# WOW



## ducknut141

I thought it was bad around here with other hunters. I just read about two that got killed possibly over a blind dispute on Reelfoot Lake. That's over the top and sad prayers to the families involved.


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## BaddFish

Agreed, Crazy & Sad.... It got to the point this year that if I SAW a duck on public land, it was cause for celebration.. 3 weeks ago I arrived at my destination on a THURSDAY morning 2 HOURS before shooting time... There was already 8 trucks scattered around the area... I didn't even bother going this past weekend- can't imagine the zoo.


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## ducknut141

I agree. The place I started hunting 40 years ago there was only one other group and we knew where each other hunted. Now I go at 1 am. The last weekend there were 11 other rigs.


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## TheKing

Unbelievable.


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## bridgeman

Sad news 

I haven't been out for the last couple of years, not much activity in this area and when you do figure out a decent spot you'll have company. I've met some of the very hospitable peeps in the outdoors. Waterfowlers around here ain't in that group.. at least around here.


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## sliprig

No birds and know it all noobs, been fishing more. We will have birds in Feb, always do.


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## Redheads

Very sad....As it's been said many times before. Nobody hates a waterfowler any more than another waterfowler.

As much as i hate to say it and i always promote new hunters but as waterfowlers we need a couple 3/30 seasons to do a reset to weed out the duck commander wanna be's


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## ducknut141

I would love to see a 3 duck limit and I even put that on a survey. I also sent it to USFW. They also need to put mergansers in the duck limit. I would like them to leave it 60 days. We absolutely need to get rid of the duck commander wanna be slob hunters.


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## privateer

The problem is the way that TN handles its public duck blinds tends to cause long term "ownership" issues. A draw group of 10 folks "own" that blind for the season. You can "squat" in one and claim it if one of the "owners" is not there by a certain time before shooting time starts. (That is my guess what caused the problem) Now these blinds are not something trivial either. they are well established for many years and the local guys work on them in the off season on the chance they will get one (you will see how they always do). the one that i was in had space for 10 shooters, had a full size kitchen propane stove, pump out toilet, and about 100 decoys set including a number of the electronic ones, batteries, generator, heaters. It was in a flooded cultivated field and we took a boat from ramp, through the flooded woods breaking ice along the way to a dock under the blind - it was elevated some 10' or so above the water level and was constructed of a plywood shell with camo corn stocks and sticks all over the outside. The reason the locals keep them up is that the draws (not sure of covid year) are done in person on a weekend carnival like festival at each of the main locations throughout the state. Was actually fun weekend - duck hunting theme. However the draw itself was a mess. everyone gathered around a TWRA guy that was calling out names. if your name was called, you had to walk to the front, through the shoulder to shoulder crowd and choose your blind and at that time providing the names of the 10. as you walked up, locals were grabbing you and asking to get on your draw if you didn't have the 10. they were telling you how they will deal with the setup and you can just come hunt. these guys are guiding out of the blinds and making a living doing it. The group we were in with got drawn on that blind. I got in through a local connection and we (my son and I) were not a threat as would have little time to hunt a blind that was some 6-hours from home, yet we were 2x additional draw chances for the local guy. What kind of a deal is it for the lucky 10? Nothing fancy but with lodging in a nice heated outbuilding on cots and the fully guided hunt weekend, everything provided but our personal gear, I think they asked for $100 per day for both my son and I to hunt. I hope they charge quite a bit more for their real clients as it was a great deal. Given all that, most memorable event of the weekend was the Sunday morning service in the duck blind shortly after sun up. Everyone had a turn reading scripture as the bible was passed down the shooting line along with a few prayers and thanks to God for the opportunity and fellowship of being afield. They don't call that part of the country the Bible Belt for no reason...


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## garhtr

https://www.themeateater.com/hunt/waterfowl/authorities-searching-for-suspect-in-duck-hunting-double-homicide
Good luck and good


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## ducknut141

After reading about blown up and burnt down blinds. Other physical altercations on this area I hope this incident leads the state to taking over the blinds and doing something about the altercations before more of this happens. Even though I don't like the rigged state run draw hunts maybe thats the future for them.


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## privateer

ducknut141 said:


> After reading about blown up and burnt down blinds. Other physical altercations on this area I hope this incident leads the state to taking over the blinds and doing something about the altercations before more of this happens. Even though I don't like the rigged state run draw hunts maybe thats the future for them.


i would not say the drawing in TN is rigged. but the locals do feel they own the blinds. to a certain extent, they certainly put in the work to make them great. that said, there should not have been a shooting over a duck blind.


