So I'm out at a NE Texas, very popular lake hunting today. The hunting was not very good, so I picked up to do a drive around and check it out. Little to no wind, so it was perfect.
I was on the west side of the lake in an area where several groups could hunt and still be plenty far enough away from each other. And there it was, a fully built blind smack in the middle. It was covered in green cane (Should have know something was a foot when I saw a boat full of cane at the launch). It was big! The cane was very tall and stood way above the buck brush. Way too tall just to cover a boat, so a plate form had to be there to stand on. I could see 4-6 guys poking their heads out of the very top. You could see the taper of the boat hide behind it.

This is the stuff that make me sad about public hunting. It was clear their intent was to control the pocket and run all others out, all because they build a blind. Smells of a guide.

This is where Mr Green Pants needs make a morning run so a few don't ruin it for everyone.

you poor thing

QT, Mason Jar, Match, Long stick and some marshmallows, JS

Whatever their intent was doesn’t matter. You don’t get to control or claim spots on public. I’d go camp there in the blind just out of principal.

Takes them hours to build it and 2 min for me to tear it down.
Its one of my favorite things to do during scouting or after a hunt.

Or paint it hot pink with polka dots in the middle of the night. I’d love to see the look on someone’s face when they show up to their blind at 3 am and it’s hot pink.

take a poo in it

They beat everyone to where they wanted to be and built a perfectly legal brush blind. Those bastards!

If there is so much room how is one blind screwing anything up for everyone else?

Oh the shame.....

sounds like they put some work in to building a nice blind. maybe take some pointers from them and bring you some materials next time you go out and you could be sitting in a nice big ol' blind. on public you typically have to get there very early anyways so what better to do than stay warm by building a blind. I've done it.

I like ramping them!

True story from the opener that fits this discussion. I went scouting Wednesday before the opener and found a good spot. It was a shallow pocket with lots of smartweed and other food along the bank. Out in the middle of the pocket was the frame of an old blind. Ducks were packed along the edge of the grass. Friday night as soon as my son’s football game was over we head straight to the lake. We get there about midnight and are first to the ramp. We proceed to the spot. Once we get there I notice someone has put y’all bamboo cane around the blind frame and some pallets. The blind is pretty sparse and light shines right through it. I knew someone would be showing up later but with all the effort we had put into getting there we went to the spot I had planned to hunt. Natural cover where I had seen all the ducks. We set up kicked back to wait and see what happened. About 3 am I hear a boat heading to the mouth of the pocket. I start waving our spotlight but they keep on coming. They run right up to the blind which is about 60 yards in front of us and kill the motor. Then the cussing and yelling begins. First question is why would we set up there when we knew there was a blind. I respond back with all the beliefs I have about first come first serve on public water. The exchange just keeps getting more heated until suddenly the guy becomes quiet for a minute. He then states he didn’t put all the brush on there and we can fight it out with the next guys. They high tail it out of there. About 5 am here comes another boat. I shine them he same way but they are relentless as well. They ride up to the blind and ask the same question as the first bunch with just as many expletives. I make the same argument but these guys are not going to give in. Seems they thought we should “respect the blind” At one point the loudest one asks for us to come over there and settle it. We stay put and finally a couple of guys head our way. They are much calmer than there buddy that was screaming. I explained by their logic I could put a blind in every pocket and claim it all for myself.
They finally decide they are not going to leave but going to set up he other side of the pocket. Better than them being in the blind but still too close. We had to let ducks swing way to our right to keep from peppering them.
I was amazed both these groups of hunters seemed too feel if you build an blind no one else can take the spot. They were really mad when I told them we could have got in their blind if it wasn’t so crappy.
How common is this respect the blind attitude. It’s not the way I was taught. Arguing with two groups of hunters and getting verbally assaulted put a damper on our hunt.

I knew I would get both side on this post.
This was no one and done blind.
This is a permanent blind with a floor and covered boat hide.
I've built plenty of both to know the difference.
It wasn't made in the morning and there was 3 days worth of cane cut to cover it.

Most day built blinds are small and provide minimal cover for the day.
This one was built for the season.
So, what does the rule say?

"From Texas Parks & Wildlife"

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Public Hunting In Texas 2018-19

Prohibited Acts:

Hunting Blinds, Gear and Equipment
~constructs or places a hunting blind, stand, tower, or platform within 50 yards of any designated road, marked unit boundary, or designated campsite;
~constructs a permanent blind, stand, tower, or platform
~leaves a hunting blind, stand, tower, or platform in place for more than 72 hours or uses metal nails, spikes, screws, or bolts to attach such structures to the timber;
~leaves personal gear, equipment (including decoys), or floating conveyances unattended for more than one hour following the close of legal shooting hours.
~Note: this does not apply to gear or equipment left within a designated camping area or for specific activities scheduled by the department.


So, Are you a rule follower or rule breaker?

I'll respond to this first..

IMO it's first come first serve and if you build a blind on public you better be willing to get there first or let someone else hunt your blind. If you want to build a blind and have it all to your self then get a lease.


To the OP

Yeah it may suck that they built it where they did but my response is about like my other one...if you build it on public then be ready for anyone to hunt it. I might not do it but wouldn't blame anyone if they decided to hunt a blind on public that someone else built.

WoW I thought fence hunters were FOUL but FOWL hunters can beat them all to hell. I would surely hate to run into one of these keyboard Rangers.

One year when the water was low everyone was hunting this big bay on a lake. There was one mudflat that stuck out that was the x, but a long walk, so I built a blind about halfway to it. Every morning we would walk out and pass a group that settled into the blind, and most mornings walked back past them at about 8:30 with a limit. Sometimes you just need to put a cozy blind where you want others to hunt

Buddy of mine saw that blind on the North West side of Ray Bob today

Allen daarheen!

I dont duck hunt these days and try not to get violent anymore. Gasoline and a match solves a lot of problems.

The problem is not building temp blinds to hunt out of on public water which is perfectly legal, the problem is that today's so-called "duck hunters" have no respect for other hunters anymore in large. I was taught, and practice, that if some one is already in a spot/blind, you just move on, no confrontation. If you've done your scouting and know your water, you should always have 3 spots to go to....

If that is where this is located, it is supposed to be gone once they are done hunting per Army Corp policy - "each blind, regardless of use, must be completely removed from the land or water upon completion of each hunting day"

If you don't want to hunt, call the Army Corp HQ for that lake. I'm sure they will go out there and remove it.

You sound like someone I would be honored to hunt with...

If you can get the corps to do anything about anything, I’ll do I don’t know, but a lot.

trust me, that blind is already a gonner

Ok, one of us has had to much to drink today. Because I can't make out everything you've typed out.

I get the first part that implies the Army Corp won't really do anything. But the other half of this sentence. Maybe it was more than red wine in my glass.