Reelfoot lake Incident

My biggest gripe with duck hunting today. There are so damn many rules, regs, laws, that are just impediments to enjoyment. I think our public lands are over managed. I'm not talking about management for the sake of biology and what is good for waterfowl, I mean management of hunters (draws, reduced hours/days, etc.). I truly believe the rules on public lands could be stripped down. With an emphasis on equal access, teamed with stiff penalties to those that try to deprive others, a lot of print could go away and let us get back to the adventure of finding ducks on public lands. Whenever I host people from other areas I'm reminded of the plethora of regs we contend with, and they are growing annually. Likewise when I visit other states I find the sheer number of regulations intimidating. It has gotten out-of-control, yet the state employees in control have no intentions of simplifying things. More rules, more rules, more rules. Not a damn reg they have implemented around here in the past three years has put more birds in the bag or increased my enjoyment. Just the opposite. I'd like to see efforts on increasing acreage and access to it, not the other way around.



It's not just duck hunting that has this problem. The current thinking breaking everything down into various algorithms is going to keep the micro-management of everything pushing forward for a while, I believe. And another excuse to add more rules to anything possible.

Best rule of life, and best way to make rules-keep it simple. The problem with that is, there is just too much common sense in that thinking, and not enough analysis going in to it........

 
Eric, I think the goal with the restructuring is to get away from so many rules except on the sites where conflict will be inevitable- most will be temp blind/boat blind, and the best holes will be assigned through the computer draw so hunters will have assurances that they can hunt a good spot without having to worry about someone trying to bully them off it.

Popular public areas and birds can cause people to lose their minds- I got cussed out a few years ago when I asked a fellow hunter on his way in to not cut through my spread 15 minutes after legal, as if that was an outrageous request.
 
Michael McCord said:
Eric, I think the goal with the restructuring is to get away from so many rules except on the sites where conflict will be inevitable- most will be temp blind/boat blind, and the best holes will be assigned through the computer draw so hunters will have assurances that they can hunt a good spot without having to worry about someone trying to bully them off it.

Popular public areas and birds can cause people to lose their minds- I got cussed out a few years ago when I asked a fellow hunter on his way in to not cut through my spread 15 minutes after legal, as if that was an outrageous request.
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Michael

Draws remove one's ability to hunt spontaneously. Months, weeks, days in advance (not sure what timeline TN imposes) restricts one's ability to look at the weather and say "I'm not too busy at work tomorrow so I think I'll give it a try at "x" tomorrow." It is all too structured and complicated unless someone goes to school on a particular area's regs and likes their hunting schedule laid out by others far in advance, should they get lucky enough to be drawn. Like I said, an impediment to enjoyment, at least my enjoyment. More and more I see hunters handcuffed when it comes to hunting management areas.

What makes it even worse is when rules are imposed but not enforced. Being the rule follower I am, and have raised my son to be, we've been SCREWED by hunters who leave ramp before the legal entry time only to be beat to a spot and with ZERO support of law enforcement to come out to the swamp and to cite or rectify the situation. In this example I'd rather the person who wants it bad enough to sleep outdoors to get it, whether or not it be me or my son, than to get screwed by a cheater who will never see any negative consequences.

I simply want to hunt when I can and where I can, and should I get beat then I'll just have to get up earlier or go to plan b. I could go on but I won't. Too aggravating and the simple truth is folks in charge of these areas are killing the joy with red tape in the name of "hunter satisfaction". I'm simply dying to know how they create a metric for that term and determine the new regs provide more of it.

Eric
 
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I learned duck hunting on Lake Champlain, in Vermont, and was so, so spoiled! Virtually no restrictions. Lake is State waters, property owners own from the high water mark up. We could hunt anywhere we wanted provided safe distance from occupied dwellings and very little competition. Pick your hunt based on where the birds where, where the ramp was open, and which way the wind was blowing.

In Virginia, quite the opposite. Riparian right, blind laws, blind permits, floating blind permits..... We must maintain 400 yards from a blind, occupied or not. Many blinds are placed to prevent hunting, and are never hunted. We struggle to get out of the wind and waves being a minimum of 400 yards from the shore. I wish they got rid of all the licensed blinds, there are not that many hunters that it would be a problem where I hunt, and it would offer much more opportunity for everyone. A fixed blind is so limited too, that you need several to have a good opportunity, which locks up so much shore line from everyone.
 
Eric, I agree-but all these blind sites have historically been season long draw blinds where 1 party has exclusive use of it as long as 1 member is there prior to legal shooting time- no spontaneity. If you weren't drawn, you could ride around to a vacant blind and hope a party member doesn't show up and boot you2 minutes before legal. Many of those sites will be first come first serve but others, shorter term draws. The staked sites are simply there to space people out. I don't think the hunters in Tennessee could handle completely abandoning the draw system in the first year. Too much tradition in those big blinds.

I foresee flat tires, broken windows, and stolen boat trailers though of non-local license plates for the first year or two of this, especially if ducks bother to show up.
 
Michael

My displeasure may be misplaced with the handling of TN permanent blinds, which certainly poses issues for the typical hunter at the hands of possessive retaliatory hunters, that state managers are trying to prevent. Nonetheless, more complexity is piled on the sport and I'm tired of the complexity of it all.

