spinning wing decoys

[Farley]

The regs state that a hunter cannot use motorized decoys for the first two weeks on "public waters". So I am allright using these on opener if I'm on a private pond? Or is there a broader definition of "public water" that I am missing?

[Mark Christianson]

Thats right.
Private lands they are legal.
I may be buying another one this year. They work! The best part is that it brings them in close, so you can better pick the drakes out.

[jeffyo45]

The definition of "public waters" is if there is public access. If there is a boat launch then it is public. If not you should be ok.

[dkhntr]

Does that include carry in access? I took it as, if any public land, such as a park or where the general public can get on the lake is considered public.

I almost got in trouble one year, I hunted a lake with no access but a county park just touched the lake. I carried my 10ft jon oars and dekes about a block through the park to dump in. When the other "private lake" landowners called the cops on me the Sheriff came out, waited by my truck, checked me over, gun was cased. And said since I entered on public land they could not do anything. I doubt you could do this anymore because gun laws have gotten so wierd, I mean carrying a cased gun on public park land.

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Lawn sprinklers save your grass...
Fire sprinklers save your A$$

[Farley]

Sweet! I do agree that the spinning wing brings em in close. last year I had them landing in my dekes before shooting hours on Sunday morning while I was sippin my coffe and smoking a cig, and I'm pretty sure it was because they saw those wings flashing at em'. the only problem is the drake mallards on the pond we hunt don't seem to have their full colors or at least last year they didn't around opener. I don't know if these birds are really young or what but it makes it kind of trickey since the farmer who lets us hunt there likes it when we only take drakes. I had about three or four drake mallards opening weekend that had brown heads.

[Bushwacker]

Are the spinning wing decoys that run off of wind power only illegal on public waters for the first two weeks? Do the wind powered ones work very well? What is the rule in ND on them? Thanks,
Bushwacker

[Mark Christianson]

I think the rule is "motorized" decoys.
I think.
The wind powered ones do not have any restrictions to the best of my knowledge.

[Guest]

ND doesn't have any restrictions on spinning wing decoys, motorized or not.

The BIG issue this year is the new licensing.
W enow have to pay $185.00 for the priviledge of hunting Upland Birds and Waterfowl...

It's payback time Minnesota--are you listening?

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Chells

[Riverratpete]

I agree, these other states SD,ND have gone beyond the pale on the non resident issue. The only way to fight it is to speak with your checkbook because the botom line is their after the money only. With this being said, the state of Minnesota has to get their act together in fixing the conditions in this state. The reason they have so many ducks, upland game is they have the good habitat and all the developers and farmers do in this state is drain the wetlands, put in drain tiles and develop every piece of land for a strip mall or fast food joint (like we need anymore). Just my 2 cents.

[Bushwacker]

I'm 25 and in my years of serious hunting I have seen the Wyoming license for Antelop go from around $50 to around $185 for a doe. The same for a mule deer. Thats 8 years and over 300% increase in price. The worst part of it all is the hunting land out there. It has gone to "sure, hunt those goats anywhere on my land, just don't shoot any of my cattle," to "sure, just $500 trophy fee for a buck antelop and $150 for a doe" This is the first year that we are not making the trip(5 of us) in 8 years. It is now going to be a every other year hunt, for now until it costs us over $1000 for 125 lbs of meat. Now I get into ND duck and pheasant hunting for the first time last fall and the have by far the best waterfowl hunting of my life, only to have the prices almost double. I think we will still be able to hunt the same land for free, but who knows how long that will last. At this rate by the time I'm 40 I will have to make $200,000 just to hunt anywhere out of MN. It is getting crazy. It makes me cringe when I think about how much I spend on hunting and fishing every year right now. I don't know what the solution is. I think it will eventually have to change when people just stop going. PETA and all of those groups have to be just smiling waiting until hardly anybody hunts and fishes and they will go fot the kill so nobody hunts and fishes. Its got to level off. Those little towns in ND that have brand new hotels and resturant and gas stations need to step up and let their legistators know that they are dependent on our (MN) $$$ to thrive.