# Duck blind grass mats??



## Brio (May 12, 2008)

Hey guys, was thinking about buying the tanglefree grass mats that academy sells. Anyone have any experience with them?? Like them...Hate them??? I have a canoe that I was going to use the sheets on for hunting the marsh. I figure I can just ziptie some hangers to the sheets and hang the on the edge of the canoe. They come in 4'x5' so I would have to make some height modifications to it...
Thanks for your input.


----------



## plgorman (Jan 10, 2008)

There are a few brands of that stuff, if im thinking right. I just buy the ones at academy. I think its 4 x 4 though. I have about 24 total and used 16 brushing in the boat blind. I had 12 last season and just got another 12. I think they are the best for the money out there. They last long enough and they look good. Here is a pic from the boat blind last duck season. It looks way better now that I made a new pop up out of aluminum...

BTW the mojo blind ghillie is $50 for one 4 x 4. You can see the difference in my pic, the rear sheet covering the transom and engine is the mojo ghillie...


----------



## Jason Slocum (Jul 9, 2004)

*mats*

They are nice, but expensive. Palm fronds are free, and will hold up better. If you're worried about hiding the canoe the camouflage sheets ($14.99) at academy do a pretty good job. Jason


----------



## plgorman (Jan 10, 2008)

yeah thats what they are anyway, shredded, weaved palm fronds...


----------



## Brio (May 12, 2008)

Thanks for the input guys
I have some of the blind sheets in the marsh grass pattern that I used 2 yrs ago and it did ok if I didn't actually hunt out of the canoe--had to keep it 50 yards or so away to keep the ducks from flaring. I figured with the grass mats I could open up my hunting options a little- sit in the middle of a marsh pond instead of being restricted to the edges... Seems to be where most of the ducks go where I hunt- or at least fly over.


----------



## CoastalOutfitters (Aug 20, 2004)

find a big nursery , they will hook you up with palms

sea cane from the side of the road is good for braces

free is good...................


----------



## Brio (May 12, 2008)

I like the way you think coastal outfitters, but at this point in my life- free time is something that doesn't come often...and when it does, I would rather be in the field or on the water.


----------



## justinsfa (Mar 28, 2009)

I used palmetto stuffed in chicken wire.... I notice that alot of people that use the store bought stuff has it stolen during the season.... This stuff is free and grows all over the place.... Once I got the hang of it, it goes pretty fast.... windproof and easy to touch up with more brush throughout the season. Only needed one layer.... Less than 10 bucks in the brushing of this blind, and most of that was staples.


----------



## AvianQuest (Feb 7, 2006)

Ditto, justinsfa...

Palmetto is great stuff and it grows all over in forested wetlands as an understory plant. Limbs form bay plants is good as well. Break a dried bay leaf and you will find it the same as what you buy in the jar for cooking. Both last a very long time. 

Note: You could use some more brushing on the far left side...


----------



## standpipe (Jul 6, 2006)

*Duck blinds*

Definetely palmetto's, they work great and are easy to find. you can also break it up with oleanders, hell I planted a bunch along the fence at home just for that purpose. both will last almost all season with just a few add-on's before or after each hunt, unless you take someone that likes to crash through your blind every time they get in or out to take a whiz. He's usually the one that get's to cut brush for the next weekend.


----------



## AvianQuest (Feb 7, 2006)

standpipe said:


> you can also break it up with oleanders, hell I planted a bunch along the fence at home just for that purpose.


No way would I recommend using oleander. That stuff is deadly.

People have suffered heart attacks from eating food that they have handled after getting oleander sap on their hands. Just touching a leaf to your tongue can cause massive reactions in some people. Ingestion can cause both gastrointestinal and cardiac effects. The gastrointestinal effects can consist of nausea and vomiting, excess salivation, abdominal pain, and bloody diarrhea. Cardiac reactions consist of irregular heart rate, sometimes characterized by a racing heart at first that then slows to below normal further along in the reaction. The heart may also beat erratically with no sign of a specific rhythm. Extremities may become pale and cold due to poor or irregular circulation. Reactions to poisonings from this plant can also affect the central nervous system. These symptoms can include drowsiness, tremors or shaking of the muscles, seizures, collapse, and coma http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coma that can lead to death. Oleander sap can cause skin irritations, severe eye inflammation and irritation, and severe allergy reactions.


----------



## justinsfa (Mar 28, 2009)

AvianQuest said:


> Ditto, justinsfa...
> 
> Palmetto is great stuff and it grows all over in forested wetlands as an understory plant. Limbs form bay plants is good as well. Break a dried bay leaf and you will find it the same as what you buy in the jar for cooking. Both last a very long time.
> 
> Note: You could use some more brushing on the far left side...


Noted... haha... thats to keep the divers away... haha

I just cut a little bit bigger hole in the chicken wire, then grab the palmetto by the stalk and pull it down til its nice and tight and bunched up... makes it realllly think and prevents the wind from blowing the individual leaves off...

We actually built a dome over the back side that we could hide a 17ft boat under (over the place where it looks like the palmetto is dead)... the blind itself could hunt 3 comfortably, 4 if you had too... Solid floor with solid bench seat, dog entry with ramp going up to the blind.....

