WTF

[freefall319]

So, i got a call from my cousin last night saying that the Warden had called him and said that we had to remove our blind from the pond we hunt. :evil: His reason was because the poles that we used are metal & it is illegal to introduce new things into the enviroment! That is the weakest sh!* i've ever heard. He also said that even if we'd used 2X4's that we'd still have to remove it because the wood was'nt native to there................ Can you believe that!

Now on opening weekend we called him both days and reported 2 guys for poaching. Both of those calls & our statements led to some mojor fines & tickets. After all of that this is what we get. We are some of the most honest hunter's out there. We dont shoot early, we pick up our trash, we put up wood duck boxes in our area, & report poachers & this is the thanks that we get................They'll never get another thing from me again.

[gcs71]

I can understand that your upset but laws are laws regardless of the severity. You done right by turning in poachers in more ways than one. Those poaching idiots are shooting your legal birds. As far as removing your blind posts; that shouldnt be that big of a deal to you. Just use some material that is legal and be done with it. Just dont ignore poachers to get even with the state- in the long run it will do you more harm than it will cause the state. You know you are a good solid, ethics minded hunter and so you made a small mistake with your blind material--(you didnt say whether or not you were fined for it) just think of it a a free lesson and rock on. Hope you have great luck the rest of the season!!

[freefall319]

No, we were not fined for it, YET. We still have'nt heard back from the Warden.

I would replace the post's BUT, there is'nt anything that we can replace them with. We cant use any wood that we buy & we cant cut branches off the trees either, somehow that is illegal too. So what they are saying is there is no way around it & i have to tear the whole thing down and be done with it. So i will do just that. My issue it there are 100's of blinds just like ours all over where we hunt & all of them are still standing.

[mlgorecki]

That sucks. I know a couple of cops up here who would drive past gang bangers spray-painting graffitti on a park bench in order to write a ticket to an old lady for not having her french poodle on a leash.

It's called misguided energy and unfortunately there's a lot of it out there. I'm sure you witnessed plenty of it in the military.

[pro_fowl_hunter]

ya same thing happened to me and my dad, we built a nice blind and followed all the rules and all, we put in a sleu behind our house and they called us and told us we have until 3 days to take it out or they will tare it down them selves so we just forgot about and we came home one day and here it our blind tore in pesices so we called them up and my dad was so pissed, but i guess i see cops and dnr drive past someone and they are doing something illeagle but some are just little pussys to do anything about it so when they can take someone down they might as well go aheadand do it, a lot of people don't do things right that just shows you how many people go out of there way for other ya i feal your pain.

[Richie]

well so far i am good. I put in 2 blinds at a lake that we hunt and i had called the game commission regional headquarters and they told me as long as it's not man made material i am good to go. So i put in some 4x4's for the frame on one and some old 5 inch corral fence posts on the other. I haven't heard a word yet on them. This is in a water supply lake for the city as well. I'm hoping the ice doesnt destroy them. And so far I am the only 1 to build them in the water and not on the banks. Hopefully everyone else doesnt know something i don't. If i were you, i would look into it and find out what the rules really are. What if you would bring in your own logs of a similar tree near the lake. We arent allowed to cut branches or shrubs at our lakes but you may bring them in. Yeah the laws are sometimes funny but i think it all comes down to the officer your dealing with also. Most feel no harm no foul but others go by the book. I am hoping mine can stay since our opener is this coming thursday.

[freefall319]

I am waiting to hear back from the Warden on just that question. The reason they dont want us bringing in any outside wood is because of the bug's. So until i hear back from them i am just going to leave it the way it is. I'll let you know what they coma back with.

[Richie]

Well today was our opener and I went to the spot where we had built our blind. Perfect day so far. bad weather, lots of geese and a few ducks have been on the lake in the past couple weeks. We go to walk out the trail and there was a huge clear cut right to the waters edge where our blind would sit about 35 yards out and we got to the water and it was gone. The ripped it right out. They just did it the day before judging by the tracks left behind from the trac-ho and the wet ground. I was so mad, upset, disheartned. Just disappointed i guess. When they say your not allowed to damage trees and shrubs I guess that means nothing to them since they had cut down at least 4-5 trees and cleared a path for the machine. Let alone the DEP would fined them for running a machine like that in a water shed. I am just lost as what to think, when the game commission had said it was ok, but the lake is owned by the city. Who knows. I'm in the same boat you are.

[stlhdr1]

You guys have it pretty screwed up out there... We don't get harrassed over here in Washington. Although we typically build our blinds on shore we do have some that we've put up in the water and have never been hassled with.....

Keith

[freefall319]

Mine was built on the bank as well. For some reason they just dont allow outside materials of any kind.