McNary Blind 15

Blind 15 at McNary National Wildlife Refuge sits on the northwest corner of the southern slough. It has a scaffold blind large enough for 3-4 hunters. It’s a relatively short and easy walk from the parking lot. Water access is easy from the blind and there are places around it to hide a dog or kayak for retrievals.

Hunting Style at Blind 15

I’ve had some epic hunts in this blind, with birds swarming all over it, especially with winds out of the west or north, when birds will be more likely to be attracted to its location. It’s a tougher sell for birds when the wind is out of the south. Since it faces east, it’s also not a fun blind on a sunny morning.

The blind sits on a mostly flat shoreline so your decoy setups can be a little less predictable. You’ll want to pay close attention to what the birds are doing and adjust accordingly. Try my post on decoying wary ducks for a couple of ideas on decoy spreads on the shoreline. If you keep your decoys close to the shore you’ll get birds cupping into them and you’ll also get quality passing shots on those that just sweep by. Since it’s in the corner of the slough, a good wind duck or other motion decoy will help you attract birds.

It’s numbers have been down (as have all the blinds on the southern slough of McNary) since a fire hit this part of the refuge a few years ago. However, it’s still a fun blind to hunt and would be a good choice in a north wind. It’s also a good choice if you don’t have a dog because the water near the blind stays pretty shallow.

Finally, pick up some tumbleweeds as you approach the blind because you’ll probably need to augment the brush around the blind.

Goose Opportunities

Goose opportunities a rare in this part of the refuge but you might get a stray group of honkers.

Good luck and let me know if you hunted here and how it went!