McNary Blind 6

Blind 6 at McNary National Wildlife Refuge almost bisects the slough and sits on a point. It has a scaffold blind big enough for 3-4 guys, but the water can get high enough that it covers the bench of the blind. It’s among the closest blinds to parking lot E so it’s good if you don’t want a really long walk. Bring along some snippers if you want to help grass up the blind or forage for some tumbleweeds tucked into the grass around it.

Hunting Style

This is a fun blind and can offer a little bit of everything. You can make decoy sets out in front of the blind with a few along the shore. Or, you can take passing shots at divers that blast over the blind from all directions.

Since you have water about 300-degrees around the blind, pay attention to the wind. In the times I’ve hunted this blind, both with southerly winds, success came most easily when we created a J hook to the right of the blind, with the opening facing North. In the morning, most of the birds seem to come from the North, where the non-hunting part of the refuge sits. In the afternoon you will see them coming from the South. However, I think you could also scatter a few decoys along the shore and do OK, too. The blind just happens to be in a good spot. Birds traveling from the northern end of the refuge literally fly right into it! Sometimes we camp out behind the blind to get better shots at birds zooming behind it.

The cove to the right of the blind can be thick with mud and make for difficult retrieves without a dog. Likewise, the water 30 yards in front of the blind gets gradually deeper and you’ll find yourself up to the tops of your waders so try to drop birds in as close as possible.

Goose Opportunities

Goose opportunities a rare at this refuge but bring a few floaters and you might get a chance at a small flock of honkers. We hunted this blind on opening day of 2018 and were able to call in a small group of honkers that landed right into a group of teal decoys. We did not have any goose decoys out that day!

Good luck and let me know in the comments if you’ve hunted this before and how it went.