FWC Commisioners Meeting Weds/Gainesville

[N. Cook]

I will be at the meeting on Weds. when the waterfowl items are on the agenda....Anyone else planning to come?

[N. Cook]

A brief report.....all the items we supported will go to the legislature. We have lobbied for two years for some of them....including a white goose season, moving the canvas back season to last 30 days and opening some WMAs to duck hunting during all season. The legislature usually passes recommendations from the FWC Commissioners.

I had a side conversation with several of the Law Enforcement managers, including the boss, Col. Jones. She was very interested in our comments and supportive of the Public Comments I made regarding more enforcement in the marshes....they need more officers and I made a pitch for that. UW-F will be part of a meeting on how to improve duck hunting enforcement.

Our Public Comments where praised by the Commissioners and resulted in a side conversation with Comm. Corbett. (Alex, we need to get him out with ya'll in the glades next year, he is from Tampa area) He can help with access problems in the SW part of the state.

All in all a good meeting.

On another matter....the Northwest Reg. Mgn and a headquaters person wants our input into the blinds being build on lakes in that region. There was a dangerous confrontation between a builder who found "his" blind occupied one morning. The FWC would like to see all blinds gone....and in fact I believe legally they could just do that. But they realize the tradition of the area....But they also need NO Confrontations....the rule is of course that if you build a blind on public waters it is NOT yours......and anyone can use it, and the first one there is in possesion.....We will be in the meetings. What do you guys in the area think?

[Kevin Hall]

A brief report.....all the items we supported will go to the legislature. We have lobbied for two years for some of them....including a white goose season...

I was working on that one way back in 2001 ... ;) :icon_salu

Just an opinion on the permanent blinds ... some people use them in my area. I used to build one almost every season, and never had a problem with someone being in "my" blind. I quit building them about 10 years ago ... I decided that I needed to be more "mobile". I never hunted out of anyone else blind without prior permission. Most everyone in my local area has enough consideration not to be in someone else's blind.

But, I always thought that they were on a "first come / first served" basis ...

The easiest thing to do (enforcement-wise) is to make them totally illegal ... the ones that are presently there ... burn them to the waterline!

[swilli1054]

I am in favor of the blinds as long as they do not interfere with navigation. it has been a tradition in North Florida.The rule we have always gone by is that after opening morning it is public property.I don't use a permanent blind. I think that most of them are built so shabbily that they flare more birds than hide the boats.Usually after 3 weeks there are more blinds than hunters on Miccosukee.

The tradition has been of taking the kids out to help build the blind. Sort of like helping to wrap christmas packages. Helps build the excitement of the opening morning with the kids.

My blinds are not built with lumber or wire. I use bundles,and bundles(and a few more bundles :) ) of dog fennel. I would hate to see a ruling that says me taking dog fennel out to the Lake to hide a boat is making a permanet blind. I mean my blinds will still be somewhat usuable in 6 months. What time limit of the blind still standing make it"a permanet blind"?

Besides FWCC seems unable to enforce shooting times/baiting regulations up here. I think that they have bigger items on their agenda than blinds in North Florida.

Then again no blinds may keep some of the yahoos away. Hmmm...........

[D Duck]

Besides FWCC seems unable to enforce shooting times/baiting regulations up here. I think that they have bigger items on their agenda than blinds in North Florida. I would have to agree about those items being more important. But, the fact that there was a "dangerous" confrontation over a blind will take precedence over anything else. No amount of ducks is worth that....

[swilli1054]

I would have to agree about those items being more important. But, the fact that there was a "dangerous" confrontation over a blind will take precedence over anything else. No amount of ducks is worth that....

I totally agree with you D Duck. However it is just another law that they will have to be on the water to enforce. And we can't seem to get them on the water. Besides if it were that big a deal would not they have been on the major lakes "protecting" us from the blind wars? Or at The landings telling us to behave.I hunt at one of the "major" ducking lakes just 20 miles from Tallahassee HQ. I would believe that if the problem were that big they would have been around. We can only hunt it on WED,SAT,SUN. In theory that should be easier for them to be around.I have a feeling that this "problem" is not a large one(unless of course you are the one in the confrontation).

Your point is well taken though.

[N. Cook]

We will need to work out a position that meets the local traditions if possible, but also prevents controversy. As I said the FWC can simply say no blinds and solve the (their?) problem.

Since the problem that creates conflicts is the "it's my blind, I built it" misconception of the law, perhaps the FWC should require any blind constructed on public waters to have a sign endorsed by the builder stating: "This blind was constructed by John Doe. It is public property and available to the first occupant each day."

That way the "owner" knows without a doubt he cannot come out and remove anyone who beats him there. If he is willing to live with that rule....then go ahead and build!

Any blind not having the sign would be destroyed by the FWC.

[swilli1054]

The first step that I would suggest is that the blinds being public property should be included in Hunters Education Training. It should also be included in th waterfowl workshops.We could also put something in the newsletter to remind our members prior to season starting.
At Miccosukee there are signs that are nailed to trees at the landings stating that the lake has a motor restriction during duck season(well..they were there till someone removed them :rolleyes: ).Perhaps something like that to let people know. Also on any of the waterfowl pamplets that the state puts out.
90% of all the blinds on Miccosukee are already marked with the name of the people that built it. Something like "Smith 05/06".

[D Duck]

Your point is well taken though.As is yours. :icon_salu

[N. Cook]

Yes....Smith 05/06....marked with the idea of identifing it as "his" hoping it might deter someone from climbing in one morning before Smith got there....That is the problem that the builder must overcome....it is not his blind and by making Mr. Smith put....Smith 05/06, THIS IS A PUBLIC BLIND OPEN TO THE FIRST OCCUPANT EACH DAY..... on the sign, Mr. Smith is no longer under any misconception.

Would this discourage blind building....maybe. But, we will probably be faced with a FWC preference to simply ban blinds....Appreciate more ideas and discussion....we do have time as I don't expect meetings on the subject for several weeks.

[Keith Yates]

We have road rage daily and of course we don't do away with driving? Let's stick with "tradition" and push to keep the blinds as long as they are not a navigatable hazard. When camping in a WMA your name must be afixed to your camp for identification. Require names/addresses/phone# be afixed to all permanent blinds and make it illegal to hunt from a blind if the contact info is not afixed. Also require the blinds and materials to be removed by a certain date if they are not made of natural materials.The first come rule should still apply even if your name is on the blind.

[swilli1054]

Require names/addresses/phone# be afixed to all permanent blinds and make it illegal to hunt from a blind if the contact info is not afixed.

I won't put my address and phone number up for public consumption. Still think that education is the way to go.