CWA working on W11 and Y15

very informative! Thank you all.

Matt and Steve: can I call you this week, to discuss?

moving a blind site stake should be easy, if I understand this. ( it’s not like an actual in ground blind on the island). But will take agreement with staff on its placement.

When I see that you, Steve, Jeff, old quack etc want a change, that tells me something.
 
very informative! Thank you all.

Matt and Steve: can I call you this week, to discuss?

moving a blind site stake should be easy, if I understand this. ( it’s not like an actual in ground blind on the island). But will take agreement with staff on its placement.

When I see that you, Steve, Jeff, old quack etc want a change, that tells me something.

Anytime, Rick....................... :blush:
 
I heard a rumor this year that hazard was going to get some work this year? Possibly by CWA? Hazard can be tough to hunt when you have a giant pond and are stuck in the pit blinds on the edge of the pond. I always though that hazard would hunt much better if they moved all the blinds 50 yards east closer to the middle of the pond.

Hopefully the areas that CWA is working in get planted this summer so ducks actually want to use them. This past year the y15s had very few ducks on them the whole season. I’d imagine the spots they work on will be the same next year unless they finish I’m time for wister staff to plant them
 
I heard a rumor this year that hazard was going to get some work this year? Possibly by CWA? Hazard can be tough to hunt when you have a giant pond and are stuck in the pit blinds on the edge of the pond. I always though that hazard would hunt much better if they moved all the blinds 50 yards east closer to the middle of the pond.

Hopefully the areas that CWA is working in get planted this summer so ducks actually want to use them. This past year the y15s had very few ducks on them the whole season. I’d imagine the spots they work on will be the same next year unless they finish I’m time for wister staff to plant them
Back in the day Hazard had island blinds and it was rough! island blinds at Wister are lame and the new ones in Y15 are the worst the placement was terrible. I feel they think it allows better control of hunters and sprawl of trash from all the dirtbags that leave their hulls and trash on the leavees. It's nice to see S22 finally reworked but the gigantic ponds and island blinds (Not Good) but hey is waterfowling in a desert a challange in everyway! Long Live Wister! I love that place.
 
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Looks like a San Jacinto in imperial county... Scott's still manager of wister .
 
Back in the day Hazard had island blinds and it was rough! island blinds at Wister are lame and the new ones in Y15 are the worst the placement was terrible. I feel they think it allows better control of hunters and sprawl of trash from all the dirtbags that leave their hulls and trash on the leavees. It's nice to see S22 finally reworked but the gigantic ponds and island blinds (Not Good) but hey is waterfowling in a desert a challange in everyway! Long Live Wister! I love that place.

I agree islands are not the most ideal but hunting hazard on a big dyke on the end of a huge pond is also not ideal.
 
Islands are great, its the mud to get to them and back out thats brutal. In a hard bottom world, like most of nor cal, islands are preferred.
 
Ill be the guy here ! Other than reworking water delivery that was in dire shape; nothing that has been done by DU or CWA has/is IMHO been good for Wister ! Im not bashing DFG employees here by any means. If your old enough to remember , the Gonsalez Wister management time period that destroyed many of Wister best attributes for ever, then you really appreciate the guys that have worked Wister in recent years. I think they do a great job with limited funds ie; manpower, equipment, etc...... that is a whole 'nother issue !
Island blinds are for those who have the physical capabilities; this eliminates all hunter access. Hell, even pit blinds in a field become obstacles at some point for older folks.
Like Duckfan stated island blinds up North like Mendota as example, have hard bottoms and walking on that stuff compared to Wister is like walking on the sidewalk.
The roads, or from some dikes, that have been created over the years are a joke compared to what was original. The width of individual ponds is way to wide; in most instances 1 or 2 smaller dikes should have been added to each site. With the changes in pond width, in my opinion, you have to hunt in the water on marhstools or the ducks can fly and land down the opposite side far out of gun range. But now we're back to the debate about access for all to regarding island blinds.
If your old enough to remember the main and intermediate dikes at Wister were also much lower. Ducks would line up on the checks to sun, feed and rest in most ponds but still be able to see somewhat from pond to pond.
For me a perfect example of work that to me is not great is the changes to the T10 area. T-10 5 was one of if not the best area at Wister. It wasn't necessary to remove all the intermediates dikes. Eliminating dikes pushing sites like T10-2 that used to have water on on side and field the other to a stake, then pit blinds wasn't the best idea. Even if you hunt the T10- 2 or4 sites the fields are too wide with limited mobility of where to set up and hunt. T10-5's pond on the East side is so wide its ridiculous.
S22 was one of the best spots on the refuge for snow geese. For some reason starting back in the Gonsalez era the area was left fallow for years. Then when is revamped its turned into island blinds in a bay. Again reducing access for all. However, this last season I did see more quality birds wanting to use the area. Which is great but not all can do the islands. Believe if you do this long enough your times comin !
I could go on and on about areas like U10, 312's etc.... that the work that has been done might work for other places or maybe even places with more funding would be better; but not Wister. It is and always has been a different place to hunt ! Ive hunted ducks and geese in a lot a places over the past 52 years, Wister is its own animal !
Ok Ill stop !
 
You have central waterfowl associations restructuring southern California areas ,its going to be set up like central California areas, I'd prefer the option of hunting islands blind or on the dike , y do the changes seems to fall in course of SJWA
 
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T10 - 5 was a good spot when the east side was green feed. CWA came up with the idea to flood it to choke out the weeds. Once you lose something at wister you dont get it back like alkalibullrush that's being disc away not relocated before CWA project
 
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