LCCB has new boundaries, duck blind rules in place for 2017

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BY CHUCK VANDENBERG

PCC EDITOR

MONTROSE - The Lee County Conservation District is reminding hunters of the phase out of permanent duck blinds along the river areas owned by the conservation district.

Nathan Unsworth, the LCCD director, said the district used to allow permanent blinds through a lottery system, but it became difficult to control so the board moved to eliminate the program in December 2016.

"Basically, we had a permanent duck blind program we did through a lottery system," Unsworth said. "Unfortunately, over the last five years it was in practice it wasn't working for the district. People were leaving their blinds out and not complying with the rules, so it became a difficult thing to manage."

He said the hunters who have been following the program guidelines will be allowed to keep their permanent blinds under the 2016 agreement regulations through the 2018 waterfowl seasons. However, those that weren't playing by the rules will have boat-in only privileges on district property.

The district board will not allow any new additional permanent duck blinds in 2017 and 2018 and by 2019 there will be no permanent blinds allowed on LCCB property. All remaining locations will be treated as boat-in blinds and walk-in areas only.

“This new policy ensures all hunters have equal access to our outstanding public waterfowl hunting areas. It also reduces any confusion over where people can or cannot hunt on our properties,” Unsworth said.

The district also purchased additional land in 2012 that had to be surveyed before hunting boundaries could be set up. Unsworth said those surveys were just recently received and hunters need to get out and see the new properties or give the board a call to get up to speed.

"The new area we just acquired, people were using permanent blinds there and there are some questions about the boundaries," he said. "Some people obviously have hunted those areas for a while and we want to work with them to get them familiar with the new areas."

Boundary signs are posted by the conservation staff on the river properties to indicate where the county conservation properties begin and end.

For more information about waterfowl hunting on Lee County Conservation Board areas, people are encouraged to call the Conservation Office at 319-463-7673.

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