In the Weeds: November 2008

"In The Weeds" takes a closer look at the projects, events and happenings of the over 700 PF/QF chapters and 129,000 PF/QF members across the country.

Blind Ambition

By Ben Gintner, Habitat Chairman
Columbia Basin Chapter of Quail Forever

I had been hunting for years, when I met my future Best Man, and best friend, Matthew West. Matt is a neat guy, he has a rare form of Muscular Dystrophy called Spinal Muscular Atrophy. He has never let that stop him from doing the things that he loves, and it has never stopped him from smiling that great big redheaded grin he is so known for.

My dad and I have told Matt for years about all the fun we've had while out hunting and he always loved to hear the stories of the ones that got away, and of the ones that didn't. My dad is quite the story teller - never lies - but usually the ones that got away are mine and the ones that didn't are his (there might be some truth to that though). Anyway, after years of great stories Matt decided that he wanted to go along just to hang out with us. He was hooked! The next year Matt went through hunter's education here in Washington and got his hunting license. He decided deer hunting would be difficult, but ducks and geese would be right up his alley.

We started to look around for some handicap preferred blinds. There were three in our area. Two were on the McNary Wildlife Refuge, a pay-to-hunt location that was also used as a lottery draw format every Wednesday and weekend during the waterfowl season. These blinds were okay as long as not too many people showed. The first time that had happened, wouldn't ya know it we drew third pick. The game warden had told us of the third location on the Peninsula Unit. This blind was easy to get to and right up our alley...or so we thought. The blind sat about 25 yards from the edge of the water, and the reeds in front had not been mowed down to place your decoys close to the blind. After trying to deal with this for years they finally built a very nice ramp out to the edge of the reeds and placed the blind on a pressure treated wooden platform. It looked and functioned perfectly, except for one minor problem: As in Real Estate, waterfowling is all about location, location, location. The blind location was not where the ducks wanted to be. We have only harvested about five birds from the blind in the six or seven years that we have hunted from it.

What to do? We started looking online for other blind locations and found just this year another location in Sunnyside, Washington. We went up a few weeks ago and scouted the blind to find that it is the same type of fiberglass blind as on the Peninsula Unit. However, it is in considerable need of some TLC. After talking to some of the guys working for the state at the location, I gave them my email address and started getting back and forth info from Robby Sak, Asst. Manager for the site. He wanted to move the blind, as there was a foot and a half deep ditch about ten yards in front of the blind that can't be seen when the pond gets flooded, not too safe for someone with a bum hip out hunting in otherwise knee deep water.

I went to my Quail Forever chapter president, Jon Murphy, for some advice. Jon has hunted ducks with Matt and me before, and knows the sort of guy that Matt is. I put together a price list for a pressure treated 2X6 and plywood platform (aided by a great discount from the local Lowe's hardware store) and we brought it up at our next meeting. We made the purchase the next day. Garth Lien and I went to work constructing the platform at my Dad's home. The next day we went to the Sunnyside Refuge. The group included Jon Murphy and fellow chapter members Robby Sak, Bob Broussard and his wife and son

After about five hours of work we had a blind that all were very proud of. One that disabled hunters, birdwatchers, and wildlife photographers would easily be able to use. Matt can't wait until opening morning - I just hope we get there early enough to get the blind. But if we don't, at least we'll know others are using it and enjoying it too!

If you have story ideas, dog photos, pre-1980 hunting photos and requests for future On The Wing consideration, please send correspondence to ahauck@pheasantsforever.org.

"On The Wing" Archive

• On the Wing: June 2009
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