# ground blinds



## kerlunker

how do you set up ground blinds for bow hunting? I shot a doe out of one last year but 4 of her friends busted me before she came out. They even snorted... Do you think you have to be elevated some how?


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## Trouthunter

I don't know what type of ground blind you're talking about...tell me about the stand you hunted out of.

TH


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## Fishtexx

Wind is your friend..or not. Your movement will bust you also, in a heartbeat.


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## Sgrem

Brush in like your life depended on it.

Then add twice as much brush....

Then brush it in again.


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## Trouthunter

> Brush in like your life depended on it.
> 
> Then add twice as much brush....
> 
> Then brush it in again.


Not always necessary; we don't do that with ours and the deer don't mind the popup stands at all. Placing the stand well before deer season, say in June or July or the latest in August is very important. Also painting the windows that you'll use to shoot out of black on the outside is also important.

Setting up where the prevailing winds don't drift your scent to the feeder or trail or whatever your target area may be is most important.

TH


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## rcw

The most interesting thing I have learned is that if a property has lots of deer and they frequent the feeder/location daily that you want to hunt....they will notice that new ground blind instantly, regardless of how much you brush it in. So, if you are hunting a place with lots of deer that frequent a specific area often, set the blind out a month before you hunt and let them get use to it. Then only hunt it when the wind is perfect!


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## texastkikker

rcw said:


> The most interesting thing I have learned is that if a property has lots of deer and they frequent the feeder/location daily that you want to hunt....they will notice that new ground blind instantly, regardless of how much you brush it in. So, if you are hunting a place with lots of deer that frequent a specific area often, set the blind out a month before you hunt and let them get use to it. Then only hunt it when the wind is perfect!


 bingo


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## redduck

Can not stress the importance of setting up way before season. Also make sure you do not open windows all around. Keep it so deer can not see through.


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## kerlunker

Its a hub pop up that I prefer bow hunting out of. I dont like being up in a tree (I'm 6'3 and very clumsy). If I set up before the season, wont the fabric or just ability for stand to stay in one place even with stakes be an issue?

I hunt in hill country, very brushy with some clearings. I want to hunt deeper in brush which I think is to my advantage. I may get in there in late September and set up. Hope for the best with the blind staying put and brush it up with fallen limbs and other brush.


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## cva34

Only thing I see missing is set up in Shade/Shadows.


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## troutsupport

kerlunker said:


> wont the fabric or just ability for stand to stay in one place even with stakes be an issue?


If you set it up a month before and take it out after the season it will reduce the deterioration. But yes, the sun will deteriorate it over time, especially if left out permanently. If you set it up in dense shade / shadows... all the better. Best way is to create a brush pile or cut a hole in a fallen tree top if it's available. Prep it in January and check it once in May. Then leave the area alone.


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## Chunky

You could write a book on the subject...but here are a few of the basics I have learned, mostly through trial and error.

If you can put your blinds out ahead of time, at least a couple of weeks and longer is better, the deer will get mostly get use to them and start to ignore them. Not so much old wise bucks, but they are always tough. You can throw up a tent in the open and hunt hogs or turkeys out of it right way. They don't seem to care.

Look for a spot that the blind will fit in natural, a little cove in the bushes or in a clump of trees. It is always better to but in a place that it blends than is a new giant lump of bushes in the open.

If you can brush it in where a person would walk by and not see it, that is the standard I use, if I don't have time to leave it out ahead of time.

I always put them in the shade if at all possible.

You still have to play the wind, some blinds may help contain some scent, but my experience is if the wind is wrong, I get winded.

Make sure they are very securely tied down, I have come back any number of times and my blind is blown over or partially collapsed.

Have a comfortable quiet chair or stool, at the right height for the windows. Have enough room to draw your bow.

Clear out the ground in your blind so you are not making noise when you move your feet. 

Keep closed any and all widows you are not using, you need it dark and if the animals can see all the way through the blind they will catch your movement.

tons more, but that is a start, there have been some other good threads on this topic if you can find them on a search.


