AIS and duck hunting

[BrdHunter01]

While out scouting for opener today I got to thinking.... How is this going to work? We usually cut reeds and other weeds for cover in our boat. There is no way we can pick out every single reed out with our false floor. We use a dog, she goes swimming, we end up with water in the boat that we most likely won't be able to get "all" of it out.

How is this going to work?

[life=outdoors92]

We use a dog, she goes swimming, we end up with water in the boat that we most likely won't be able to get "all" of it out.

How is this going to work?

take a power washer to the dog

[Gordie]

While out scouting for opener today I got to thinking.... How is this going to work? We usually cut reeds and other weeds for cover in our boat. There is no way we can pick out every single reed out with our false floor. We use a dog, she goes swimming, we end up with water in the boat that we most likely won't be able to get "all" of it out.

How is this going to work?

I asked a CO that question last season as I came off of Onamia He did to BTW and he didnt think it would be a problem to use vegetation from the lake for a blind.

At least he didnt seem at all concerned of it but I'm sure there will many many different answers that you will get.

Dont forget to drain your decoys and make sure no weeds are on the string.

[Gordie]

This is on page 96 of the DNR hunting trapping regs booklet.

Aquatic invasive species such as purple loosestrife, Eurasian watermilfoil, and zebra mussels damage wildlife habitat and faucet snails kill waterfowl. It is illegal to transport most aquatic plants and zebra mussels in or on boats, trailers, or decoys in boats, when on roads. However, waterfowl hunters may use emergent aquatic plants, such as cattails and bulrushes, cut above the waterline, for building blinds. How to help:

• Switch to elliptical, bulb-shaped, or strap decoy anchors that won’t collect submergent aquatic plants as easily.

• Clean aquatic plants, zebra mussels, snails and mud off of decoy lines or anchors, push poles, and waders.

• Drain the water from boats and equipment and leave drain plugs out when transporting

[BrdHunter01]

Thanks, thats what I was looking for.

There are usually cattails and bulrushes in the bottom of our boat all year long. There is also no possible way to get all the water out of our boat before exiting the access. With road-side stops and all the attention AIS got this year it should be interesting... I have a feeling different officers will have different interpretations of the law as usual.

[PerchJrkr]

The way that reads to me is that you can legally use it, but you also need to have it cleaned off your boat before you leave the access...

[Gordie]

Perchjrkr I read as you can use it and if it has been taken from above the water line you can transport the emergant vegitation.

[PerchJrkr]

Im sure this is one of those that will get sticky. Gonna vary from one warden to the next and how they prove that no part of it was in the water... Also one the water is in the boat and the vegetation soaks it up...

[BrdHunter01]

Perchjrkr I read as you can use it and if it has been taken from above the water line you can transport the emergant vegitation.

Thats what I thought as well. It says nothing about transporting the blind or blind material however... and it says "most" aquatic plants and zebra mussels in or on boats, trailers, or decoys in boats, when on roads.

This can be interpreted a few different ways.... And they wonder why people dont get into hunting and fishing

[MinDak Hunter]

84D.10 WATERCRAFT AND WATER-RELATED EQUIPMENT REQUIREMENTS AND PROHIBITIONS.

Subdivision 1.Launching prohibited.A person may not place or attempt to place into waters of the state a watercraft, a trailer, or aquatic plant harvesting or control equipment that has aquatic macrophytes, zebra mussels, or prohibited invasive species attached except as provided in this section.

Subd. 2.Exceptions.Unless otherwise prohibited by law, a person may place into the waters of the state a watercraft or trailer with aquatic macrophytes:

(1) that are duckweeds in the family Lemnaceae;

(2) for purposes of shooting or observation blinds attached in or on watercraft in amounts sufficient for that purpose, if the aquatic macrophytes are emergent and cut above the waterline;

(3) that are wild rice harvested under section 84.091; or

(4) in the form of fragments of emergent aquatic macrophytes incidentally transported in or on watercraft or decoys used for waterfowl hunting during the waterfowl season.

