Hunting In Blinds - Public Waters

[eyepatrol]

I've read in the regs that a person can not hunt out of a permanent blind while hunting public waters and public lands.

My question is....the island we hunt for waterfowl has a couple of wooden blinds on it that have been there for I'd guess nearly 20 years. My question is, because they've been there so long, can we still hunt in them or are we responsible for staying out of the blinds and hide in the weeds next to them?

The blinds are set up right on the tip of a point on the island, so they're in the perfect spot for sitting. If they can't be hunted out of, should they be torn down? I know that everyone and their uncle who hunts that spot sit in the blinds. In case it matters, the blinds are wooden with a back, floor, roof, a front that comes up about 3 feet, and the sides are open for walking through. They are exposed on the point, so each year guys pull some grass and put it on and around the blinds to camoflouge it.

I'll be honest and admit that we've sat in them ever since they were put out there. But, I also do NOT want to be breaking the law. I noticed that sentence in the regs this year (it may have been there in years past, but I noticed it this year) and I want to be sure to comply with the laws.

Any input would be appreciated.

Oh, and on another note....the island used to be a peninsula attached to private land by a narrow strip of land. It was private land back in the 1950's and 1960's, but in the mid '60's the small/narrow strip of land that connected the peninsula to the mainland washed out from waves and ice, and now the peninsula stands basically as an island, with a 30 yard strip of open water/channel where the narrow strip of land used to be. I wonder....would the peninsula still be considered private land???

Thanks.

[Sartell Angler]

basscatcher,

Don't know what you were reading but there is nothing wrong with hunting out of or building a blind on public property...you just need to know that if you build a blind on public land it is still public and others can hunt it if they beat you to it in the morning. A lot of hunters down South seem to think that since they built the blind, it should be their sole property to hunt. There was a big debate about this a couple months ago on the Refuge Forums...

SA/wdw

[poutpro]

No I don't think a person can legally build a blind on public land.

[tealitup]

Depends on what classifacation the land falls under, WMA, SNA, Federal or State forest, park or refuge