Well, its come to this. Below is my letter to the St. Martin Parish School Board requesting I be placed on the agenda regarding permanent/floating duck blinds on School Board Property in the North Flats of Henderson, La:

Mr. Blanchard:

Thank you for discussing this issue with me on the phone today. You said I should send you this email asking that the issue we discussed be placed on the agenda for the October 1, 2014 school board meeting.

Historical Information: I have been an avid duck hunter for over 50 years. My primary hunting areas have been the bays, cypress swamps and bayous within the levee system near Henderson, Louisiana. A large portion of the area North of Interstate 10 was incorporated in and is now governed by the Corps of Engineer’s Indian Bayou Wildlife Management Area. North of of Interstate 10 also lies the School Board’s tract of land. It is clearly marked by white plastic poles. I hunt there frequently. I confirmed with you that the current School Board’s position regarding hunting in the area is that no hunting or campsite leases are issued and no one can claim rights to any area or permanent floating blinds. This may be the policy but the reality is different. All of the floating/permanent blinds have been in the same locations for decades. Just last weekend my son and I politely confronted hunters who set up dangerously close to us in one of these blinds. I suggested we all hunt together in the blind for safety, but we were met with the explanation that they had inherited the blind from “Big J” and that no one else was going to hunt it. He continued to explain that all the blinds on this property were inherited or had been hunted by the same families for 50 years, or longer, and that I might as well move along. My act of good sportsmanship turned into a tirade of entitlement form this young hunter. I know everyone to whom he referred. I’ve always respected the claimed “territorial rights” of those who have had their blinds in the same spots for years. But, now, given there are so many hunters today vying for the same public hunting spots, the lack of governance by the School Board over duck hunting blinds will cause problems in the future. The Corps of Engineers prohibits any sort of permanent or floating blind, other than a boat blind. That should be the policy going forward with respect to this School Board property. Better yet, make it a sanctuary and prohibit all duck hunting within its boundaries.

Please place this matter on the agenda for public discussion for the October 1st, 2014 meeting.

Surprised you didn't have a rider stating to also please prohibit yellow slicker suites to be worn during duck season.

id solve the issue myself by burning them if they acted like a dick for no reason

I've said this before and every time I hear stuff like this, it only reaffirms it--goddamn, I'm glad we don't have any of that bullshit private lease/private water/private blinds! Up here, if you can float a canoe on it (and obviously it's not within some city limits), it's public. No permanent blinds, no threats from Crazy Brady about getting shot over a fucking hunting spot.

If you want to claim it, you get your ass out of bed early enough and get out there and it's yours!

^^ X2

x3 - nicely put MNG

Dean-O - proof read your rant "form this young hunter" relying on spell check has burned me in the past

I have to agree with you dean. Also I think they should have a fee for blinds that are put in the area 500 dollars lease

Do like us lease the property from the school board so you don't have to worried about all the bull shit!


Sent in da swamp!

For instance there should not be no permanent blinds on state land maybe just a little brush but nothing built with two by 4's or 4 x 4's permanent because it don't give the average Hunter a place to go hunt. If all this keeps on the state will do lottery hunts and it's going to screw everybody that hunts stateland!


Sent in da swamp!

Bottom Line: Some young punk made you his bitch?

If someone builds a blind on public land here and you beat em to it on opening day or any day its yours to hunt so you can tell em to eat a dick. If they try to pull some shit you call a warden and they get ticketed. Thats the way to should be. Too many jackasses get out there just before shooting hours and think they can weasel in where ever they want.

I don't think I'd set up in a permanent blind on public waters in Minnesota. Talk about shitty hunting.

The locations for these blinds are proven productive because they are on hard bottoms and along ancient flow patterns for water and nutrients on which ducks have imprinted for centuries. One will see a flock of Pintail high in the stratosphere drop like a bomb into those blinds when they have hundreds of other choices which appear to be just as suitable.

Just received confirmation I'm on the agenda.

I think they fall under the homesteader act or maybe even possibly adverse possession. Might wanna put that Harvard legal team of yours on a title search.

How far back do these generations of duck blinds go? Could have been part of a federal land grant prior to development of the public land survey grid.

Duck blinds are not just a place for hunting. It's a place where friends gather to enjoy each other's company. For years family and friends have congregated at these places. Through the consecutive usage for multiple reason these people have gained entitlement and exclusive rights to these places of which they gather.

Update: Well, the school board meeting went much better than I expected. Several board members called for total elimination of all duck hunting on school board property, while others would be in favor of eliminating permanent blinds altogether. I'm going to draft a resolution for introduction at the next meeting that will give them several options to consider. But this is clear, no one, it was emphasized by all present, had a right to claim any blind on school board property. It was suggested that I contact La Wildlife and Fisheries to enforce prohibition of hunter interference to help reinforce this policy for those who will be arriving early to claim blinds on a first come first serve basis. I put in a call to the captain of the La Wildlife and Fisheries (I have his number on speed dial, you know) whom I will ask to provide a couple of undercover enforcement agents to help enforce this. I'll video tape the hunts if things get interesting.

But, first I'm going to contact all of the duck blind claimants and seek their input and maybe workout a compromise.

