Common sense in the marsh!

K

Kirby

Well-Known Member
Most years we have a lot a new people In the marsh and truthfully we need the people and enjoy having the revenue to keep the marsh going strong!! BUT.... some things need to be aired out and maybe some of these people are frequent hunters just unaware of some of the common sense things.

First of All pick your shit up , leaving beer cans and liquor bottles in the marsh or throwing them behind the blind is just plain fucked! There really isn’t a easier way to put it, if you want to take beers or whatever shit you want in the marsh no one is baby sitting you go ahead but don’t be a goof and throw glass bottles and cans in the marsh , we all have dogs that we don’t really want stepping on your bullshit , take your stuff in with you so simple.

More then ever this year I have seen multiple kayak and canoe set ups this year travelling way out into the marsh to the farther blinds, your paddling around in the channels in the pitch black in November and headed closer to cold weather do yourselves a favour go out after it’s light and get in long before dark. Know one can see you in the marsh and with your 2 inch free board it’s almost impossible not to swamp you. It’s also difficult to see you in the edge of the marsh.

This one goes mostly to morning travels if you choose to use your 78” led light bar that you got on your boat and your 7 flashlights well that’s your choice but don’t Shine the light in people’s face as they drive by you or your coming head on. It’s hard to see when your being shined in the face with 13,000,0000 candle watts .

If you intended on leaving or you shoot your limit in the last 15 minutes of legal light either wait it out at your blind till shooting light is up or take an alternate route that your not going to interfere with peoples hunt. To drive threw the entire marsh past everyone’s blind at 6 mph in prime time is just a ignorant. Sometimes that’s the only shooting on slow days. Drive around or if you no you don’t want to stay till dark leave before the sun is down so it doesn’t screw up the best portion of someone’s else’s hunt.

we have one of the best public marshes in Ontario lets keep it that way!

common sense goes a long way !
 
Hello Kirby,

I agree with what you have stated about the garbage especially since I have often taken out anywhere from 25 to 125 spent hulls that where left around the blinds that I have hunted in the past. There has been an improvement over the years but I can still pick up 10 to 20 spent hulls if I look for them.

I would line to suggest that everyone take a look around the blind before you leave the site to make sure that no garbage is left behind ... even if it is not yours pick it up anyways as it will be appreciated by the next hunter. By the way even kayakers must have a navigational light turned on at night.

Jerome
 
Pack out your trash ! How simple could it get ? I get it that it is hard to pick up hulls in the dark but policing the area around a blind is not hard to do in daylight and means a little less work for the next guy.
Chucking empty booze containers is not only stupid but illegal.
Navigation lights are again a legality .
Puttering through the marsh as opposed to a high speed run can be seen as a safety issue and wouldn't fault someone for that.
As for traffic during primetime ? It happens ! I wish it didn't but it happens.
Thanks for the post Kirby ! It seems like once a year patrons of the marsh need a reminder .
 
I saw a canoe headed to one of the outside blinds today that was right on the bay and was also concerned with the strong winds when it was loaded with a lot of decoys and had not a lot of freeboard
 
I agree wholeheartedly with keeping common sense in mind. Try to have some compassion for the canoe guys. Duck hunting is an amazing sport and the unit is one of the few places that the average Joe can go out and have a decent shoot. Farm ponds are hard to come across, and good duck boats are more than many can afford.

I haven't shot the unit in some time but have done so by canoe in the past. In the spirit of trying to boost the common sense factor maybe it wouldn't hurt to have some signage up in the unit about safety (maybe it is already there?). Canoes should be lit up to be visible and I've been guilty of travelling without lights in the past so this reminder is important. At the same time, nobody needs to be rocking through the marsh at 20MPH to get to their blind, so reminding boats that they need to watch for canoes is also important.

You're telling canoe guys to go out after its light out and get back before dark. You're also telling them not to go through the marsh during prime time. So canoe guys can only hunt the lunch hour? Give me a break!
 
To the original poster, I agree with your take on the garbage. As someone who spends a lot of time on public (crown land) in summer and winter, I’m amazed at how much garbage is left behind by those same people who use the lands. LP is no different. Why spoil a good thing accessible to us ? The beer cans and liquor bottles is mind boggling on why they are there in the first place.

Now I tried to ignore this post and the comments, but I caved and here I am posting a response... (I hate myself)

I am one who travels via canoe as that’s my only option, and I’m most likely the person the other poster saw heading out to the further blinds on Wed morning. Let’s be clear here, a canoe is a perfectly safe method of travel within the marsh which is fairly well protected. If the issue is you’re swamping the canoe or kayak, this really sounds like a “you” issue as “you” can control your environment. By saying a hunter using a canoe should be restricted to only near blinds within the marsh, and say they should only travel after first light or well before last light is just a very poor take. It’s also a good way to scare off those people who might be intimidated by the “marsh” and reading these forums In the background trying to get into the sport with limited resources.

