes before shooting time and get all bent out of shape if someone is in "their" blind. Public marsh, public waters = hunt it.
Since I replied on the Upper Mississippi Wildlife Refuge. I am going to get on a soap box and express an opinion. I grew up in a rural area on pool 9, 100 yards off of the river. I hunted pool 9 , 30+ years. Starting about the year 2000 guides started to show up on pool 9. The hunting started to going down hill. D.U. and other magazines started to right articles about pool 9. The number of hunters increased dramatically and the quality of hunting then went down hill. I have since moved to a western state without many waterfowl guides and minimal hunter pressure. The hunting is excellent. I read posts on this website and I shake my head and wonder what happened to pool 9? The average blue collar hunter needs to wake up and and get involved. There is no reason a guide should be able to guide on public land. If a guide wants to make a living it should not be on public land. If they are running a business then it should be on private land. A lot of people on this site do not remember how good pool 9 was for the average guy before the guides and articles. The news tries to convince me that the economy is so bad. I really am not convinced of this when I see post that which guide is better? It blows my mind when they talk about which guide cooks the best breakfast. I say to these hunters drop you purses and pull up your skirts buy breakfast at a restaurant and hunt for free, it's your land that guides are exploiting. Start voicing your opinion and change the rules and bring the Mississippi back to 20 years ago where the crowds disappear and the average guy can kill ducks. I saw it with my own eyes where a group of guys would hire a guide one year and see how easy it was and then they would would bring a bigger group the following year and hunt on their own.Eventually it was over crowded.
Brad, I tend to agree on the guide thing. It seems exploitative to me. It is everyone's land to enjoy equally and the land itself should not be exploited for money. That's why we like to get away to these pristine places - to get away from the pressures that chasing the almighty dollar brings. I guess nothing is sacred anymore. To each their own I guess. :sad:
I think WI should make permanent blinds on public land illegal. All they do is cause conflicts with guys who think they own a spot because they have a blind on it. If they ever clarify the laws and clearly state that is illegal to sit in a blind on public property I will go build a blind right in front of the blinds that are already there on the spots I want to hunt.
I have ran into all kinds of yahoos who try to bully you off of "their spot". Do not budge, you are in the right. Record the conversation with your phone and tell them you will be sending it to the local CO. Letting those dumbies force you off a spot only reinforces their actions.
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