In conjunction with 2008 Ohio waterfowl blind drawings, DU will raffle more than $100,000 in decoys

Ohio waterfowl hunters are preparing to line up at Ohio Division of Wildlife facilities and Ohio state park sites for the annual waterfowl blind drawings.  Ducks Unlimited will greet these fellow hunters with Avery GreenHead Gear decoy raffles all across the state. 

There will be a package of approximately 60 dozen decoys for the blind drawings with larger attendance and a package of approximately 35 dozen for the blind drawings which have a smaller crowds. We will be selling chances on the all the decoys in one huge raffle that includes the bonus raffle.  The decoys will be given away according to how they are packaged from Avery.  This means the small decoy package will have close to 60 winners and the large package will have over 100 winners!

The tickets will be $10 each, 3 for $20, or 10 plus a bonus ticket for $50.  What is the bonus you ask? This ticket will go into a winner-take-all field hunter’s package including a layout blind, full body Canada Geese decoys and full body duck decoys. The only way to get this bonus ticket is to get $50 worth of decoy tickets.

With the incredible CRP losses suffered (7 million acres)due to changes in the farm bill and other market pressures Ohio Ducks Unlimited is partnering with our State Parks and DOW agencies to have some fun and save some acres. Come to the blind drawing for some ducks today, bring a little extra cash for the ducks of tomorrow.

“Ducks Unlimited is pleased to celebrate our wildlife resources in partnership with the Ohio State parks and Ohio Division of Wildlife,” said Ohio DU State Chairman, John Murphy.  “This is a great opportunity for Ohio waterfowl hunters to win decoys while waiting to be drawn for a blind.  It will be a good time and we’ll be raising money for waterfowl habitat at the same time.”

Ducks Unlimited is absolutely thrilled with the support and partnerships with both the Division of Wildlife and Division of Parks.  We encourage folks to make a weekend of the draws and enjoy these state properties.  Whether camping, fishing, swimming, photographing wildlife, scouting places to hunt or just being outdoors, state parks and wildlife areas are Ohio treasures for all to enjoy.

To support Ohio waterfowl hunters, DU is making sure the blind drawings will be beneficial for all attendees.   Even if a hunter doesn’t draw a blind, there’s a good chance he or she will walk away with some new decoys for the up-coming season.  Information on DU conservation work in Ohio will also be available. For more info about the blind drawing locations and times, go to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources site  or the Ohio Division of Wildlife site.
 

With more than a million supporters, Ducks Unlimited is the world’s largest and most effective wetland and waterfowl conservation organization with more than 12 million acres conserved. The United States alone has lost more than half of its original wetlands - nature’s most productive ecosystem - and continues to lose more than 80,000 wetland acres each year.

Chris Eder
ceder@ducks.org
517.467.6570