[Undrcoverrednek]

Do the blinds in Back Bay not have to tagged/staked by a certain date like the rest of the areas under blind laws? I'm trying to figure out how these conflicts arose when riparian and non-riparian blind sites should have been tagged/staked weeks before a new non-riparian blind tag could be purchased. It sounds like guys with blinds weren't putting stakes out where their blinds were going to be erected.

 

[nickp9797]

Do the blinds in Back Bay not have to tagged/staked by a certain date like the rest of the areas under blind laws? I'm trying to figure out how these conflicts arose when riparian and non-riparian blind sites should have been tagged/staked weeks before a new non-riparian blind tag could be purchased. It sounds like guys with blinds weren't putting stakes out where their blinds were going to be erected.

Instead of having their own exclusive system, now they must follow the same blind laws. Most did not follow the rules, hence the complaints and problems. Will there be some conflicts? yes, but if you followd the rules and are in the right then there should be no problem. There were only a few (i mean a few) actual new legal blind licenses issued for back bay. Like goosehunter said there are only allowed a cap 309 blinds. A lot of new blinds have been erected using tags from other cities and counties, which aren't legal, which is why there are so many issues right now.

 

[Undrcoverrednek]

Instead of having their own exclusive system, now they must follow the same blind laws. Most did not follow the rules, hence the complaints and problems. Will there be some conflicts? yes, but if you followd the rules and are in the right then there should be no problem. There were only a few (i mean a few) actual new legal blind licenses issued for back bay. Like goosehunter said there are only allowed a cap 309 blinds. A lot of new blinds have been erected using tags from other cities and counties, which aren't legal, which is why there are so many issues right now.

It sounds to me like previous riparian and non-riparian owners bought their tags and didn't stake the site or tag the blind as they were supposed to. New guys went in and bought tags from the DGIF system, which had now way to cap the number of blind licenses sold in Back Bay. And that's not DGIF's problem. The city of VB limits the number of blinds allowed, not the DGIF. DGIF would enforce which spots were tagged first if you had some sort of evidence. Still sounds to me like some guys didn't tag their spots, had new guys move in, and now they're mad.

Not sure why guys would use tags from other cities or counties, it's not like the DGIF system wouldn't have sold them a license for exactly where they wanted.

I don't hunt down there, and don't think I want to.

 

[Duckedo]

I do most of my hunting in Tennessee on Reelfoot Lake. The way it works is the state ownes most of the blinds, some are still family owned. On the first Saturday in Aug the state holds a blind drawing. All you need to do to put in for a blind is have a valid Tennessee hunting license and be at the drawing. You can take as many people with you as you want to go in on the drawing. If one in your group gets drawn they will go up and select a blind and you can sign on with them. As the card holder on that blind you can hunt it as often as you like with anybody that you like as long as you are in it 30 minutes before legal shooting time. If you get to your blind 30 minutes before shooting time and find people in it they have to leave unless you invite them to hunt with you. If you are late getting to the blind and people are in it they can hunt it and you have to relocate unless they invite you to hunt with them. This seems to work well. There have been several times that we put our boat in the water and rode out in the lake where several good blinds are located. We simply watched to see which blinds had boats go to them and then drove over to one that was empty. Most of the time you will have several people ask if you want to hunt with them. Of course this will not work on, Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, opening days, or holidays but through the week you usually dont have any trouble finding a decent blind.

The state also has blind locations in the draw that have no blinds on them. On these sites you can use a boat blind or a floater. You can also build a blind on these sites and it is yours for the year but it will be the property of the state and will be in the blind drawing the next year.

As for the family owned blinds, the state will not allow ownership of a blind to passed to the next generation anymore. The state created a die out list that contains the owners names of all the family blinds. As these people die the state assumes ownership of the blind and puts it in the state blind drawing.

 

[DUKSLAYA92]

That is the fourth conflict over blind locations. It just goes to show that the old system worked just fine.

Translation: When I say "worked just fine", what I mean't to say was that all we used to do was simply BUY a license that was attached to a spot located in public water and never even attempt to build a blind(or even post the license) and we were guaranteed to have the spot the following year. Now, we have to build legitimate blinds like everyone else and it sucks. Furthermore, now I HAVE to buy MY 10 non-riparian blinds using a fake gun club name in order to keep all of "my" non-riparian blinds. 2 for G&H Hunt club, 2 for G&H Duck Club, 2 for G and H Ducking Club, 2 for GEE and H Gunning Club etc etc etc.

 

[gooosehunter]

That is the fourth conflict over blind locations. It just goes to show that the old system worked just fine.