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## Chunky

This is my oldest daughter, standing in front of a ground blind. She killed the biggest deer we have gotten. It was from that blind. South Texas, 164 in 10 pt.


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## Chunky

A couple of more things, the hunting community is divided on shooting through window screens or not. I shoot heavy arrows with cut on contact heads, and have never seen the screen effect the flight of the arrow. I have been told that it is unwise to shoot mechanical heads through mesh. They deploy or partially open, causing a miss or worse a bad hit.

If you do use the mesh, and you are looking into a rising or setting sun, the mesh can be very difficult to see through. I take this into consideration when setting up.

One thing you can do, leave the screen up for the most possible cover, but cut a hole big enough to shoot through. Think somewhere between softball and Frisbee for size.

If you use mesh, it really doesn't matter what you wear in the blind, if you have open windows you don't need full camo, but I would avoid white and similar bright colors.

Don't forget to clear a trail into your blind, so that you can move quietly to get there.


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## cva34

*proof photo*

Great Example/Great deer/Pretty Young Huntress


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## TIMBOv2

Chunky said:


> This is my oldest daughter, standing in front of a ground blind. She killed the biggest deer we have gotten. It was from that blind. South Texas, 164 in 10 pt.


Suh weet


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## Chunky

Thanks guys, those pics are about 10 years old now...but I have just never taken very many pics of just blinds. To use as examples. 

Most of my advice was for the pop-up style tent most are using these days, but to an extent it applies to cattle panel blinds, natural brush blinds, etc...

Here are a couple more tips, 

If you are going to brush in your blind, and hunt it pretty soon. Go get your brush from a different area. It is bad enough that you are spending time setting up, but if you cut a ton of brush in the same area you are really making a huge disturbance.

If you have a tent style blind, and putting brush on it collapses it or just wont stay in the right spot....take some line or cord and run from tree to tree and hang the brush on that, around your blind but not touching it. 

If you are worried about live stock tearing it up, this has happened to me a bunch, you can put cattle panels (or pieces) around it. These also work as a good place to tie off and stick brush in.

If you don't have good trees, and the ground is not all rock, you can use a t-post as an anchor. just drive it in and tie off to it.

I use a bungee straps to try and hold the sides tight so that they don't flap in the wind. I will also bungee a limb back that makes scratching noises when the wind blows. I hate that. I would much rather bungee limbs out of the way than cut them, as they provide cover and less damage to the area.

Practice out of your blind. If you shoot instinctively like I do, it can mess with your head (animals appear farther when looking through a window), and if you shoot a compound make sure you have clearance. That pretty huntress above once had a pretty nice deer in front of her and while her pin was on it, her arrow hit the bottom edge of the blind window.


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## bordovskyrl

I think these guys have it figured out! I always set my blinds a little farther back into the brush and leave one small shooting hole, also I do not over hunt the stand and get in it early and leave later or have someone pick me up so the deer never bust me in it. Good Luck to you.


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## Cody C

All of the above, but if there are cattle, make sure they can't get to it. 
Never sat in my pop up this year after a heifer went through it... 

Stx brush, I like to set up back in the brush some. Gives smaller shooting Windows, but significantly less looks out of the ordinary. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Whitebassfisher

I much prefer a ground blind if the set up is right. I liked to have at least 2 choices, one for a south wind and one for a north wind. They need to be placed such that deer are very likely to approach from up wind. Scent control / wind direction is everything for bow hunting (movement and sound are close behind ). Watching deer interact and their body language from their level is awesome.


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## Chunky

Whitebassfisher said:


> I much prefer a ground blind if the set up is right. I liked to have at least 2 choices, one for a south wind and one for a north wind. They need to be placed such that deer are very likely to approach from up wind. Scent control / wind direction is everything for bow hunting (movement and sound are close behind ). Watching deer interact and their body language from their level is awesome.


Good post, I do the same thing I put my current set ups where if the wind is South I hunt a tree/ladder/tri-pod, if the wind is North, I have a ground blind. My thinking was if the wind was north, it's probably cold and ground blind more comfortable. Early season very hot and south wind be in the open. I will say however that you can be freezing with a south wind on occasion.


