SEASHORE DUCK BLIND PERMITS AVAILABLE FOR THE 2015-2016 HUNTING SEASON

Date: September 1, 2015
Contact: Jill Jaworski, 252-728-2250, ext. 3034

HARKERS ISLAND, NC –Superintendent Patrick M. Kenney announces that permits for temporary duck blinds will be available at the Harkers Island Visitor Center beginning Tuesday, September 8, 2015, from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m., and thereafter Monday through Friday, except holidays.

For the 2015-2016 season, the park will continue to utilize a lottery system to determine the initial order for registration. All hunters who are present at the Harkers Island Visitor Center at 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, September 8 will draw a numbered ticket. This ticket will determine the order for registering a duck blind permit. All hunters who arrive after 9:00 a.m. and are not present at the start of the lottery, will register on a first come, first served basis after the initial lottery participants have registered and selected their blinds.

There is a $50.00 administrative permit fee which includes one blind, and a $25.00 fee for the second blind ($75.00 total for two blinds). The fees are used to administer and monitor the duck blind program. If you are interested in obtaining a Duck Blind Permit, you must bring your current North Carolina State hunting license with a signed federal duck stamp, a picture identification (driver's license), and be prepared to identify your blind location on a computerized topographic map.

Superintendent Kenney noted that the use of the lottery system for the first day of registration has been working very well and will be continued this year. "The duck blind permit program has been an effective program and with the help of the hunters, will continue to be a mutually workable program," said Kenney, "we always invite the public to make suggestions to help improve the program."

Hunting is authorized within Cape Lookout National Seashore, subject to State of North Carolina hunting regulations, as well as Federal law. The Duck Blind Permit allows hunters to place and leave temporary duck blinds in the park from September 8, 2015 until March 31, 2016. Blinds must be removed by the permittee no later than March 31, 2016. Construction of permanent duck blinds is illegal. Hunters are advised that failure to obtain a permit or failure to remove blinds at the end of the permit period may result in penalties, a bill for the cost of removing the blind, and/or exclusion from the program in future years. Illegal duck blinds found in the park will be removed without notice and the cost of removing illegal and abandoned blinds significantly adds to the cost of the program and may have to be passed on to the hunters in future years.

Commercial hunting (or fishing) guides must obtain a permit to conduct commercial activities in a national park. Guides should contact park Administrative Officer Katherine Cushinberry about permits at [phone], extension 3019.