Not Hurricane Ike proof though.... RIP Taj Majal... haha


----------



## justinsfa (Mar 28, 2009)

AvianQuest said:


> No way would I recommend using oleander. That stuff is deadly.
> 
> People have suffered heart attacks from eating food that they have handled after getting oleander sap on their hands. Just touching a leaf to your tongue can cause massive reactions in some people. Ingestion can cause both gastrointestinal and cardiac effects. The gastrointestinal effects can consist of nausea and vomiting, excess salivation, abdominal pain, and bloody diarrhea. Cardiac reactions consist of irregular heart rate, sometimes characterized by a racing heart at first that then slows to below normal further along in the reaction. The heart may also beat erratically with no sign of a specific rhythm. Extremities may become pale and cold due to poor or irregular circulation. Reactions to poisonings from this plant can also affect the central nervous system. These symptoms can include drowsiness, tremors or shaking of the muscles, seizures, collapse, and coma that can lead to death. Oleander sap can cause skin irritations, severe eye inflammation and irritation, and severe allergy reactions.


That could be the same story for peanuts though too.... and you couldnt keep me out of a flooded peanut field....

Allergies can always be bad news..... but those reactions are very rare, correct?


----------



## A-Boz (Jun 22, 2009)

Vomiting and bloody diarrhea? Sign me up!

Seriously? Oleander is apperently some wicked bad stuff.


----------



## GunDog (Jun 6, 2006)

Palmettoa are the way to go and they last all season. That is what I use.


----------



## Brio (May 12, 2008)

You all have good suggestions, but this is going to be used on a canoe-- not a permanent blind. It is looking like the stuff academy sells might be the best bang for the money.


----------



## DadSaid (Apr 4, 2006)

i use the grass mats. i'll carry them with me out to the bay blind and zip tie them on right before hunting. been doing this for years now. before the mats came out i would brush the blinds with Palmettoa's.


----------



## AvianQuest (Feb 7, 2006)

justinsfa said:


> That could be the same story for peanuts though too.... and you couldnt keep me out of a flooded peanut field....
> 
> Allergies can always be bad news..... but those reactions are very rare, correct?


Not at all. It would be very rare to find anyone who has an immunity to the toxin. Poisoning can even occur if you eat honey made by bees that harvested nectar from oleander flowers.

Recently someone poisoned 23 show horses with oleander leaves. Normally horses won't touch oleander but the sicko that did the deed hid the leaves in a mixture with apples and carrots.

http://www.sdnn.com/sandiego/2009-0...news/poisoned-local-show-horses-regain-health


----------



## justinsfa (Mar 28, 2009)

Brio said:


> You all have good suggestions, but this is going to be used on a canoe-- not a permanent blind. It is looking like the stuff academy sells might be the best bang for the money.


If you are going mobile with it, then I would recommend the mats.... much easier to transport since you can just roll them up... The chicken wire has to many little wires sticking out and they end up rusting too...

If you are taking them with you all the time, then you dont have to worry about theft either...

I say store bought grass mats if you are just using them on a canoe... I think they will hold up better during transit and have a longer lifetime as well...


----------



## justinsfa (Mar 28, 2009)

AvianQuest said:


> Not at all. It would be very rare to find anyone who has an immunity to the toxin. Poisoning can even occur if you eat honey made by bees that harvested nectar from oleander flowers.
> 
> Recently someone poisoned 23 show horses with oleander leaves. Normally horses won't touch oleander but the sicko that did the deed hid the leaves in a mixture with apples and carrots.
> 
> http://www.sdnn.com/sandiego/2009-0...news/poisoned-local-show-horses-regain-health


How come this isnt well known knowledge then? You would think if its as common as you say, that we would all be aware of it... Plus, if its that easy to get poisoned by, then a TON of people would be suffering from it....

I mean, if Im gonna be ****tttin fire and having heart-attacks, I wanna know how to stay away from that stuff!

Not doubting your word, just wondering why its not common knowledge? I think I have heard it mentioned when referring to plants that are bad news for dogs, but never heard of the human interaction...


----------



## AvianQuest (Feb 7, 2006)

justinsfa said:


> How come this isnt well known knowledge then?


Actually it is. There are very few people who don't already know that. Now there is one less....at least you learned it the easy way...

http://www.google.com/search?client...ce=hp&q=Oleander+poisoning&btnG=Google+Search


----------



## standpipe (Jul 6, 2006)

No doubt that it is poisinous if ingested, but i've used it since 1986 without incident.


----------



## 11andy11 (Aug 12, 2004)

yeah the woven mats works pretty good. Your not gonna get more than a couple seasons out of them if you hunt hard. I like them. Buy them in the spring a Basspro and they are on sale.


----------



## davidb (May 10, 2006)

For mobility the mats work well. I wood make my own out of Johnson grass, Bullrrush and Canes on twisted stainless wire. I think that the regular cut edges don't look right. Plastic tyes with two strands of bungee cord out board of the mats or camo cloth. Once set up I would have a Machete or pruning shears and add local material in the bungees. Add a clump twist form a loop and add another bunch twist and so on.

By the time the sun gets up the boat would look pretty good, sorry I don't have any photos. You know its a good job when you can't find the boat again after a coffee break.

www.TejasDesign.net


----------



## rjc1982 (Sep 27, 2005)

I just trimmed my palms and have a pile of fronds in front of my house in Jamaica Beach. Any of y'all are welcome to them, but I will need to bundle them up for the trash guy this weekend so if interested you need to hurry. My house is on Trinidad Way, you can't miss it because of the big pile of palm fronds.


----------



## b.lullo (Apr 23, 2008)

We used to hunt out of kayaks in the anahuac marshes. Those 4x4 grassmats are what we used, then piled on a bit of vegetation from around the area. We'd lean back and use one of the mats like a blanket, pulling it up to our armpits. Hammered them, and on public land nonetheless.

If you notice, the front tip of the kayak is in the lower right hand corner of the picture. 

-B.Lullo


----------