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## Crawleyman

I use the ghost blind, it easy, fast and great. They are a little on the pricey side, but worth the money. 


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## genedfd

Chunky said:


> Good post, I do the same thing I put my current set ups where if the wind is South I hunt a tree/ladder/tri-pod, if the wind is North, I have a ground blind. My thinking was if the wind was north, it's probably cold and ground blind more comfortable. Early season very hot and south wind be in the open. I will say however that you can be freezing with a south wind on occasion.


I do the same for North wind and I put a piece of carpet on the ground in my popups to help with noise and chair does not sink.


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## Main Frame 8

I grabbed the Game Winner XL 5 hub from Academy today. On first looks, I like. Very roomy and many window options to accommodate various shooting angles. Gonna shoot a couple cans of camp dry on it help with repelling water.


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## Mr. Saltwater

Just took a walk outside and realized another advantage a tightly sealed pop-up will have this bow season...they can KEEP MOSQUITOES OUT or at least hide your movement when you quietly slap the blood suckers!!


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## WHEELWASH

Everything mentioned here is great advise and would add that lighted pins on your sights is almost required.


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## Goags

I have a hard time wanting to climb into my double bull popup when it's still dark thirty out, given the # of snakes we have dispatched on the ranch over the years. I like tower blinds for early morning hunts.


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## Main Frame 8

Goags said:


> I have a hard time wanting to climb into my double bull popup when it's still dark thirty out, given the # of snakes we have dispatched on the ranch over the years. I like tower blinds for early morning hunts.


 A good flashlight and snake boots are a requirement for me. I'm gonna configure something to keep that blind pinned down hard to the ground and minimize access.


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## tommy261

*chunky*

When i need advice i ask chunky.....it always seems to work. He has got it figured out. Thanks again chunky and good luck this season.


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## Trouthunter

> Just took a walk outside and realized another advantage a tightly sealed pop-up will have this bow season...they can KEEP MOSQUITOES OUT or at least hide your movement when you quietly slap the blood suckers!!


ThermaCell.

TH


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## Chunky

tommy261 said:


> When i need advice i ask chunky.....it always seems to work. He has got it figured out. Thanks again chunky and good luck this season.


That was very nice of you to say, thank you.

I am no smarter than anyone else, I have just been doing it for thirty something years and have made almost every mistake you can make....twice.

When I started, there was no internet or social media, and I had no older experienced hunters to help me as I come from a non-hunting family. I had to rely mostly on Field and Stream, and Outdoor Life magazine for all my hunting tips, and trial and error. I really enjoy helping others at this point probably more than I enjoy the hunt myself. It's nice to hear that I may have made a difference occasionally.


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## TexasRenegade

I hunted in popups a lot a few years ago, but mainly use tripods now and hunt the wind.

A few tricks I used was to put grass in the brush loops on the blind, and brush around the outside where it's not touching the fabric. Keeping the brush away from the blind a bit helps keep noise down and avoids rips. It also helps cast better shadows on the blind to help break up the outline. Pop a few t posts in the ground to help stack the brush up and tie down the blind. 

Shade is your friend, but a little sun on the window mesh helps keep you hidden. It acts a bit like a one way mirror when the sun hits it. When a cloud passes over or the sun starts going down its easier to see into the blind, with or without the mesh. 

Shoot through mesh, like Chunky said, arguments go both ways. Mechanicals are a no go. Fixed blades with a cutting tip, not chisel, work best. I always tried to shoot through the mesh as perpindicular as possible, just to reduce any sideways push on the arrow. Also, make sure the mesh is as tight as it can be. Pick a window you won't be using a use it to practice through. I never shot past 30 yards through the mesh, no matter how well the practice went. 

Other than that a comfortable chair and something to keep your gear within reach so you not having to lean down or twist around.

Watch for snakes, rattlers love the shade in there.


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## hammer63

*Just food for thought...*

Cattle panel blind, covered in camo burlap, with a wire roof and one way out....


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## Sgrem

Snakes are exactly why we started makin these. Being light enough to handle yourself was an added benefit.


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