Hopefully before next season, we are able to have some input and parcipitate in blind building and placement as well as planting millet in the summer. 

Originaly Posted By Larry Ramirez

Hopefully before next season, we are able to have some input and parcipitate in blind building and placement as well as planting millet in the summer. 

Larry there is input from us on the blinds and previously millet. Being honest the millet has 2 things to be at issue, 1 is techinally it is illegal to plant millet and then hunt over it the next season. On a personal tank its you’re on risk, but on a club lake its less fun as the hunters will pay the price. Also planting Millet and having successful bloom is very difficult without access to power and consistent water. We (outside of club) manage a 300 acre place that has 150 acres of water and food plots require intense and consistent approach which is frankly not a reasonable approach in the club.

The blind locations are surveyed and moved year of year to give the best experience for the hunters as well as the bird’s general desires (which does change year over year). An example at ferris is in 2018(ish) we took 4 straight hunts (over 2 weeks going Wednesdays and Saturdays) of 5 man limits of Pintails, Mallards, Wigeon and gads. All were taken out of an old blind that sat on the SW corner of the lake. Because of water level the birds want no part in that area now. The water use to always be trickling out splitway and now thats dry.

Some of the biggest issues this year was a down bird year and late migration. Clubwise there were a bunch of newer guys hunting 20+ times hitting properties every other or every few days which just educates and pressures birds off properties. Having been apart of this club for more than a decade I can say we’ve had bad years before but the number of guys solo hunting mid week was a big big issue. Instead of small groups finding lakes and getting wads time to form, we were hammering the lakes like Waterboo and Ferris at a rate that just isn’t going to produce long term. 

We also need water baaaaaad!!! Waterboo, Ferris, Lancaster and Jel Mar are all down 3 feet! That is key for natural food sources to develop in a position for dabblers to access. Nothing the Club can do about that, but it definately doesn’t help. 

Educated Birds…… I think those Gads have been shot at by at least 5 – 6 groups/solo hunters. We went on wednesday and picked off a bunch of them with the ice out of the old wooden blind on the north side. I think I probably have 40 hunts out of that old thing, no camo, no paint left, but birds love that north side. The metal blind is on its 5 position in 5 years trying to get close. We did have a good hunt out of it in December but we need more water and birds