If in fact it was me the previous poster saw, he never mentioned:
It was a sportspal wide transom canoe that has a 40” beam and is very stable. It’s powered by a 55lb trolling motor which handles almost all conditions within the marsh safely and easily (not a race). The load is about 400lbs below it’s capacity. There is plenty of freeboard to handle the marsh and it’s perimeter pending wind direction (common sense comes to play here). Stating it was loaded with decoys is a little misleading and dramatic as it was single bag of decoys (22). The canoe is setup with lights for night travel and headlamps are a bonus i always take.

To say that canoes are a problem is an awful take. I’m very visible when travelling at night and keep to my lane. Now if your take was a general comment about travelling at night and how lights are required, while outlining the dangers of travelling without them, that would have been a much better take and in keeping with your subject line. I don’t see a lot of other canoes at night, but I definetly see many boats moving at good speeds in the marsh with zero lighting. As someone in a canoe, it’s pretty damn scary hearing a mud motor catching up to you but not being able to see anything until they are almost on top of you. I get it, things happen so lights might be out of commission or forgotten, but let’s make sure we’re putting all the cards on the table here. It’s not a canoe/kayak issue or a Jon issue it’s an operator issue and/or common sense issue and easily resolved.

And lastly, as someone who does travel through the marsh at a much slower speed (55lbs only pushes so much) I’ve never experienced a bigger boat powered by a “real” motor swamping me or anything near. I’ve only had positive experiences of larger boats being very mindful of the little guy when passing one another, so kudos to all you out there.

Cheers and good luck the rest of the season.
 
anonymoose said:
I agree wholeheartedly with keeping common sense in mind. Try to have some compassion for the canoe guys. Duck hunting is an amazing sport and the unit is one of the few places that the average Joe can go out and have a decent shoot. Farm ponds are hard to come across, and good duck boats are more than many can afford.

I haven't shot the unit in some time but have done so by canoe in the past. In the spirit of trying to boost the common sense factor maybe it wouldn't hurt to have some signage up in the unit about safety (maybe it is already there?). Canoes should be lit up to be visible and I've been guilty of travelling without lights in the past so this reminder is important. At the same time, nobody needs to be rocking through the marsh at 20MPH to get to their blind, so reminding boats that they need to watch for canoes is also important.

You're telling canoe guys to go out after its light out and get back before dark. You're also telling them not to go through the marsh during prime time. So canoe guys can only hunt the lunch hour? Give me a break!
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Defiantly not the reference I made , after its light in the morning and leaving an hour before dark gives you the hole day to hunt, if your a frequent hunter to long point and you choose to use a canoe feel free to do whatever you would like, but 3 times this year I’ve seen people in canoes that have absolutely no clue where they are going and have no clue that there is more then a couple boats that all take the same path. 5 years ago if you told Fred you had a canoe after October that limited your options, for good reason. It’s not safe to be out in the marsh with water in the 30-40’ s travelling out to blinds that take 30 mins to paddle to. If something happens and the wind picks up and for some reason you flip your boat it’s not the good old days of maximum hip high water. You will be over your head and boat less. This isn’t a enclosed marsh anymore things have change and it’s the real deal. I feel it’s quite simple really if you hunt here often enough a powered boat should be the top of your list of equipment if it’s not then best use “common sense” and stack your safety odds in your favour aka cut your hunt short a hour on each end , or get a boat!
 
I 100% agree with Kirby
We run into quite a few canoes and kayaks heading out throughout the season that aren’t running ANY lights
I’m thinking of upgrading the lights on the front of our boat just so I can see these guys sooner (hate to do it but I think it’s safer as I don’t see them getting the point)
it sucks because it’ll scares off more ducks when driving through but peoples safety is more important
Hopefully everyone in canoes and kayak’s SOON realize this and get their shit together before someone gets hurt, LIGHTS ARE A NECESSITY IN THE CHANNELS, MARSH and in the BAY!!!!!!!!!!!
As for the liquor bottles, I haven’t run across that yet as I only shoot ducks over the decoys (no dog), but that seems concerning to say the least.
Use common sense everyone!
 
I thought is was a minimum of 10 hours from bottle to boom stick?
 
If that be the rule HTHM the Unit wouldn't have many customers..... LoL !
Maybe these issues need to be addressed at the next AGM of the LPWA ?
If I recall the boating Reg's properly navigations lights are mandatory and also the speed limit in or near the shoreline(marsh) is also regulated.
Comfortable swimming temperature is noted to be 68 degrees F ; the present Lake Erie temp is 45 F.
Your choice of craft is yours to be made but I'm sure the First Responders/S&R would sooner not get that call.

BTW; Big wind coming for Sunday !
 
