I would do the same!

welcome to public land that's how you gonna hunt today like the rest of them have fun cause thats whats it's about

It's sad that's what public hunting is all about. Costs too much to play games and waste time. It's a never ending cycle of tit for tat, just go and find a new hole. After you demolish there's of course. Lol got to get even first

aint it ashame fellow duck hunters want to jack and steal from each other??? you do all the work and they come and steal your blind, unbelievable!!! reminds me of this country!! some people just sit on their behinds and let everyone else do the work and reap the rewwards!!!

That was wrong for anyone to mess with a blind that you took the time to put out there and scout out. But I have to disagree with the idea that you could chase someone out if they got there before you. Public land means just that. Courtesy would dictate that they should find their own place to hunt, but you have no leg to stand on claiming any spot as 'yours' unless you are there. It sucks, but it is true. We all have to put up with everyone else on public lands, but there is no running other folks out, no matter who built the blind. I have been on both ends of this before, building blinds then rolling up at 5am with someone in it... no big deal, go somewhere else. Then again, coming late in the day (7am) and setting up in a vacant blind, only to have my dekes out and someone roll up in a mud boat an hour later demanding I move from his spot. All public land.

Well the next suggestion is they dont want to get out and its public land like u said and we can pick to hunt where we want i am picking to hunt right in the middle of their spread bc if i ant gonna make a good hunt niether are you

Whatever works for you.

You just wrote the longest sentence in history. Way to go. Sorry for your loss of the blind.

How about build a blind the day before opening w/ some kids that can't wait to hunt opening morning and some lazy idiots w/ a mud motor/boatblind are in it when you get there. public land or not i would never get in a mans 'GREEN JUST BUILT BLIND'
opening morning.

Thats why we dont build blinds bc first off the guys gonna know that its a good spot bc a blind is built..i just hunt out my boat blind....then yall complain all year about the same thing...you know it aint gonna get any better...quit posting on here about the wma you hunt..im done with ANY type of information ever again on here....just the way it is..

With a report like that it was probably you in the blind. Did you enjoy watching us catch them catfish
and listen to swamp pop saturday morning.Oh after you got mad and left, we set up and had 3 limits in an hour.

Yea get mad buddy lol....i aint hunting with yall crazy ppl out there you kidding me...all im saying is the wax is just gonna get worse and worse every year man idk sad but true

You have identified the biggest problem in hunting public land ..... BLINDS. Or maybe I should be more specific ..... RESERVING HUNTING LOCATIONS WITH BLINDS.

The resulting confrontations and acting like an a$$ by running over someone else's blind or setting up in the middle of someone else's spread with the attitude 'if I can't do it, you can't do it' only makes matters worse.

You can NOT reserve a hunting location by building a blind. It doesn't matter if you build it 2 weeks or 12 hours before shoot-time. The rules on WMAs are clear. But so many won't respect them, or worse yet, feel a grievance is due when someone doesn't respect someone else's illegal property right assumed by building a blind.

And then, the lack of enforcement of the WMA rules about blinds NOT reserving hunting spots just allows the aggressive amongst us to ignore the rules and enforce their illegally-claimed property rights around 'their blind'.

Is it any wonder that so many public areas have gone to spaced blinds and lottery access?

Why do we not hear about this problems to the same extent on NWRs?

Again, the rules on WMAs are clear; blinds have no standing, they are not owned, they can not reserve hunting locations, and thus it is perfectly 'legal' to take down a blind to build one at another location. Do it while someone is hunting that blind, and that is a violation of hunter harassment rules. It is also perfectly 'legal' to occupy a blind that is not being used at any time. If hunters would accept and follow those rules, most problems would disappear.

Fat chance eh?

its the same sad sobbing story every year larry..these guys build a blind....claiming they want to reserve a spot and get mad when oh someone else wants to hunt there...i mean who are you as a hunter to say nobody should hunt there....yall problem be solved if you just hunt out boat blind...and bring a little extra cover to put around each time you hunt....you think im stupid....like im a go build a blind in a good spot thats like a red flag hey this is a good spot lol...nope

I've Been huntin the wax for 30 years and man it used to be fun. The comment i made about the blind happened 2 years ago and i havn't built one since.
I still think it's crazy that a man w/ a mud motor would get a blind on opening morning, way out in the bay away from everybody and know someone's comin to hunt it, but that is the way of the wax and its just going to get worst. Glad i'm on a huntin lease.

