HARKERS ISLAND — The lottery for temporary duck blind permits for the 2018-2019 season at Cape Lookout National Seashore will begin at 8 a.m. Sept. 10 at the visitor center, the seashore announced Wednesday.
The park will use the lottery system, as it has in the past, to determine the initial order for registration.
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All hunters present at the Harkers Island Visitor Center at 8 a.m. Monday, Sept. 10, will draw a numbered ticket to determine the order of registering for the permit, which allows hunters to place and leave temporary duck blinds in the park from Sept. 10 until March 31, 2019.
Hunters must bring their current North Carolina State hunting license with a signed federal duck stamp, a picture identification such as a driver’s license and be prepared to identify preferred blind location on a computerized topographic map.
Hunters who arrive at the visitor center Sept. 10 after the lottery starts will register on a first come, first served basis after the initial lottery participants have registered and selected their blinds.
There is a $50 administrative permit fee, which includes one blind, and an additional $25 fee for the second blind. The fees are used to administer and monitor the duck blind program.
Blinds must be removed by the permittee no later than March 31, 2019.
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Hunting is authorized within Cape Lookout National Seashore, subject to State of North Carolina hunting regulations, as well as Federal law. 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, according to the release. 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 and should contact park Business Manager Katherine Cushinberry at 252-728-8899 for more information.
