Seasonal duck blinds will no longer be an option for hunters at the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District.
A duck blind is a shelter camouflaged with branches, leaves and other materials to keep hunters hidden from prey.
“Concealment is very, very important for duck hunting since [ducks] have such excellent vision,” MWCD Executive Director Craig Butler said. “If they see the hunter, if they see the dog … they tend to shy away.”
The district is pivoting to a first come, first serve system for the duck blinds that can be checked out by hunters at Pleasant Hill Lake and Charles Mill Lake.
Butler says the move is an effort to improve fair access during hunting season.
“We want to give the largest number of potential duck hunters opportunities to use some of these really popular spots that were otherwise seasonal and only being used occasionally by an individual or member of the family,” Butler said. “It's really about access and … fairness to give as many people opportunities to hunt on our lakes as possible.”
The daily-use system will also keep the area cleaner, MWCD Director of Marketing and Communications Adria Bergeron said, which could benefit the environment around the watershed.
“No longer can you leave your decoys and your equipment set up for the entire season,” she said. “It's now going to need to be cleaned up and picked up after every single day of use.”
Butler acknowledged the conservancy district’s decision may be unpopular with hunters who relied on the seasonal duck blind system.
They're obviously losing, you know, some potential access and having now to carry in and carry out their materials and be in competition with other hunters,” he said. “But when we weigh it in totality, we think it’s better to open it up for better access than to exclude it to just a small number of people who know how to use the system.”
Goose and duck hunting seasons begin Saturday, Sept. 2 and end on Sept. 10 and 17, respectively.
Ohio Department of Natural Resources hunting rules and regulations apply to Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District public land and water.