Old Cut LongPointer said:
If that be the rule HTHM the Unit wouldn't have many customers..... LoL !
Maybe these issues need to be addressed at the next AGM of the LPWA ?
If I recall the boating Reg's properly navigations lights are mandatory and also the speed limit in or near the shoreline(marsh) is also regulated.
Comfortable swimming temperature is noted to be 68 degrees F ; the present Lake Erie temp is 45 F.
Your choice of craft is yours to be made but I'm sure the First Responders/S&R would sooner not get that call.

BTW; Big wind coming for Sunday !
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It certainly sounds like it warrants a discussion. Safe use of the marsh should be top priority for canoes and powered craft alike, and yes both are required to have lights operational when travelling at night.

My personal opinion is that canoes shouldn't be kept out of the marsh in the dark and that both canoes and powered craft have to work to keep themselves and their fellow hunters safe travelling at night.
 
left behind beer cans & liquor bottles in the swamp..you would think consuming alcohol and ducking hunting might be a safety concern at the long point waterfowl unit?

Is Jerome still around?..he seemed to do alot of good for long point bay

Just to mention to some of the waterfowl hunters...theres defiantly other oppurtunitys available for controlled units.. I personally reccomend the rondeau bay waterfowl unit as another option..
 
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mick said:
left behind beer cans & liquor bottles in the swamp..you would think consuming alcohol and ducking hunting might be a safety concern at the long point waterfowl unit?

Is Jerome still around?..he seemed to do alot of good for long point bay

Just to mention to some of the waterfowl hunters...theres defiantly other oppurtunitys available for controlled units.. I personally reccomend the rondeau bay waterfowl unit as another option..
Click to expand...
Get the popcorn out,,,, which brings me back to this every time,,, https://www.longpoint.on.ca/forum/index.php?threads/long-point-old-boys-club-secrets-revealled.2062/
 
The only bottles I’ve encountered in and around the marsh over the years are old intact glass Mickey bottles and old stubby beer bottles (glass mickeys and stubbies are a thing of the past)
Most likely an accumulation of boaters, campers, booze cruisers and hunters over the years
Hell, I’ve seen more wooden planks with nails in them that would probably injure a dog out there
 
If anybody takes anything from this thread it has to be that you need to have lights on your vessel. It doesn't matter what your in or when your going out. We have all been there when we thought we'd be in by dark and got caught up doing something and darkness came a lot quicker then we thought.

Having some lights on your vessel could safe a lot of heart ache and phone calls nobody wants to take!
 
Maybe gas motors should be banned. Safer quieter more environmentally friendly. Just a thought . Truth is i have never hunted the unit. I fish the marsh in a canoe all summer, but primarily hunt the haun or farm ponds once in a while i set up in big crick at my uncle's farm. I have a 14 foot. Boat. But if im hitting a farm pond my kayak is nicer to drag accross a field.
 
the hunter safety course states
You may only hunt from a half hour before sunrise to a half hour after sunset, except as otherwise provided. If you are in an area usually inhabited by wildlife, during the period from a half hour after sunset to a half hour before sunrise, you must unload and encase firearms

the title common sense in the marsh..I cant believe it
where are the seasoned waterfowlers..what happen
why would you not wear a watch and a head lamp
and carry a sealed flashlight..

That unit use to post the daily shooting times in the office..
And I remember the MNR policing the unit catching hunters shooting before legal shooting time..and thats a fact and a safety concern
 
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First time hunting the unit this year with my two younger sons, it's been a learning experience and the guys at the unit office have been extremely helpful and patient with our questions. We use a square stern freight-type canoe and are fortunate that we can drop it in and stay off the main channels on route to the inside blinds. Please don't lump us all into the same group, we take all the safety precautions, lighting etc. into consideration and pack out more garbage then we take in. In the summer we run an offshore fishing boat and I gotta tell you, jumping in the canoe to paddle to the blind sure makes you appreciate getting back to basics. Our results aren't great but wouldn't trade it for the world. Maybe some day we'll have a Bankes with mud motor but for now our setup works perfect for us.
 
Landlocked said:
First time hunting the unit this year with my two younger sons, it's been a learning experience and the guys at the unit office have been extremely helpful and patient with our questions. We use a square stern freight-type canoe and are fortunate that we can drop it in and stay off the main channels on route to the inside blinds. Please don't lump us all into the same group, we take all the safety precautions, lighting etc. into consideration and pack out more garbage then we take in. In the summer we run an offshore fishing boat and I gotta tell you, jumping in the canoe to paddle to the blind sure makes you appreciate getting back to basics. Our results aren't great but wouldn't trade it for the world. Maybe some day we'll have a Bankes with mud motor but for now our setup works perfect for us.
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Glad to hear you are enjoying your time out there. Absolutly nothing wrong with hunting the marsh or anywhere for that matter with a canoe. Good on you for taking all the safety precautions. Hope you learned a bunch this year and can use that knowledge for future hunts! All the best.
 
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