We shall see how this plays out.

Your gonna be the jackass that gets duck hunting completly banned because you are a whinny bitch

Statute Text
Harassment of Hunters, Trappers, and Fishermen Prohibited

§ 648 . Definitions§ 648. Definitions

§ 648.1 . Harassment and Disturbance Prohibited§ 648.1. Harassment and Disturbance Prohibited

§ 648.2 . Remedies, Damages, and Penalties§ 648.2. Remedies, Damages, and Penalties

§ 648.3 . Failure to Obey Order; Violation§ 648.3. Failure to Obey Order; Violation

§ 648. Definitions

As used in this Subpart, the following definitions shall apply:

(1) “Wild animal” means any wild creature, including fish, wild birds, and wild quadrupeds, the taking of which is authorized by the provisions of this Title.

(2) “Process of taking” means any act directed at the lawful taking of a wild animal, including the acts of travel, camping, or other activity occurring in preparation for the taking which occurs on state-managed lands or waters governed by the provisions of R.S. 56:781-R.S. 56:787 or which occurs on private lands or waters with the permission of the owner or his agent.

CREDIT(S)

Added by Acts 1982, No. 376, § 1.

HISTORICAL AND STATUTORY NOTES

2004 Main Volume

Pursuant to the statutory revision authority of the Louisiana State Law Institute, subsection designations A and B as found in Acts 1982, No. 376 were changed to paragraph designations (1) and (2).

Title of Act:

An Act to enact Part VIII-A of Chapter 1 of Title 56 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950, to be comprised of Subpart A, which shall be comprised of R.S. 56:648 through 648.3, relative to fish, wild birds and wild quadrupeds, to define certain terms; to prohibit the harassment or disturbance of hunters, trappers, and fishermen engaged in the lawful taking or process of taking of wild animals on either state-managed lands or waters and upon private lands or waters; to prohibit the disturbance of wild animals with the intent to prevent or hinder their taking; to prohibit the entrance on state-managed or private property with intent to harass or disturb hunters, trappers, or fishermen; to provide that it shall be unlawful to disobey the order of an enforcement agent in regard to these provisions; to provide for remedies, damages and criminal penalties for violation, and to provide for related matters. Acts 1982, No. 376.




§ 648.1. Harassment and disturbance prohibited

No person shall engage in any of the following activities on lands or waters managed by the state pursuant to R.S. 56:781 through R.S. 56:787, or upon private lands or waters where a hunter, trapper, or fisherman has been given permission by the owner or his agent to take wild animals:

(1) Interfere with the lawful taking of a wild animal by a hunter, trapper, or fisherman or interfere with the process of taking, with intent to prevent the taking.

(2) Disturb a wild animal, or engage in any activity or place any object or substance that will tend to disturb or otherwise affect the behavior of a wild animal, with intent to prevent or hinder its lawful taking.

(3) Disturb any hunter, trapper, or fisherman who is engaged in the lawful taking of a wild animal or who is engaged in the process of taking, with intent to dissuade or otherwise prevent the taking, or to prevent such person's enjoyment of the outdoors.

(4) Enter or remain upon state-managed lands or waters or upon private lands or waters with intent to violate the provisions of this Section.

(5) Enter or remain upon any private property, including nonnavigable water, owned by another through the use of a floating duck blind or any other float or boat used for the purpose of hunting migratory waterfowl without the express, written permission of the landowner, lessee, lessor, or hunting club or organization authorized to hunt on the land.

CREDIT(S)

Added by Acts 1982, No. 376, § 1. Amended by Acts 1990, No. 510, § 1.

HISTORICAL AND STATUTORY NOTES

2004 Main Volume

Pursuant to the statutory revision authority of the Louisiana State Law Institute, subsection designations A to D as found in Acts 1982, No. 376 were changed to paragraph designations (1) to (4).

In the introductory paragraph as amended in 1990, “R.S. 56:781--R.S. 56:787” was changed to “R.S. 56:781 through R.S. 56:787” pursuant to the statutory revision authority of the Louisiana State Law Institute.



§ 648.2. Remedies, damages, and penalties

A. The secretary may seek injunctive relief to restrain and prevent violations of R.S. 56:648.1, upon request by the person affected or who reasonably may have been affected by such conduct.

B. Any person adversely affected by a violation of R.S. 56:648.1 shall be entitled to recover actual damages, including expenditures of the affected person for license and permit fees, travel, guides, special equipment and supplies, to the extent that such expenditures were rendered futile by the actions of the person violating the provisions of this Section.

C. Violation of the provisions of R.S. 56:648.1 constitutes a class two violation.

CREDIT(S)

Added by Acts 1982, No. 376, § 1.



§ 648.3. Failure to obey order; violation

A. It shall be unlawful for any person to continue any conduct in violation of R.S. 56:648.1 when ordered to desist by an enforcement officer who has observed such conduct or who has reasonable grounds to believe that the person has engaged in such conduct on that day or plans or intends to engage in such conduct that day on a specific property.

B. Violation of the provisions of R.S. 56:648.3(A) shall constitute a Class three violation.