# motorized decoy ban in Minnesota



## Water Swater (Oct 23, 2003)

Motorized decoy ban passes in the House

By Joe Albert
Staff Writer

St. Paul - Motorized decoys would be illegal for Minnesota duck hunters next season under a provision in an expansive fish and game bill that passed out of the House last week.

Hunters still could use non-motorized spinning or flapping-wing decoys to attract waterfowl to their decoy spreads.
The Senate version of the bill, awaiting hearing in the Senate Finance Committee, also limits use of motorized decoys. In that version, such decoys would be prohibited during the early part of the season, and for the entire season on water bodies and lands in wildlife management areas.

The Senate Finance Committee is expected to take up the omnibus game and fish bill after it's done with finance bills. Once out of Finance, it will be heard on the floor, said Bob Meier, director of legislative affairs for the DNR.
Though neither game and fish bill is the same as it was when initially presented, the DNR is mostly supportive of them.

"We support the vast majority of what's in there," said Ed Boggess, DNR Fish and Wildlife Policy Section chief.

Among the provisions that passed out of the House:
•Special permits could be issued to take protected wild animals that are damaging property, or to remove or destroy their dens, nests, houses, or dams.

•A person under 12 could hunt turkeys if accompanied by a parent or guardian who is within arm's reach.

•The fee for a resident license to guide bear hunters would be $82.50.

•A person may not train hunting dogs on public land between April 16 and July 14.

•A person born after Dec. 31, 1989 who previously has not had a trappers license would have to complete a trappers education program before purchasing a license.

•Any unoccupied permanent stand or blind on public land is public and not the property of the person who constructed it. Permanent stands and blinds can't have a permanent roof or permanent walls.

•The pheasant season, by rule of the DNR commissioner, can be open between Sept. 16 and Jan. 3.

•The regular duck season may not open before the Saturday closest to Oct. 1.

•Decoys cannot be left unattended on public waters for more than two consecutive hours unless the decoys are in waters adjacent to private land in control of the hunter; and there is not natural vegetation growing in the water sufficient to partially conceal a hunter.

•The open season to take walleyes, northern pike, muskies, large and smallmouth bass lasts until the last Sunday in February.

•Anglers can take no more than one walleye over 20 inches and one northern pike over 30 inches each day.

Though a bill to abolish the state's new mourning dove hunting season was introduced in the House early in the session, there wasn't an attempt on the House floor to pass such an amendment.

The DNR and many dove hunters expected some debate about the season.
"We anticipated there would be some reaction to doves, and we were prepared for it," Meier said.

ATV legislation
A proposal championed by off-highway vehicle proponents to create a program similar to one in Wisconsin under which ATV clubs would be given grant money for education and trail monitoring was voted out of a large Senate environment bill Monday. It was removed from the bill on a 32-31 vote.

The idea is still alive in a House environment bill.

Under the provision, groups like the All-Terrain Vehicle Association of Minnesota would be given $200,000 per year for education and monitoring.

"From our environmental perspective, why give money to some clubs that don't have the authority" to write tickets and hand out citations, said Anne Hunt, environmental program coordinator for the Minnesota Environmental Partnership. "The money is better left in the DNR's Enforcement Division."

The House bill, awaiting hearing in the Ways and Means Committee, contains a number of ATV-related issues. Among them, it would open segments of the North Shore Trail, and state lands north of U.S Highway 2 would maintain their present classification, which environmentalists say would harm the environment by allowing ATV riders access to about 74 percent of state forest land.

Separately, a plan proposed by Gov. Tim Pawlenty to replace the Legislative Commission on Minnesota Resources with an 11-member citizens commission also was dropped from the Senate environmental spending bill.

The proposal was scheduled to be heard in the House Ways and Means Committee Tuesday.


----------



## Field Hunter (Mar 4, 2002)

How about a law in ND that says you can only use a spinner if it's legal in your state of residence. Just Kidding.

I don't understand the reasoning....I guess the DNR would rather have people make longer shots and cripple more ducks than actually get the majority into the decoys and make a clean kill. I know they bring in the ducks so there may be a larger harvest. Maybe the DNR/legislature should concentrate their efforts in actually growing more ducks instead of passing stupid laws, IMHO.


----------



## Quackkills9 (Oct 25, 2004)

agreed with you fieldhunter :withstupid:


----------



## Chris Schulz (Sep 7, 2004)

It says the bans will be for early seson? will they continue throughout the season as well? I'm not really understanding the article.


----------



## Quackkills9 (Oct 25, 2004)

> In that version, such decoys would be prohibited during the early part of the season, and for the entire season on water bodies and lands in wildlife management areas.


it says that it will not be used during the early part of the season AND for the entire season on water and lands


----------



## Chris Schulz (Sep 7, 2004)

Not to be an [email protected]$ but it says water bodies and land in wildlife managment areas. it doesnt say anything about private land. sorry if this is stupid but I cannot find anything about this on the net!


----------



## Matt Jones (Mar 6, 2002)

The ban is crock. This is just another example of what happens when you have politicians making decisions that a state wildlife department should be making. Even if you want to see spinners banned (I personally don't care) they should not be making the call. Spinner bans should be done at the federal or flyway level. Banning them on WMA is also stupid. Why not ban them state-wide if you're going to do that? To me it just doesn't make any sense.


----------



## Quackkills9 (Oct 25, 2004)

Chris- I'm not sure about private lands but I guess that would mean its banned too? not sure though. :-?


----------



## maple lake duck slayer (Sep 25, 2003)

There are two legislative bodies...the House and the Senate. Each has their own bill related to motorized decoys. The bill in the House has passed in the House- This would make it illegal to use motorized spinning wing decoys on all land statewide throughout the entire season. The Senate version of the bill would make it illegal to use motorized spinning wing decoys during the early part of the season and on waters and lands in Wildlife Management Areas throughout the entire season.


----------



## DUtyler (May 4, 2005)

schulz will just have to hunt with me and my sweet calling skills.


----------



## Chris Schulz (Sep 7, 2004)

tyler i know you have alot of sweet skills, like numchuck skills, but i think your the best with the bow staff. :beer:


----------



## DUtyler (May 4, 2005)

my sweet new mojo is pretty much going to stay in the box until i get my 2 weeks in nodak. just about the best money i ever spent


----------



## mntwins (May 19, 2005)

They should wait for the feds to ban the through out the flyways. :roll:


----------



## Level3 (Mar 20, 2005)

My understanding is that they will be banned everywhere in the state during the first two weeks. There is always the question about using them on private land, such as a field, during the first two weeks. Then, they will be banned only from wildlife management areas. A person would be able to use them on private or public lands and water, as long as it has not been designated as a "Wildlife Management Area."

I agree with what has been said. Legistlators are making "feel good" laws that really don't do much for the real problems of ducks / all wildlife in MN. I'll keep off the tangent, but I guess I'll use mine in other states that actually have ducks.


----------



## Ithaca1 (Nov 24, 2003)

The reasoning behind the ban is that it is so effective on young of the year mallards. At this time ID is tough which in turn leads to an increased # of hens to be killed. I am not going to preach that it is wrong to use one because we use them at times. The area we hunt has several guides working it so we sometimes feel that spinning wing dekes are needed to compete along with bigger and better spreads but you look at the snenario for the guy with limited funds taking his kid out with a dozen floaters and trying to compete with the the group of guys that has 5 spinning wing decoys and 5 dozen top notch floaters who do you think is going to win. Gone are the days of homemade decoys and scouting for the golden slough or field for some people. For alot of people these days it is only a good day is a limit taken quickly so they can go back home and brag about it on the internet.


----------