Translation: When I say "worked just fine", what I mean't to say was that all we used to do was simply BUY a license that was attached to a spot located in public water and never even attempt to build a blind(or even post the license) and we were guaranteed to have the spot the following year. Now, we have to build legitimate blinds like everyone else and it sucks. Furthermore, now I HAVE to buy MY 10 non-riparian blinds using a fake gun club name in order to keep all of "my" non-riparian blinds. 2 for G&H Hunt club, 2 for G&H Duck Club, 2 for G and H Ducking Club, 2 for GEE and H Gunning Club etc etc etc.

So, if i am reading your statement correctly, us guys that "own" blinds on Back Bay, never build our blinds and we just own them to block people like you. Yes, it is a giant conspiracy to keep people like you out. I am not too sure what those structures are I built, but they sure do look like duck blindsd to me. For your information, we did not write the law or whatever agreement the city of VB negotiated with the feds when they capped the number of blinds on the bay at 309. Lack of proper information from DGIF is what has caused problems. THE DGIF CAPPED THE SALES AT 309 THIS YEAR. 8 WERE AVAILABLE THIS YEAR. Like I said before, it worked as it stood excet the ghost blinds. If you wanted a blind you had to work or get one in the drawing held every year at the VB Clerks office. We have them in hunt club names for our reasons, not yours if you do not like it, take it up with your legislators. And for your infomation, they are not faake hunt clubs. For the time being, it is what it is and we are trying to make it work.
I did not know people were taking blinds that were to be placed in other areas of the state and putting them in Back Bay. That is a bid no-no. 309 blinds are out there.
I lived in Nashville, TN back in 99/00 and their system worked too. But I went to Arkansas and hunted with a nice club there. Miss that place! Duck on ducks on ducks, then...more ducks.

 

[imaduckin up north]

my mistake

NickP757 ~
As far as regulating people not owning more than one blind....Good luck with this one. There are more holes in this law than a fish net. My kids (3) each own two blinds, my wife owns two blinds, my brother (4) own two each and if that does not work for you...I can "own" as many hunt clubs as I wish that can own two blinds each.

i cant believe the arrogance of this comment, this is exactly why blind laws need to be changed and also why blinds need to have gps mapping

Imaducking ~ I am trying to see where you find any arrogance in my quote. I simply stated the law about only owning two blinds per person is flawed. That is not my law, the is VA law/DGIF regulation. I was not indicating I have that many blinds, it was an example. OMG, what would someone do with that many deepwater blinds. As a matter of fact, I do not have four brothers either. We are only reacting to what the DGIF has done to us on Back Bay and if you want your children to have the same blind (only 309 allowed in Virginia Beach) you had, you better know how to legally.

As far as the GPS mapping is concerned. Everyone who hunts may not own a GPS. Just like the float blind drawings everyone does not have access to a computer for the online application. Some people snail mail their applications to NY.

Thank you VA Widgeon for explaining the plight on Back Bay in more detail so even real simple people can understand…LOL! I think I hear banjos playing in the background.

 

[VA Wigeon]

Guys, it's like this. Problem is that DGIF doesn't have a clue about the bay. They mean well but are managing it from Charles City which might as well be Iowa. Sure there are birds on the refuges but the huntable areas were already at max hunter capacity. Truth is that there aren't that many birds in the areas open to hunting, state or private blinds. It seems that in order to placate a noisy, mostly transient population of "new hunters" they have been courting they were under pressure to "increase access". That they did by on-line sales and promoting the quota hunts etc. which are not necessarily bad things in themselves. Problem is that they increased the demand without increasing the supply. The vast majority of land bought by DGIF in the past two decades is NOT suitable for water fowling. The fact that the only WMA on the entire Chesapeake Bay, the largest bay in the country, is Saxis is just plain ridiculous. Further more DGIF has chosen to acquire these deer hunting properties at the expense of PA WMA; the boat ramp is fast becoming a safety hazard, past hunts offered were deemed "Cadillac Hunts" and discontinued etc. in the name of budget cuts.

Basically we have been getting the short end of the stick around here for a long time so when people from points west say "you guys down there should do this or that" don't be surprised when ya get some honest feedback. Hey, I don't go up to Richmond and tell them how to deer hunt so why are they down here screwing up my little corner of the Commonwealth?

 

[va marsh rat]

enough with the GPS mapping of blind locations. I have been on this site for about two weeks and already seen 3 separate references to it. Such a map would be like a giant flashing billboard showing all the open spaces in tidewater virginia and saying "hunt here!!!!" individual hunters can go out and find gps points of blinds in their area to make sure that they're legal, but a map available to the public for all of VA would be devastating. For those of us that enjoy quality float hunts in this state, it could ruin that. I've spent a good deal of time finding spots that A) hold birds and B) don't have blinds, and I don't need the state to advertise half of that work to any ducktard out there.