What's legal isn't always right.

When I was a kid you didn't have these problems because EVERYBODY built a blind. Blinds are the solution not the problem.

When everyone has a boat blind and a mudmotor you don't know where the next guy is going to be hunting. Then you end up with 5 boats headed to the same spot.

There's enough room for everybody at the Wax, there is no need to setup next to someone else. If someone goes out there early enough in the year and beats me to a spot I was hoping to hunt, I move on. Setting up on top of him won't do anyone any good. Making enemies and removing his brush to build my blind, isn't going to do anyone any good.

The problem these days is the lack of respect for other peoples' work.

As far as enforcement, there is nothing to enforce. Unless you go there and physically threaten someone to get out of your blind, no laws have been broken.

Jumping in an empty blind after daylight isn't a problem in my opinion. Its the guys that get out there at 3:00 AM to beat someone to the blind that they built, or to run their boat blind in a patch of lillies 50 yards from another blind. That's childish. If you have a boat blind and can hunt anywhere you want to, WHY pull up in lillies 50 yards from another man's blind? Because you can? Because its legal?

What's legal isn't always right.

I've posted this same comment numerous times and its always intertaining.... Thanks guys

Thanks man !!!!

I can not disagree more with the following statement by Henry Wiggins:

'Blinds are the solution not the problem.'

Without blinds, there is nothing to respect or disrespect; there is nothing to claim a spot without a person's presence; and there is nothing to fight about when someone beats another to the location. Of course blinds are NOT the 'problem'. They are as big a part of duck hunting as decoys and calls. It is hunter's attitude toward blinds that IS the problem, and thus, blinds are NOT the 'solution' ..... not even close.

That is why the WMA rules are written as they are, and anyone who attempts to reserve a spot by building a blind has violated them. A threat of physical violence is NOT required for a person to have violated those rules. If someone is there before you, that blind is their's .... period. It doesn't matter who built it; the builder has no more right to a peice of WMA than any of the other 'owners' of that land.

I absolutely agree with you, Henry .... what is legal is not always what is right. I hunted the A.Delta from 1989 to 2006 as my primary hunting location and still hunt there occassionally every year, and I would never occupy someone's blind before shoot-time on opening day despite it being legal. But what is legal is all that hunters have a right to expect and what they have a responsibility to follow.

Another problem that blinds cause is similar to the one you describe: I want to hunt 75 yards from an existing blind because that is where the ducks want to be. There is no-one in the blind, so I set up to hunt, and then another hunter (blind-builder or not) shows up later to hunt in the blind. Sorry, but nobody should hunt that blind so close to another hunter who has already set up, and they probably wouldn't if the blind wasn't there. Again, the blind is not the problem, but the hunter's attitude about the blind causes the problem.

For you to say the 'blind is the solution' implies that the presence of the blind dictates where people can hunt even without the presence of another hunter. That is wrong.

Just in case u didn't know, if u tell some one to get out of your blind on a wma, just pray it's not a undercover because u will pay fines and may be lose ur stuff

But what happens when 3 boats arrive at the same pond at about the same time? Who gets to hunt the pond? I've witnessed these incidents countless times.

Have also parked my boat and proceeded to walk 1/4 mile straight towards the only blind in sight, only to get about 100 yards out and have a boat with a mudmotor come screaming by me and pull into the said blind.

There's plenty of room for everyone to build a blind. Then when scouting you know where people are hunting and where people aren't hunting.

If you hunted the area from 1989 - 2006 you'd know that during much of the 90's boat blinds were nearly nonexistant. Everyone built a blind and you didn't have the problems that you have today.

Most everyone thinking they found a honeyhole loaded with birds that no one else is hunting typically find themselves surrounded by skybusters in boat blinds the next morning.

We can agree to disagree. I've hunted the Wax before boat blinds and after boat blinds became popular. The bickering was nearly non-existent before all the boat blinds and mudmotors. People used to be respectful of others hard work, now they simply take advantage of other's hard work. Everyone kept their distance from one another and everyone had good hunts.

Your examples have nothing to do with blinds. The first person to a location should have the right to hunt it ..... NOT the person who built a blind at that location, NOT the person who is on his way to that location, NOT the person who hunted that location yesterday and left his decoys out there. No-one has the right to assume private-property rights to WMA land by building a blind. It doesn't matter if there is room for everyone to build a blind; it doesn't matter if everyone does build a blind; it doesn't matter how much work it was to build that blind ..... what matters is the assumption of private-property rights by building a blind, and that is not allowed.