Eric

P.s. I am glad to see boat-in hunting is still allowed and encouraged. During my short visit to Reelfoot I did not witness anyone try this. Sure seems underutilized.
 
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Eric Patterson said:
Michael

My displeasure may be misplaced with the handling of TN permanent blinds, which certainly poses issues for the typical hunter at the hands of possessive retaliatory hunters, that state managers are trying to prevent. Nonetheless, more complexity is piled on the sport and I'm tired of the complexity of it all.

Eric

P.s. I am glad to see boat-in hunting is still allowed and encouraged. During my short visit to Reelfoot I did not witness anyone try this. Sure seems underutilized.
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Reelfoot is definitely the exception to the rule. Freelancing at reelfoot is unfortunately strongly discouraged by locals however they can.
 

Dave, I agree about Virginia laws--moved here in April from coastal NC...there are only 5 counties in NC that have Blind Laws (a 4th county is in discussion). If there is a state that has more restrictive Blind Laws than Virginia I would like to know what state that is!
Fortunately and by a great stroke of luck (and extreme attention/scouting by my son and me) we were able to license a non-riparian blind in Virginia and had a couple good hunts there past season. However, I will be surprised if our "beginners luck" gets us a blind next season...
I agree states should keep it simple and keep it enforced..probably easier said than done.
 
Michael McCord said:
Eric Patterson said:
Michael

My displeasure may be misplaced with the handling of TN permanent blinds, which certainly poses issues for the typical hunter at the hands of possessive retaliatory hunters, that state managers are trying to prevent. Nonetheless, more complexity is piled on the sport and I'm tired of the complexity of it all.

Eric

P.s. I am glad to see boat-in hunting is still allowed and encouraged. During my short visit to Reelfoot I did not witness anyone try this. Sure seems underutilized.
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Reelfoot is definitely the exception to the rule. Freelancing at reelfoot is unfortunately strongly discouraged by locals however they can.
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Michael

That is why my earlier post included stiff penalties for those that try and deprive others. I have been told Reelfoot has one game warden and it was even suggested he "sees" things from the locals point of view. If true, that right there is where you start. I don't have the time right now to go into a personal experience I had in another state, but local authorities fixed the issue pronto when we were bullied. That's how it should work.

Eric
 
Does dementia cause homicidal rampages? I know it can cause some psychological disorders just never heard of it being the cause of something like this case.
 
Early reporting stated that Vowell had his own blind and hunted from it daily during the season.. The individuals who were shot were hunting in another blind.
 
Eric[/quote]
Michael

That is why my earlier post included stiff penalties for those that try and deprive others. I have been told Reelfoot has one game warden and it was even suggested he "sees" things from the locals point of view. If true, that right there is where you start. I don't have the time right now to go into a personal experience I had in another state, but local authorities fixed the issue pronto when we were bullied. That's how it should work.

Eric[/quote]

Unfortunately stiff penalties depend on law enforcement being in close enough contact/proximity to respond and judges being willing to enforce them. It may be different in other states, but most judges are notoriously lenient on wildlife laws. Cell coverage is terrible on that lake in particular. Not sure about the other WMAs that are up for changes. And then it's often a question of whose story you believe and what can be proven.
 
There is a dementia, Lewy Body Dementia, that can have intermittent violent episodes. It is more rapidly progressive than Alzheimer's and differs also in that it has periods of lucidness. I watched a relative suffer from it and he would have times where he knew he had a problem. It was sad. He would have horrible hallucinations and on one occasion chased his wife with a knife. The longevity from diagnosis is much shorter and it is often misdiagnosed as Alzheimer's.

I am in no way implying this is related to this incident, simply wanted to answer your question as to a casual relationship between dementia and violence.
 
rfberan said:
There is a dementia, Lewy Body Dementia, that can have intermittent violent episodes. It is more rapidly progressive than Alzheimer's and differs also in that it has periods of lucidness. I watched a relative suffer from it and he would have times where he knew he had a problem. It was sad. He would have horrible hallucinations and on one occasion chased his wife with a knife. The longevity from diagnosis is much shorter and it is often misdiagnosed as Alzheimer's.

I am in no way implying this is related to this incident, simply wanted to answer your question as to a casual relationship between dementia and violence.
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Thanks for the explanation. I hope my question wasn't seen as insensitive to those who have suffered from dementia or from people affected by demented people.
 
Michael McCord said:
Eric Patterson said:
Michael

That is why my earlier post included stiff penalties for those that try and deprive others. I have been told Reelfoot has one game warden and it was even suggested he "sees" things from the locals point of view. If true, that right there is where you start. I don't have the time right now to go into a personal experience I had in another state, but local authorities fixed the issue pronto when we were bullied. That's how it should work.

Eric
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Unfortunately stiff penalties depend on law enforcement being in close enough contact/proximity to respond and judges being willing to enforce them. It may be different in other states, but most judges are notoriously lenient on wildlife laws. Cell coverage is terrible on that lake in particular. Not sure about the other WMAs that are up for changes. And then it's often a question of whose story you believe and what can be proven.
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I'm probably too much of an idealist when it comes to law and the judicial system defending everyday hunters wronged by other hunters harassing them. Guess that should make me feel better about the loser in Arkansas we got arrested, charged, and fined. Perhaps my experience was an isolated "success story" of law enforcement stopping hunters from bullying and badgering us. In any case, it felt DAMN good when the loser was arrested.
 
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