[Finlander]

Please explain in laymans terms what aquatic macrophytes are!

[BrdHunter01]

What are going to be considered "fragments?"

I asked a DNR officer at the state fair and he said I would be ticketed if I had cattails or rushes in my duck boat.

I also asked him what is considered "completely surrounded" WMA when using motorized decoys. He told me to contact a warden in the area I plan on hunting and ask how he will "interpret" the law. This is crazy! Write laws that we can all understand and abide by!!!!!!!

[MinDak Hunter]

What are going to be considered "fragments?"

I asked a DNR officer at the state fair and he said I would be ticketed if I had cattails or rushes in my duck boat.

I also asked him what is considered "completely surrounded" WMA when using motorized decoys. He told me to contact a warden in the area I plan on hunting and ask how he will "interpret" the law. This is crazy! Write laws that we can all understand and abide by!!!!!!!

frag·ment/Noun: A small part broken or separated from something.

Verb: Break or cause to break into fragments: "his followers fragmented into sects".

Synonyms: scrap - chip - splinter - bit - segment - shiver

It looks like if we clean off our gear and have a small "bit" or "fragment" we miss it'll be ok.

It sounds like your mad at the CO for telling you he didn't know the answers to your questions or how the laws are written. I'd rather he tell me to contact the local guy than give me a canned answer that might not apply to my situation. He might not be familar with your WMA and didn't want to limit your options or maybe he's a metro warden who doesn't have much duck hunting so just doesn't know. Either way it sounds prudent to me...

[LightningBG]

Uh oh. My duck boat doesn't have a plug.

[crawler harness]

Completely surrounding in the wma... for example over in faribault county there is north and south walnut wma. The south lake is completely surrounded by the wma, so no spinner allowed. However north walnut, the north shoreline is private land there for north walnut is not totally enclosed by the wma so a spinner is legal. Best advice is go on the DNR HSOforum and find a map of the wma you want to hunt, if the lake is totally surrounded by the wma then no spinner allowed.

[BrdHunter01]

It sounds like your mad at the CO for telling you he didn't know the answers to your questions or how the laws are written. I'd rather he tell me to contact the local guy than give me a canned answer that might not apply to my situation. He might not be familar with your WMA and didn't want to limit your options or maybe he's a metro warden who doesn't have much duck hunting so just doesn't know. Either way it sounds prudent to me...

So I hunt all over the state. I need to contact every CO in the state and note which area they cover and how there going to interpret the law? Your joking right?

If a warden can sit right I'm front of me, read the laws right in front of me, and not understand them how in H are we suppose to understand them?

[BrdHunter01]

Completely surrounding in the wma... for example over in faribault county there is north and south walnut wma. The south lake is completely surrounded by the wma, so no spinner allowed. However north walnut, the north shoreline is private land there for north walnut is not totally enclosed by the wma so a spinner is legal. Best advice is go on the DNR HSOforum and find a map of the wma you want to hunt, if the lake is totally surrounded by the wma then no spinner allowed.

The example I used was a lake that was completely surrounded but a river ran through the lake so the waterway is not "completely" surrounded. He couldn't give me an answer.

[MinDak Hunter]

Good luck, here is a quick and easy link so you can contact the CO's from all over the state (if you choose too).

http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/officerpatrolareas/index.html

For the record, I'm not joking... I was trying to help with the original question.

[BrdHunter01]

For the record, I'm not joking... I was trying to help with the original question.

Thanks for the help.

It would be nice if they could write some laws that actually made sense.

Or at least, all be on the same page where I could ask a question and they can give me an answer that all CO's would agree upon and enforce in the same way. These are "Minnesota Hunting Regulations" not CO1 regs, CO2 regs, CO3 regs

[Finlander]

Plain and simple is not the Minnesota Way!