These are public Wildlife Mangement Areas. If you want private rights to hunting land, then you need to buy it or lease it or secure those rights from the landowner. WMA land is intended to be available to everyone all the time (except for special regulated hunts, of course). That is why it is perfectly OK to build a blind, but that blind can NOT reserve a hunting location. There is nothing for us to agree or disagree about; the rules governing blinds on WMAs are clear.

When I hunted the Wax in the early-90's, blinds were nowhere near as numerous as they are now, and I hunted them a little over half the time. I built 3 or more per year (at least one low-tide and one high-tide blind to start) depending on what ducks were doing. However, I never assumed those blinds were mine to hunt whenever I wanted; I didn't own the land. I hunted DUCKS not BLINDS, and I hunted many times hunkering in a makeshift hyacinth cover within 100 yards of existing blinds because that is where the ducks wanted to be. The only 2 hassles I remember were from hunters that arrived (usually as the tide started to rise) to find me hunting in 'their' blind. No-one ever got any grief from me for hunting a blind that I built because I knew that building the blind didn't give me any 'rights' to that spot.

You are right; surface-drive motors and boat blinds really changed the hunting dynamic out there and many other places as well.

People were in the blind we spent 5 hours brushing 2 miles out. Now how does somebody knows that blind is out there unless they are going out there with the mind set, I will just steal a blind, someone worked very hard to build.

This is how you do it legal. Which we did opening morning.

Pulled up to the blind, people where in the blind, ask nicely can we hunt with y'all, we worked hard building this blind.
' hell no y'all go find another place, rules are you can not claim spot, or kick us out...........' We said okay, we found new spot pulled boat infront of their. To where we had brush on upwind side. Two guys where throwing out decoys while the other twi was pulling brush from the upwind side of their boat, and put brush on the downwind side of your boat. That made brush all the way around our blind and they was left out in the open. We threw decoys like we wanted in mixed with the other guys. Didn't touch a single thing of theirs, the guys picked up there decoys and moved on.

We didn't threaten, kick out, or do anything illegal. Just set up and brushed blind

Bro there aint no legal way about it....Building a blind..any blind...in any form fashing or WHATEVER and (trying to keep ppl out of hunting it )on a wma is ILLEGAL activity ....dang man how hard is that to freaken understand!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

IDK were you get your info from but, its NOT illegal to build a blind on Atchafalaya delta wma.

this sounds like a nice place to hunt with friendly people and nice blinds. think i miight go make a hunt there!

I never stopped them from hunting over their decoys,
Never stopped them from hunting in the local they parked there boat and threw out decoys. Never did nothing to them.
They stopped themselves from hunting. I set up two foot infront of them guys, no difference than setting up 20-50-100 yards.

People that don't complain about people hunting brushed blinds, never had it happen to them.....it's nothing wrong with pulling up all the brush. The blind is made of because they don't own the brush.

People that say its not wrong for somebody to hunt a blind they didn't brush, should put GPS location on here so I can go hunt the blind they build all day everyday if its on public land. But people that stand up for first come first serve is people that set up in blinds they didn't build opening morning.

Exactly im not going build a blind for someone else to hunt...bc thats what always happens

I have stated on this thread that I would never hunt someone else's blind on opening day, but I have absolutely defended first-come/first-serve and blind-building NOT leading to control over who hunts a particular location.

Why?

Because the regulations assert that blinds can not be used to reserve hunting locations. In fact, it is illegal for LDWF to give away the resources of the state, and that is exactly what they would be doing if they allowed blind-builders to control who hunted that location (ie. private property rights). Arkansas is removing private blinds for a couple of their WMAs, and one of the reasons is because allowing private blinds disallows the use of Pittman-Robertson money for managing those WMAs. P-R money is a big source of income for wildlife management agencies for that purpose. So besides the common-sense argument regarding land ownership and private-property rights, there are additional reasons for the regulations.

Now I know that some of you couldn't care less and will do whatever suites you. Furthermore, if Duckcaller3's story is true, I also disdain someone who would do that on opening day. However, the WMA rules regarding blind-building not allowing control of who hunts where has a sound basis.

