WALLISVILLE, Texas (April 21, 2017) – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Galveston District’s Wallisville Lake Project Office’s Waterfowl Management Program will accept seasonal duck blind applications May 1- June 30, 2017, for the upcoming 2017-18 waterfowl hunting season.
Applicants must apply for the duck blind drawing using the Wallisville Lake Waterfowl Management Program website to complete the 2017-18 duck blind drawing application, located at http://www.swg.usace.army.mil/Locations/Wallisville-Lake-Project-Office. No other form of application (written cards, letters, etc.) will be accepted.
The following information must be accurately entered in the application form: Full name as it appears on your driver’s license, mailing address, email, phone number (where you can be contacted during/after duck hunting season) and driver’s license number. All applicants must be at least 18 years old and only one application per household address will be accepted.
“A random drawing will be held July 1, 2017, to select permit winners,” said George Dabney, USACE Galveston District. “Permit selectees will be notified in mid-July by email containing additional instructions for obtaining their official duck blind permits.”
According to Dabney, a blind location-selection meeting will be held in August 2017. All blind selectees must attend this meeting to select a blind location, be issued a duck blind permit and USACE hunting permit. No make-up meetings or appointments will be offered to select a blind or for permit issuance.
“The Wallisville Lake Project Office will be implementing important changes to the 2017-18 Wallisville Lake Waterfowl Management Program, that will impact the number of blinds allowed and hunting areas on the project,” said Dabney. “It’s important that participants are aware of these changes.”
Changes to the 2017-18 duck blind drawing and hunting areas include the number of permitted, semi-permanent blinds allowed on the Wallisville Lake Project, which will be reduced from 150 in previous years to 50 for the upcoming 2017-18 waterfowl hunting season. In addition, no-hunt zones will be expanded as a method to balance hunting and environmental stewardship on the project.
“We have determined through observations, anecdotal evidence and recommendations from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department that limited resting areas for waterfowl on project lands negatively affect their residence time (length of stay), and the hunting experience,” said Dabney. “Currently, no-hunt zones are limited to areas around parks, areas close to I-10 or other roadways, areas close to homes, the JJ Mayes Wildlife Trace, the Lost Lake Oil Field as well as all areas east of the Trinity River and south of I-10.”
According to Dabney, staff will close an additional track of land from I-10 to the southern shore of the Lost River and ending at the bridge that crosses the Lost River to the Lost Lake Oil Field for the 2017-18 season. This will extend to the Trinity River and I-10 along the Trinity. The waterfowl hunting maps will be updated to reflect the change prior to the start of the season.
“Finally, we will be curtailing the permitting of semi-permanent blinds on Lake Miller and Mud Lake due to their limited access,” said Dabney. “The lack of predictable and routine access restricts the ability to remove blind materials at the end of the season, which does not meet the environmental stewardship component of our mission at the Wallisville Lake Project. Walk-in and non-permanent boat blind hunting on both Lake Miller and Mud Lake will still be allowed however, no semi-permanent blinds will be authorized.”
Local, state and federal laws are enforced on all USACE managed lands at the Wallisville Lake Project. Dabney urges hunters to know and understand the rules and regulations before heading to their favorite hunting spots and offers the following guidance: