Unoccupied duck blinds on public land?

R

Rugdoc

CGN frequent flyer
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
What do you do when you see an unused blind in a public hunting area?

Yesterday my buddy and I scouted a new area and found we were on a major Canada good flyway on a local body of water. Goose hunting reopens here on the 21st.

Snooping around the shore we found an old blind right under where the geese fly.

It seems well established and there is a used trail leading to it.

Is a blind like that first come first serve or do the builders, or the last guys to find it and use claim it as personal?

Things were slow so we moved on and at another location there was an old blind I was shown by another hunter and have used occasionally over the past 12 years.

Since I was last there someone has repaired it, put a roof on, new camo and brush, made it a real deluxe blind.

It was mid-day and unoccupied so we used it for a couple hours and went on our way.

What is the common sense approach to these blinds?
 
Last edited:
If its on crown land, feel free to use it if it's where you want to hunt....if its on private land, move on.
Here we go again!!!!
 
Make an effort to get to know the hunters in the area. You can plan ahead, and make good friends that way. My blind is on public land, nothing I can do if some1 is in it, but I guess common decency comes into it. If I didnt put the money or time into it and the guy who did rocks up to hunt, I wouldnt feel right telling him to take a hike.
 
Well I'm self-employed and go hunting during the week and usually leave the weekend hunting to weekend warriors and at that one blind that I was told I could use I had never in 12 years seen anyone else there.
 
If you scout around you will find another location for your own blind... Do your own work... Climbing uninvited into someone else's blind or treestand is "low class" and "disrespectful."
 
It's not against "rules" but if it isn't yours, you havn't put in the effort or work to build it or maintain it. It is very disrespectful and poor sportsmanship...imagine if it was you who built it, put in the work and effort and you came along all ready to hunt...and there someone else was in it. Get to know the locals :)
 
Leaving a blind in place for years and attempting to reserve on crown land a good hunting spot is what is disrespectful. I'm a firm believer that to respect other hunters, and to not infringe or interfere with their hunt, one should remove his/her gear on crown land when the hunt is done.... but thats just me :)
 
The key here is public land. First imagine there is no blind. You go out early and arrive at this ideal spot on a good body of water on public land where you know the geese fly right over. You've set out your decoys, gotten yourself hidden and settle in for a good hunt. Just as birds start to come over, somebody else shows up and says "This is our spot. We've been hunting on this spot for years. Move on." I know exactly what you'd say.

They have no right to claim that prime location on public land as their own, none whatsoever. Even if they do build a blind there, which as far as I know is not allowed. (Anybody know the regs on that issue?) By putting a blind there, they think they've "reserved" that spot for themselves. Sorry, doesn't work that way. First come first served. I wouldn't hesitate to use it, and I wouldn't hesitate to tell them to bugger off. And if they refuse to leave (like some arseholes would, just to be spiteful and try to ruin my hunt), then I'd be on the phone to the RCMP/CO to report having my lawful hunt being interfered with.

On the other hand, if they accept that they have no legal or moral right to use the blind and willingly accept that I was there first, I would invite them to share it with me, as it was their work I am receiving a benefit from (shelter, seat, etc.) Everybody wins.
 
hawk-i said:
Leaving a blind in place for years and attempting to reserve on crown land a good hunting spot is what is disrespectful. I'm a firm believer that to respect other hunters, and to not infringe or interfere with their hunt, one should remove his/her gear on crown land when the hunt is done.... but thats just me :)
Click to expand...
I agree with this and can't argue ...but to hop in a feshly made one. Wouldya?
 
That's good advice Rain112. But how do you get to know the locals? Like I said, I've never seen anyone at that one blind in 12 years after I was told I could use it. Now somebody put a roof on it.
 
Holy crap, a lot of speculation in that post grouse man. Perhaps they just tired of packing their blind in every time and would happily try another spot if that one was occupied. Not sure the RCMP need to be involved yet. So here's another scenario, you are set up and a couple guys come along and set up right beside you...it is public land after all. Respect is a two-way street....no reason to assume the bling builders don't have it....is there?
 
sheephunter said:
Respect is a two-way street....no reason to assume the bling builders don't have it....is there?
Click to expand...
yeah, they built a blind on public land. That's as good a way to stake your claim as any I can think of. Particularly if it's a nice spot.

I personally don't give a crap when I'm hunting and am willing to avoid confrontation, so I'd move along. But if you want to use the blind, use the blind - if the blind builders want respect, they've got to start with respecting others.
 
Rugdoc said:
What do you do when you see an unused blind in a public hunting area?

Yesterday my buddy and I scouted a new area and found we were on a major Canada good flyway on a local body of water. Goose hunting reopens here on the 21st.

Snooping around the shore we found an old blind right under where the geese fly.

It seems well established and there is a used trail leading to it.

Is a blind like that first come first serve or do the builders, or the last guys to find it and use claim it as personal?

Things were slow so we moved on and at another location there was an old blind I was shown by another hunter and have used occasionally over the past 12 years.

Since I was last there someone has repaired it, put a roof on, new camo and brush, made it a real deluxe blind.

It was mid-day and unoccupied so we used it for a couple hours and went on our way.

What is the common sense approach to these blinds?
Click to expand...

Burn it - people should not be building on public land!
 
waterwheel said:
yeah, they built a blind on public land. That's as good a way to stake your claim as any I can think of. Particularly if it's a nice spot.

I personally don't give a crap when I'm hunting and am willing to avoid confrontation, so I'd move along. But if you want to use the blind, use the blind - if the blind builders want respect, they've got to start with respecting others.
Click to expand...
why do so many assume that a blind or trestand built on crown land is someone laying claim to the land?

None of these threads would need to exist if people stopped assuming and exibited common sense and courtesy to eachother
 
Brian46 said:
why do so many assume that a blind or trestand built on crown land is someone laying claim to the land?

None of these threads would need to exist if people stopped assuming and exibited common sense and courtesy to eachother
Click to expand...
Because that's what it is.

You're arguing semantics. Someone puts a blind or a stand on crown land, they've erected something, and that's illegal. And frankly, if I go sit in someone's blind that they've built and they come along, do you think they're going to be good sports about it? Or are they going to assert their claim? Really, which one do you think is going to happen in the real world?

It's easy, the people that build blinds and stands on crown land are doing so illegally, and to the detriment of others who have every right to hunt in the very same spot.

I've seen stands built on crown, and I personally avoid them. But if I felt the need, I would have no qualms about using them or tearing them down and hauling out the garbage of crown land. It's not to big of a difference from the people that do this stuff on private land - same lack of respect. I just tore one down on private land this weekend. jackass had to climb over a no-trespassing sign to put his stand up in a tree that I'd scouted out specifically to put my stand (on my brother's land).
 
In Ontario, you need a Crown Land permit to build anything on public land. See this excerpt from page 27 of the Ontario 2013/2014 Hunting Regulations:

"The Public Lands Act states that you must have a work permit
before you construct a new building, create trails or do other
modifications on Crown land. Crown land also includes the
bottom of most waterbodies. For information on work permits
and the application process, visit ontario.ca/publiclandpermit.
Hunters are reminded that it is an offence under the Public
Lands Act to leave any material, substance or thing on
Crown land."
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom