# Let's Talk Blinds



## bountyhunter

I mentioned in the thread about Shoot Thur Mesh that I've always been a treestand hunter, but old age is going to drive me to a blind. So I've been thinking, I really don't know a lot about blinds and bowhunting. Sure I've rifle hunted from blinds 100+ yards away, but never at bow ranges. So I'm looking for the brain trust here to give me some pointers so this old dog can try and learn a new trick, without having too many mistakes in the process. 

I'm interested first in what blinds everyone is using and why, while y'all keep in mind I could be shooting a longbow from the blind and will need a little extra room.

Also any tips on how to set one up so that the deer are comfortable with the blind, while keeping in mind that I'm hunting some tough deer in East Tx. next to the National Forest.

Are there any blinds that could be left up year around, or would I have to build something if I want to leave it up all the time.

Thanks Guys
Derek


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## Bucksnort

I'm using a primos ground max. Main reason I bought(BP) it was because of the quality for the price. It is very easy to put up and take down. What I don't like about it is the bottom of the windows are too high. The windows zip down and magnetic windows would be much quieter. Needs to be about 5 inches wider for two people or crossbow hunting. Have a doghouse too but that is one man blind only but it can be used. Doghouse is okay but same issues as the groundmax and is cheaper cost and construction.


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## Silverspoon

Hey Derek! I am in the same area as you are in East Texas, just a little north of the National Forest though.

I have recently (this is my first year) started bow hunting with my recurve out of an Eastman pop-up blind and I can tell you it is tight! Very tight! I have yet to let an arrow loose but I have practiced drawing it back so I could get an idea of what kind of clearance I was looking at having. Let me tell you, having a 60" recurve and shooting from a 61" tall pop-up is going to be a huge challenge! I might have 4" total clearance, give or take! Much different than what my climbing stands offer, that's for sure. I bought them on sale at Academy, I got two of them for around $80 each and planned to use them for both bow hunting and rifle hunting. I will not be shooting through the mesh, I take it off! There are many loops located all over these blinds that offer you a place to hang natural foliage to cover it up even more naturally. I also think that you need to place these pop-ups out several weeks in advance so the deer can get use to them being in their backyard. There is also the issue of what you are sitting on! I am currently using one of those folding chairs, however, I will be using something different very soon because it's too bulky inside the pop-up and getting into a shooting position quietly is not easy! I am not a fan of the buckets either. Using a rifle will not be a problem with it though, even though I think using some kind of shorter style shooting sticks, perhaps homemade, will be helpful to steady my shot. I have seen some smaller type stools that offer a swivel top but darn if I can find one for a decent price! And $40 seems high to me, I will probably give in though at some point. I haven't seen any other blinds that offer more height, I'd bet that the price would be much higher if I ever do find one that is taller. I also have a little problem getting in and out of these darn things, it isn't easy! At least not for me. I hope this helps! Leaving Thursday after work to get one last day of bow hunting in before Saturdays rifle opener! Good luck to you!

SS


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## TOP FLIGHT

*ground blind*

Most of the deer I have taken have been from a elevated stand, treestands, tripods & climbers. I took a decent 8 out of a ground blind last year, it did have the shoot thru mesh and I had no problem with the arrow flight. You'll enjoy being eye level with the deer as close as 5yds away. A few things to consider when buying: You want plenty of windows, allot of room inside, rain resistant, a black background, and shoot thru windows. I have hunted without shoot thru windows before and been busted. I was camo'ed out and the deer saw my silhouette since I had windows open on either side. Also remember to brush the stand in.

I bought the Primos Ground Max Predator Den. Its on sale now.
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/pod/standard-pod-wrapped.jsp?_DARGS=/cabelas/en/common/catalog/pod-link.jsp_A&_DAV=MainCatcat20712-


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## TXPalerider

I have both the Primo's GroundMax Escape Deluxe and the Eclipse and love them. At 1/3-1/2 the price of a Double Bull, I don't feel so bad when a a cow trashes one.

If you are ever going to hunt with 2 people on the blind, just be sure you buy a blind that is 77" wide, otherwise you will be cramped. If you are always hunting solo, your options increase enormously.


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## Silverspoon

Thanks Top Flight! That blind with it's 70" center height might just fit my needs for my recurve. And at $129 it won't break the bank!


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## redduck

The doe I shot a couple weeks ago was out of a ground blind. My first in a ground blind. I agree with TOP, you will love being up close and personal. This was a double bull blind that my son had. It has been left up for about three years now. I only left one window (shooting one) open and the deer glanced at the blind a few times but never stared like it was a threat. I was sitting in one of those cheap fold up canvas chairs and never got up, just shot out of the chair. My son and I are thinking of building some homemade ones to put and leave out. Thinking about old fence pickets to build life time ground blind.


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## Bucksnort

TXPalerider said:


> .
> 
> If you are ever going to hunt with 2 people on the blind, just be sure you buy a blind that is 77" wide, otherwise you will be cramped. If you are always hunting solo, your options increase enormously.


I think the 77" wide is perfect for one person. To me its a little tight for two but you have to understand that I'm 5'11" 250lbs of solid muscle so it can get a little tight for us XXL guys when someone is in the blind with us. My next blind will be wider. BTW, I was talking about the ground max escape in my previous thread.


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## Chunky

Okay, this could get long.

Ground blinds are great for lots of instantces. You can move around, read a book, video, and lots of other things you can't do from a tree stand or tri-pod.

The down side is you have restricted visability and they require more thought when putting up.

If you can put a blind out and leave it for a long period, the deer will get use to it. In this case you don't have to worry as much about cover and placement. If however you are going to put it up and hunt out of it soon, you need to try and pick the right spot and brush it in.

Let's say I have picked a spot I want to hunt and want to use a pop-up blind. I will look for a natural alcove for the blind to fit in. The perfect spot would have the blind matching the the line of the cover...meaning not sticking out or tucked back in. I would rather have it tucked back than out if that is the choice. 

I really like to have limbs over the blind to keep it in shade. They really don't look natural regardless of camo in the direct sunlight. I will often lay cut limbs on the top of the blind, but be careful as too much weight will can cause it to colapse.

Once you have picked your spot, my advice to get natural vegetation and "brush in" you blind. I go at least a couple hundred yards from the blind, as I am already distrubing the area alot. I use a lot of brush, in fact a person just walking by should not even notice my blind.

I have added ties to some of my blinds so that I can attached limbs directly to the blind. Another tip, is that you can run a small rope or line around/above the blind and attach limbs and brush to that.

Make sure you have a comfortable chair you can shoot out of and will be at the right level that will allow you to shoot out of your windows.

Make sure your windows are aimed at the shooting lanes.

Make sure you use stakes and lines to attach to your blind to things that will not move...even if bad weather is not forcast. The tighter the better...if it gets windy and your blind is loose, it may flap and make noise.


Okay, I have owned five different types of these blinds. To a point you get what you pay for....but on the other hand, they do get damaged by weather, livestock, others, etc....

I do like double bulls, and my daughters killed two animals out of one two weeks ago, but I tend to buy the cheaper ones..like Ground Max Delux. I would rather have 3 of these than one DB. That being said, I may buy one DB...just for special occasions.

These blinds come in many sizes, Derek, one of the most important things in looking is to get one big enough for your needs.

There is more, but I know I have been going on and on...let me know if this is helpful and I should add to it....these are only my opinions based on my experiences.


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## Chunky

Big bucks are harder to fool, so keep that in mind when setting up and how much work you put in to brushing.

My smart daughters bought a battery reciprocating saw for cutting brush as they have a lot of time on hand saws and machetes.

Practice out of your blind, even if it means ruining one window.

Open only the windows you really need, the darker in the blind the better...and never have widows open on both sides of you so that an animal can look all the way through the blind and see you moving on the inside.

If you use screens you dont' need a mask or face paint, and dark cloths are as good or better than camo...except for the hero pics later  If you are not going to use the screens, hands and face can be a problem if not camoed.

I customize my blinds...I have made some windows bigger for example.

I also use camo material and bandana to cover most of some windows(temporarily)...so I see stuff coming "view hole", but I know I am not shooting out if so it is mostly covered.

I scotchguarded my first blind to make it more weather proof.....but I almost died of heat stroke on the king ranch turkey hunting in May.

Speaking of that, turkey don't care a thing about a blind. You need no brush and can put in right in the middle of the road, and they will walk right by it. They key on movement and color and not objects.


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## bountyhunter

Thanks Mark, that is the type of information I was looking for to get started. I have a good spot for a blind right behind the tree my one lock on is in right now. I wasn't going to mess with putting one in until after the season this year. I want to have it in place around March or Apirl next year and leave it there.

I was also really thinking about building my own practice setup at home. Not really a blind, but something that had the same size opening at the same height. I could then put the mesh on it and practice shooting through the mesh as well.

I've also got a couple of ideas about how to build my own blinds as well, but I've got more thinking to do along those lines. 

By the way are your daughter's for rent to brush in my blind for me........ Sounds like they got it down to an art.......


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## Chunky

I wish I had taken more blind pics over the years to show...but didn't think about it. 

Here is one of my oldest from the day she killed her big buck. It is by far, not the best brush job I have done, but you can see it is in the shade, and the lines of the blind are broken up pretty well.

I will search for some more pics.


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## Chunky

In the previous pic, the deer would have had the view that the camera has...except a little lower I guess. She shot through the Y in the limbs just off of her left shoulder.

I have no more pics on the computer, I am sure I have a couple more somewhere, but that was from the film days. I don't really feel like digging, unless it would really help somebody out.

If you are thinking of doing something a little more permanent, I would suggest the cattle panel style blind. They are pretty cheap to do, and much more stable and durable than a pop up...of course you can't pack them to a day hunt.

There use to be a good thread in the DIY section over on TBH...I don't know if it is still there or not.


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## Grizzly1

Chunky~ You really gave some great advice on this thread, Thanks! I usually bow hunt out of a ground blind as well and have not had much luck from them, my bow kills have been from a platform about 14' in an oak tree. You really cleared up some things that I believe I have been doing wrong while trying to hunt from a pop up ground blind and need to spend more time improving on, especially "brushing in the blind". Basically, the pop up is the "structure" or "frame" to hold up the brush you put on top and around yourself.. The set up in the pic with your daughter looks like the perfect set up to be comfortable but also gives maximum cover for the hunter. I really got into bow hunting alot more this year and even just getting to practice in the yard is now a thrill for me, I plan on upgrading my compound bow soon and now I know what I need to do on my set-up to improve my success from a ground blind. Your experience and time spent in the field really shows and it is obviously a great help to others with the lack of experience. Thanks!


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## bountyhunter

Mark, I remember reading about the Cattle Panel blinds but didn't pay it much mind. Now I'll have to dig it up if I can, and if not it still give me a starting place. I could also set something up to match at home easy enough to use for practice. Ok, guess I'm going to try the gound next year, or maybe later this year. I my second feeder is really starting to show some good signs around it and the general area. I might have to look at setting something up over there and leaving the area alone till late season. That is also where a lot of my hog signs are as well, so it might produce some pork chops if not venison. Thanks again for the great advice.


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## Chunky

Grizzly1,

Thanks for the kind words and I am glad you found the info useful. I would like to say that I am no super hunter...heck I usually not even the best hunter in the truck, but I have been doing it a long time. In that 20-something years I have made most of the mistakes possible several times.

Back when I started bowhunting, there was no internet, I read every magazine I could get my hands on. The bow shops were so busy with customers they had little time for questions, if it didn't involve a sale.

These BBs are great for cutting the learning curve down. We had to do it all by trial and error (mostly error). My buddies and I had no mentor or exprience. 

One of these days we should start a thread about the dumbest stuff you have done while hunting. I bet I could win that contest.

Anyway, thanks again and you are very welcome.

D,

If you don't fine the plans for the cattle panel blind, I can help with that. I have not built one myself, but have hunted in them and paid attention to the construction.


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## Chunky

Here is a link (if it works) to my video over on Buff's site. I post it so that you can see a little of the cattle panel blind. It was really nice and spacious.

http://www.buffsblackwidow.com/chunky/Chunky%20Squared_0001.wmv


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## rodwade

I bought the academy 39 pop up...it's stinks you can't bow hunt from it. WAY too small. and I'm 5'8"


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## bountyhunter

Chunky said:


> One of these days we should start a thread about the dumbest stuff you have done while hunting. I bet I could win that contest.
> 
> I've got a few of those in my 30+ years so I might be able to give you a run for your money.
> 
> I cut my bowhunting teeth in the mountains of Virginia back whe hunting up there was really tough. We would backpack lumber up in the mountains in Aug. and Sept. to build our treestands in those days. A couple of the stands I hunted were no more then a couple of 2x4s to stand on, and there was no sitting down. You build your stand so you could lean against the main tree trunk or one of the major branches. Oh and we never thought about safety harnesses. No one had even thought about building a blind in those days. We loved the guys that hunted on the ground as they would push the deer to us. Wow, we sure have come a long way.........lots of great memories.
> 
> BTW, Great video and Sika!


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## Dead Wait

That was a great video.


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## TOP FLIGHT

_


Chunky said:



Grizzly1,

Click to expand...

_


Chunky said:


> _In that 20-something years I have made most of the mistakes possible several times._
> 
> _Back when I started bowhunting, there was no internet, I read every magazine I could get my hands on. The bow shops were so busy with customers they had little time for questions, if it didn't involve a sale._
> 
> _These BBs are great for cutting the learning curve down. We had to do it all by trial and error (mostly error). My buddies and I had no mentor or exprience. _
> 
> _One of these days we should start a thread about the dumbest stuff you have done while hunting. I bet I could win that contest._
> 
> That is so true... I made every mistake you could make before I shot my first deer with a bow. Every time I blew a hunt I just said, Man I'll never do that again! Then it was something else, then something else...
> 
> I remember the days of hunting with my Fred Bear that had wheels and no cams. The must have bow was a HighCountry.


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## 11andy11

I got drawn on a bow hunt at granger and put my pop-up on a trail and the next day had a 4 point walk by my about 10 feet away. So not sure how much of an issue it is getting them used to it. I am 6'4" and I hate mine. I have a very short compound bow and I have to literally stick the arrow out the window a little to have enough room to draw back. My suggestion is to get the biggest one you can find. I would much rather be in a climber than in a ground blind. If your on a lease and your hunting a feeder and don't plan on moving much I would build one.


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## Chunky

Andy,

You make a good point, it all depends on the deer where you are hunting. I hunted at Homer Martin's in the hill country and there were so many hungry deer that it would not matter. I was pouring out corn right before daylight, and a does was already eating it 20 yards away in plain sight.

When Wayne Peoples started 4 Arrows and running hunts down on King Ranch, the deer were so lightly pressured they would walk around camp with guys standing around getting there equipment ready. 

I am sure many have been to state parks like Inks Lake or Choke and have had deer practically stick their head in the camper with you.

Even on day hunt places, young deer will often act stupidly....so use your own judgement on how much you need to hide your blind. I am a believer in really brushing them in, but that is just my opinion.


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## 11andy11

Chunky said:


> Andy,
> 
> You make a good point, it all depends on the deer where you are hunting. I hunted at Homer Martin's in the hill country and there were so many hungry deer that it would not matter. I was pouring out corn right before daylight, and a does was already eating it 20 yards away in plain sight.
> 
> When Wayne Peoples started 4 Arrows and running hunts down on King Ranch, the deer were so lightly pressured they would walk around camp with guys standing around getting there equipment ready.
> 
> I am sure many have been to state parks like Inks Lake or Choke and have had deer practically stick their head in the camper with you.
> 
> Even on day hunt places, young deer will often act stupidly....so use your own judgement on how much you need to hide your blind. I am a believer in really brushing them in, but that is just my opinion.


Don't get me wrong, I didn't stick my popup out in the middle of a field. I backed it up in some brush and tall grass. I didn't "brush" it out though. That goes without saying I think.


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## Charles Helm

We hunted leopard out of a pop-up in Namibia. They certainly brushed them in well, but it helps to have the extra manpower. Had giraffe walk almost up to us.


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## Charles Helm

I know it is off-topic, but here's one blind set up:










Another one:


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## Chunky

Charles Helm said:


> We hunted leopard out of a pop-up in Namibia. .


Very cool, thanks for the pics.


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## 11andy11

for what its worth, I stuck my popup on a new property for gun opener about 80 yards from the feeder. Yeah, I know thats close bit its the only area I can put it. Opening morning had three deer show up. A big buck came in and looked towards the blind and walked off before I could get the gun up. A second big bodied 4 point with a really small rack showed 5 minutes later and was looking towards me but spent about 20 minutes eating corn. A doe came in to the feeder while the 4 point was under it and looked towards me and then tried to get up wind but ended up walking about 10 yards in front of the popup and then hung out for about 10 minutes to the right of me. She was obviously alerted to it but not to a high level. She ended up walking off into the scrub at what seemed to be a relaxed attitude. My blind is carbon lined but its over 6 years old and I don't know if that is effective after that time period. I left the blind up for a future shoot. Bottom line is they knew it was there and were basically curious or wary about it. I did cut some cedar and brush it out and will report back in a couple weeks when I am back and see if there reaction is different. FYI I didn't take an animal.


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## bountyhunter

Well my gun blind was in the right location. That ole 7 pointer made his normal 8am calling Saturday morning and was 20yards in front of me.............too bad this blind isn't big enough to shoot my bow out of. I posted the results of the hunt here.

http://2coolfishing.com/ttmbforum/showthread.php?t=242281


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## pevotva

This is all very good info. What is the biggest blind there is? I have found them to 77" square at the base and dont know if that big enough for a 31" draw.


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## Bucksnort

pevotva said:


> This is all very good info. What is the biggest blind there is? I have found them to 77" square at the base and dont know if that big enough for a 31" draw.


Don't know the exact size but you might check into the Ameristep Penthouse.


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## wacker

I have a DB blind and it is plenty big to shoot out of, one thing I have a hard time with ground blinds is the loss of light inside that makes the longer low light shots really hard. If you use a blind I would practice with it in the light conditions you will be hunting in. I will always build a brush blind first whenever possible.

Could just be my eyes getting older but will save that thread for another time.:work:


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## TXPalerider

pevotva said:


> This is all very good info. What is the biggest blind there is? I have found them to 77" square at the base and dont know if that big enough for a 31" draw.


77" is PLENTY big enough!!


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## Bucksnort

TXPalerider said:


> 77" is PLENTY big enough!!


Well the biggest I've been able to find is 78" so i guess it has to be.


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