# Sink boxes



## duckman#1 (Sep 22, 2002)

This subject was brought up the other night. Why is a sink box illegal? 
If its a saftey issue on public waters (perhaps because of boaters?), then why illegal on your own private pond or lake?


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## DANIEL MARK ZAPOLSKI (Sep 23, 2002)

the department of natural resources in michigan believes in FAIR CHASE! there are other states that allow sink boxs and believe that it is fair chase. that sir it the very simple answer. ANALOGY---- other states allow crossbow hunting for everyone-----MICHIGAN doesn't----very simple BUT STUPID!


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## duckman#1 (Sep 22, 2002)

Thanks for the reply. That (fair chase) was discussed, but it was also argued that todays camo options for boats and blinds can make hunters basically invisible if done correctly not to mention layout blinds ect. so they argued "whats the difference"?
I was just wondering if saftey was a factor too, but guess not.
Thanks again


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## cupped-n-locked (Jan 5, 2006)

If sink baxes aren't fair chase, what are pit blinds?


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## thedude (Jul 20, 2004)

to my knowledge sink boxes are outlawed by federal law... ie.. not legal in any U.S. state. As for a pit blind i believe it is a loophole in that it is touching the bottom of the water body.

i think you have to go to nova scotia to sink box hunt in north america.

from the FWS website: (http://www.fws.gov/le/HuntFish/waterfowl_baiting.htm)
_Illegal hunting methods_. You cannot hunt waterfowl:
From a sink box or any other low *floating* device that conceals you beneath the surface of the water.

a pit blind does not float and is not a "sink box" so it is not specifically outlawed.


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## everlast1 (Nov 9, 2006)

They are outlawed because they are deadly. Feds did away with them when they outlawed feeding.


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## DANIEL MARK ZAPOLSKI (Sep 23, 2002)

yes, sink boxes are illegal, i miss stated. pit blinds are legal elsewhere. the fair chase is still the reasoning for the ban along with baiting and 6 gauge and 8 gauge and punt guns. when you can wipe out 100-200 birds with a single shot i think the point of hunting is NULL AND VOID. as is with bait, those birds will still come in and feed until every kernel of corn is gone once they find it. kinda like SHOOTING FISH IN A BARREL! THANKS FOR THE CORRECTION


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## SafetyMan (Apr 13, 2001)

thedude said:


> a pit blind does not float and is not a "sink box" so it is not specifically outlawed.


You, Sir, are correct. 

Pit blinds are legal in Michigan. I don't think they are illegal anywhere, but I could be wrong.


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## DANIEL MARK ZAPOLSKI (Sep 23, 2002)

pit blinds are legal for the taking of waterfowl ONLY i believe. a pit blind to my knowledge is totally illegal for deer,bear,turkey, elk, etc. but i may be wrong (again).


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## wavie (Feb 2, 2004)

Sink boxes are also legal in Quebec. Nothing more frustrating to see birds after birds getting shot out of sink boxes and you are only 200 yards away hunting in Ontario waters and can only watch the show. Observation, they are way too effective. Was offered to shoot out of one, but declined that day because they were bailing more than they were shooting.


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## TSS Caddis (Mar 15, 2002)

I'm not sure sink boxes are illegal in all states. I seem to recall reading an article in Wildfowel about sink box hunting on the St. Lawrence.

It appears also that this "curtain" blind would be considered a sink box.http://www.ocracokeduckhunting.com/index.html


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## Shlwego (Sep 13, 2006)

TSS,
Probably the portion of the St. Lawrence that is referred to in the Wildfowl article is on the Quebec side, where, as others have stated, sinkboxes are legal.

The curtain blind used in the Oakracoke Island guide advert is legal, because the hunter is standing on the bottom. If you are standing on the bottom, there is no prohibition on having your body concealed below the surface. The curtain itself is also anchored into the bottom - in essence, it's like standing behind a bunch of portable cattails.


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## TSS Caddis (Mar 15, 2002)

So, you could actually be in 4' of water and have the box be 4' deep and be legal? If so, I'm suprised I haven't seen anyone doing this in Michigan.


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## thedude (Jul 20, 2004)

as long as its not floating..... which is really the trick... sinkboxes are deadly becuase they are neutrally bouyant to the point that they barely break the surface of the water.... thus they are able to roll with waves and adjust for fluctuating water levels. A non-floating structure would have all kinds of trouble trying to achieve this in open water since you'd have to be able to constantly fine-tune it's height above the water line to keep the water out but maintain a lowest-possilbe profile.


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## cshire (Sep 10, 2004)

As stated curtain boxes are legal because they are resting on/connected to the bottom and not floating. The curtain goes up and down to account for changes in water levels due to wind tides, etc.

The traditional sink boxes were used floating in open water for diving ducks and sea ducks.

One reason you likely don't see any of these in MI is that a (semi) permanent blind such as this would be open on a first come first serve basis to any hunter (great lakes and public waters). In NC the blinds are permitted and are for the exclusive use of the permit holder for the duration of the permit - usually a season or two.

It appears that this type of blind would be legal in Michigan on private land or bottomlands.


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## thedude (Jul 20, 2004)

just stick one out on the bay and let fill up with water... bring a 12v trash pump out on your rig when you hunt ....should keep most people out of it.


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## cshire (Sep 10, 2004)

That's exactly how they do on Pamlico. The guide who has blind runs tender boat, pumps out blind, sets curtain, sets decoys and drops off hunters.

Tender boat then backs off for hunting time just like layout hunting.

There are definitely areas in MI where this type of blind could be effective, question is how long before somebody else finds your blind and buys a pump? Then the race is on to see who can get there earliest and set up camp. These blinds use literally tons of concrete to anchor them and keep them down so they aren't exactly portable.


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## downeaster (Oct 2, 2006)

I was stationed on Ocracoke four 6 years. I have hunted out of a curtain box. The fact is that there is only about 1ft of water around the blind. The blind is actually a fiberglass box that is burried in the bottom with a jet pump. There is also a rack that is brought into postion to knock down the wave action while hunting.The cutain is raised up as the tide rises and falls. They would work better up here due to the fact of not having the tides to worry about.


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## answerguy8 (Oct 15, 2001)

DANIEL MARK ZAPOLSKI said:


> pit blinds are legal for the taking of waterfowl ONLY i believe. a pit blind to my knowledge is totally illegal for deer,bear,turkey, elk, etc. but i may be wrong (again).


pit BLINDs are legal in MICHIGan for DEER. not JUST waterFOWL.


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## Water_Hazard (Aug 16, 2006)

answerguy8 said:


> pit BLINDs are legal in MICHIGan for DEER. not JUST waterFOWL.


Good thing. I was thinking I may have had to fill in a few holes this summer.


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