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## ducknut141

I agree about the shooting but the violence around Those blinds has been legendary and escalating for many years, It is time for them to go or be maintained and controlled by the state before this happens more and more. With the way people are these days and the me meme society it will continue to escalate everywhere. That is why I won't travel to the western basin to duck hunt.


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## privateer

ducknut141 said:


> I agree about the shooting but the violence around Those blinds has been legendary and escalating for many years, It is time for them to go or be maintained and controlled by the state before this happens more and more. With the way people are these days and the me meme society it will continue to escalate everywhere. That is why I won't travel to the western basin to duck hunt.


are you saying western basin of Lake Erie has issues like in TN?


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## ducknut141

I have heard stories


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## Redheads

The Alleged Double Murder on Reelfoot Lake Points to a Problem Duck Hunters Must Fix


An argument between duck hunters has led to double-murder investigation at Tennessee’s Reelfoot Lake, in which David Vowell, 70, is accused of shooting and killing fellow ourdoorsmen Chance Black, 26, and Zachary Grooms, 25. If ever there was a time for waterfowlers to address the cutthroat...




www.fieldandstream.com


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## FOWL BRAWL

privateer said:


> are you saying western basin of Lake Erie has issues like in TN?



If your asking the question does the locals of the western basin think they own the public areas like the people do in Tennessee.........then yes, similar issues


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## s.a.m

There hasn't been any ducks in the western basin to fight over in a few years!


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## FOWL BRAWL

s.a.m said:


> There hasn't been any ducks in the western basin to fight over in a few years!


It still doesn't stop the fact the 419ers think they own the bay


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## s.a.m

FOWL BRAWL said:


> It still doesn't stop the fact the 419ers think they own the bay


Well between Ottawa and winous point the west end is owned by 419ers, then there's a lot more private land (submerged) from the bridge west to the rest bay between Ottawa and winous that's a no hunting zone, so if your blind boat hunting you have to know where you can go.


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## slashbait

s.a.m said:


> Well between Ottawa and winous point the west end is owned by 419ers, then there's a lot more private land (submerged) from the bridge west to the rest bay between Ottawa and winous that's a no hunting zone, so if your blind boat hunting you have to know where you can go.


Trust me, Sandusky and Lorain breakwalls and charlesmill and pleasant lake are like that to the T! I was told they were going to change that at pleasant lake last year, but still the same You can tell right away in the parking lot if this is the norm. They will approach you, ask who you are and tell you were Cant hunt.


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## ducknut141

You should always know the LAWS in the area you hunt. The problem comes from people thinking they own public property. 
Back to the original post I have read the man they are looking for is possibly suffering from dementia which is a very debilitating illness and makes a person do things that are not considered normal.


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## s.a.m

ducknut141 said:


> You should always know the LAWS in the area you hunt. The problem comes from people thinking they own public property.
> Back to the original post I have read the man they are looking for is possibly suffering from dementia which is a very debilitating illness and makes a person do things that are not considered normal.


Sad to see that if dementia is a possibility that two young men lost their lives and the elderly man will likely succumb to the disease.


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## FOWL BRAWL

s.a.m said:


> Well between Ottawa and winous point the west end is owned by 419ers, then there's a lot more private land (submerged) from the bridge west to the rest bay between Ottawa and winous that's a no hunting zone, so if your blind boat hunting you have to know where you can go.


Understand and agree.


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## FOWL BRAWL

They found the old man dead yesterday that allegedly killed those young men while duck hunting.


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## ducknut141

Yes I read that last night. It was in the area of the blind the incident happened. I also read that guides in that area have been carrying side arms because of the escalating violence between hunter. SAD 
I have been doing allot of reading on the and other violence around hunting. This isn't the only suspected murder. There are MANY MANY assaults' vandalizations and in one I found they burnt a tipsters cabin/home down. It is out of control we are definitely our own worst enemy as hunters. I would say sportsmen and women but the folks doing these illegal actions are not sportsmen. I actually found a web site where one guy was bragging about his illegal activities around retaliation to tipsters and other duck hunters. Holly cow and this is deemed acceptable by some people and that web site and he wasn't the only one saying things like it.


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## TheKing

The suspected killer was found shot dead near the others. Looks like there is one still alive that can testify.


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## ducknut141

I have read allot of articles and none has stated how he died.


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