I know it's not my water, it's the public's, and anyone has equal right to hunt it. Just don't make it THAT easy to find a spot

 

[LEWDOG]

I second that and add that the landowners will lock up every yard of shoreline by the start of the next season

LD

 

[imaduckin up north]

enough with the GPS mapping of blind locations. I have been on this site for about two weeks and already seen 3 separate references to it. Such a map would be like a giant flashing billboard showing all the open spaces in tidewater virginia and saying "hunt here!!!!" individual hunters can go out and find gps points of blinds in their area to make sure that they're legal, but a map available to the public for all of VA would be devastating. For those of us that enjoy quality float hunts in this state, it could ruin that. I've spent a good deal of time finding spots that A) hold birds and B) don't have blinds, and I don't need the state to advertise half of that work to any ducktard out there.

I know it's not my water, it's the public's, and anyone has equal right to hunt it. Just don't make it THAT easy to find a spot

i dont see how mapping blinds is going to tie up all the water. ive been running the rivers east of 95 for over 40 years and there are areas where birds sit or fly over and then there miles of water where you will be watchin a sunny day and nothing else. you will still have to scout for decent spots just like you do now. what it will do is help to get rid of dummy blinds and familys tying up areas of water. i can show you brushed blinds that are adequate to hide hunters on the james and they never get hunted. they just block up areas that someone else can hunt. i think mapping would stop this and make these people easier to track. besides if the GWs did there job and stopped turning a blind eye to the situation there wouldnt be a problem. just my opinion

 

[va marsh rat]

I'm in definite agreement about the landowners locking up water. We deal with that a lot on the waters we hunt. I don't know how DGIF can change the regulations to make sure blinds are used appropriately, but I don't think putting a map on the internet for the public to see is the solution (please let me know if I've misunderstood your argument).

 

[imaduckin up north]

Not necessarily online for all to see but more for officials to monitor the obvious ghost, dummy, and double posting by family's and groups. Besides isn't that what Google earth does, it puts viewing waterways at your fingertips

 

[drake7]

Most of Back Bay used to be private, before the feds took the marshland to create BBNWR. This is probably why Va Beach let people own locations, because at one point, families actually did own those locations. I know people who've had blinds in the family for over 100 years and now VDGIF is going to tell them they can't transfer them anymore. All becuase a few people who move to the area for a few years whined loud enough to make this happen. They'll move on, but the new system will still be broke.

 

[gooosehunter]

Most of Back Bay used to be private, before the feds took the marshland to create BBNWR. This is probably why Va Beach let people own locations, because at one point, families actually did own those locations. I know people who've had blinds in the family for over 100 years and now VDGIF is going to tell them they can't transfer them anymore. All becuase a few people who move to the area for a few years whined loud enough to make this happen. They'll move on, but the new system will still be broke.

Oh my God, someone else actually gets it!!!!! Thank you Drake.

 

[LEWDOG]

I have read the stone marker on cedar island and I too think the old way is the better way . That 309 number is for all of VB or is that BB only and are those counting the blinds of the WMA :huh: ?

:huh: LD :smile:

 

[gooosehunter]

309 total in VB, including North Landing River. So I hope no one put up blinds on the river this summer. Tha is my understanding of the current situation.

 

[Dog Tired]

enough with the GPS mapping of blind locations. I have been on this site for about two weeks and already seen 3 separate references to it. Such a map would be like a giant flashing billboard showing all the open spaces in tidewater virginia and saying "hunt here!!!!" individual hunters can go out and find gps points of blinds in their area to make sure that they're legal, but a map available to the public for all of VA would be devastating. For those of us that enjoy quality float hunts in this state, it could ruin that. I've spent a good deal of time finding spots that A) hold birds and B) don't have blinds, and I don't need the state to advertise half of that work to any ducktard out there.

I know it's not my water, it's the public's, and anyone has equal right to hunt it. Just don't make it THAT easy to find a spot

this (gps mapping) is available in Maryland and appears to be pretty terrible in my opinion...just my .02. sure, it'd tell hunters where they could and couldnt go, but it also illustrated the complete pain that it is to hunt these areas. the hunting isnt even that great, it aint bad, but it aint raining ducks, and even if it were, how much madness must there be just for catering to recreation? is it competition or recreation? ridiculous. cant we all just get along? HAHAHA :fingerhead:

 

[CORNPILEMAN252]

TO THE ORGINAL TOP POST YOUVE NEVER BEEN TO ARKASA OR LOUSIANA ON A SATURDAY MORNING : )

 

[LEWDOG]

Just posting to old threads as a way to do CPR to the old Forum , let bring this forum up to date.