That aint right man come on...

My story is true, this is another story.

My friend went to hunt his blind with his kids, three older 30-35yr olds was in it. Friend asked hey let these young boys hunt this blind. Guys said' we not leaving because people hunting blind we built., they was hunting our blind because they had people in thier blind.'

So that started a chain reaction of blind 'stealing' if you want to call it that. That chain reaction will continue until two boats hunt together like my friend did with his kid and 30yr olds or someone goes home and waste time and money.

What solves this problem if, very one would build a blind, or if you see someone building a blind, and you think you would go hunt it sometime, go talk and get the guys number, ask to see if he going hunt the day you want, y'all both keep blind brushed all year.

Bottom line is respect. Wax is a huge area, not like you can't kill ducks all day, this all is result of older hunters not showing young hunters proper way of hunting,

If I had young boys hunting with me I would never go kick someone out blind I built, or I pull up to my blind and young boys/girls hunting with dad/pawpaw. I would never try to kick them out, let them know, not respectful to 'steal' blinds.

This problem will never go away, because nobody has respect for other hunters, waste of time, and if you can't call don't call until you sound good, friend let friends know you suck, if nobody can call in boat don't hunt. Just saying

if u aint built it, stay the hell out of it!!!!! public land r not!!! just have respect for your fellow sportsman!!! everybody wants free crap man, without doing the work and having to pay all the expenses it takes to build a blind and it ain't cheap, very very sad!!! my opinion, if u take another mans blind, public land or not, u are useless piece of dumb trash!!!! labadiehunter, aint they got some dumb laws??? i mean, americans cant even go duck huntin and not have problems, and everybody cant figure out, why the world is in such turmoil??? if it wouldnt be so sad, it would be funny!!!!

u kno you guys that say theres nothing wrong with it obviously never built one out there and had it taken or knocked down but yall are probably the ones taking the blinds. and u say get a boat blinds but u kno not everyone got money like you to blow on a boat blind just got the money to get out there and get bak u frogot that the nation is at its best and another thing i dont mind if someone hunts the blind but dang u gonna just run it over u kno its just called a respect thing and for another hunter that has the same passion as you to do that isnt right. and i promiss u if i build another one and if someone is IN it and i ask nicely to get out and they down two things will happen either im going in the boat with them and the boat will sit in the blind and get towed in no threats but when u mess with someone at 3am and is a nut isnt the best choice

Those of you who think that you can build a blind on WMAs and then expect (demand) other hunters to stay out or stay away are those who have no respect.

No respect for land ownership and no respect for established hunting regulations.

You are the problem because you think that building a blind on land you don't own gives you some private property rights, even when the hunting regulations governing that land specfically forbid it. Who in the world taught you that kind of disrespect?

And do you know what the solution is?

Either temporary blinds (like on the NWRs where blinds must be removed at the end of each hunt day) or regulated blinds allocated by lottery for the day or for the year (like many states have on their WMAs and other public lands).

Because clearly, many of you blind-builders are having a terrible time understanding this very simple language on page 38 of the Hunting Regulations for WMAs:

'It is illegal to save or reserve hunting locations using permanent stands or blinds.'

Everything you say is correct. What people are saying that it's crazy that these people are coming from (who knows where) on Friday afternoon (day before opening) Looking for the prettiest blind they can find (not ducks),knowing someone built it to hunt opening morning,and could care less.
Absolutely no respect for fellow sportsman or there kids that they built the blind for.

I've been there, done that, experienced it myself for right at 25 years. But the issue is much larger than opening day. The flip side of that 'respect' for the people who scouted and built blinds for opening day, is people building those blinds in prime locations and keeping other people out who have just as much right to hunt that location throughout the season.

There are FAR more conflicts over blinds on our WMAs throughout the season because many hunters have the mentality that if they built a blind, whenever they show up they somehow have control over who hunts within some radius of that blind (150, 200, 300 yards?). THAT is why the regulations were written to specifically forbid that. You can NOT claim rights to WMA land by building a blind.

This is not a new discussion. No new points were made in this thread; there is nothing in this thread I haven't personally experienced; and the issue is clearly addressed in the simple, concise language in the WMA hunting regulations. A 'respectful' hunter acknowledges those regulations and acts accordingly. He doesn't willfully break the rules (by building a blind to reserve a hunting location) and then holler about the disrespectful jerks (yes, they are exactly that on opening day!) who take advantage of them.

I like most of yall hunt the wax. I am 20 years old and i have heard and read about all the older guys say how young people go there and ruin hunting for alot of people. There is a lack of respect among hunters there. I believe fully in working birds and taking quality shots as does the people i hunt with, but yet people come and set up 75 yards from you and start sky busting and shotting at ducks that are not even close. I grew up hunting and i always thought there was an unwritten rule among hunters that we just have respect for one another and each others things. encluding blinds, belongings, and if someone is there before you o well move on. its public land. but i do not hunt others blinds. rnrnits ok though, the idiots only go for opening day, so going to have some quality hunts later in the season.

u dont take other peoples blinds, period, period, period!!! these idiots dont have respect for other sportsman, much less themselves!!! end of story, dont care what the law says!!! its all about respecting each other!!! thats the problem with the world today!!!

the problem u have is u respect other people and are a true sportsman, unlike the majority of hunters, seems like anyway!! u are a good guy and we need more people like you in the world!!! like i said before, anybody takes another mans blind is trash and useless!!! thats it!!! if anyone argues with me, they must be one of them trash and useless people that steals blinds!! the law, who cares, its not about government rules, its about me and you, how we get along, respect for each other, thats what counts in the end, not the governments dumb useless rules!!!

It's the wax, y'all all know it. It's the same every year. I am 22yrs old. And know what to expect. I had older guys in my blind opening morning about 30-40 yrs old. Stopped to talk to them. I didn't get a chance to say a word

When I heard' they think they will kick us out the blind, better be ready to fight.' We had a few choice words, and we left cuz I had a 15 yrand his dad 40yr old thier first time to wax.

I told them we just go scout and watch the shooting and ducks, cuz that's fun within its self. Later around ten went back to blind to find shore birds and seagulls dead. That the type of guys that's are the problem. We ended up hunting and killed 4 limits easy. I think they didn't.

It will get way better once them non hunters stopp hunting. It's all hunters if all ages that is the problem.

Lreynolds you are right about first come first serve, we built the blind there first, (but ik that you can't claim It as yours) but like one said, it's an unwritten rule among all hunters. That person that built blind should have first choice. But you can't really, undercover agent will bust you good for trying to force someone out.

Just wait out the non hunters and us weekend worriers will kill them good. Most people that steal blinds are guys that only hunt opening weekend. And if somebody in blind after first 2 weekend will probly get out cause we will all be true hunters and love the sport. I have never hunted somebody else blind.

Ohhh and don't cut brush on the wma game worden stopped us and asked where we cut all the brush. We said this pass on wma. They said if we would of seen y'all in action, it is a nice ticket/fine. They also looked at size of sticks and if we had sting and objects to hold blind together.

Look you out there, handle the problem on your own, somebody in your blind do as you please it's your own choice, we kick people out as long no kids or older people are around. They messed up your whole morning so mess up there. But you don't want to stupp that low and go find somebody else blind and then you the one stealing blinds your self. If every one build a blind there would be no problem. We just lucky wardon don't go every afternoon and tear down every blind. Because there should be no blinds at the end of the day.

(We lucky we don't have to put up and take down brush before and after each hunt like we surpose too)

Wax is the wax and will never change just get way worst

I agree with Green/grey the problem is people not blinds. Unfortunately it seems the entitlment society has even taken over duck hunting. The biologist report showed near double the hunters as the 2010 opener. 1055 estimated hunters. WOW!! I would like to see the people punching coons on the levee and shooting gulls and shorebirds get tickets before a hunter who is understandbly frustrated because someone took advantage of the rules and 'borrowed' a few sticks he shoved in the sand. Anybody who hunts blinds out in the openwater knows they are far from permanent because they will be washed away in two days in anyways.

My opinion is as follows: I prefer a built blind (natural material only) because I find that it conceals a hunter better than that frame on the boat, fast grass junk they sell you at the store. My built blind is not claim to a particular spot. Anybody is free to hunt the blind that I build....just respect the blind (don't trash it or tear it up). Also by having a blind built other hunters can see ...ok someone is hunting there so when i arrive and setup in the dark i won't be 20 yds from another hunter and get shot at. For me its a safety thing. This idea of hunters running all over with their boat blinds and setting up just anywhere seems dangerous to me. Let me know what you think about that!