CALLING all natural ground blind builders !

[graybarkhunter]

for all the natural ground blind users... taking that you "brush up" all sides around you, do any of y'all ever hang brush up above you or overhead somehow (lets say there are no limbs attached to the tree above you) ? if so, whats the easiest way as far as material,limbs,how high above,etc.. ? i hope i worded this right.. i.e. do you use something to create "shade" or do you think it even matters that much..      thanks  graybark

[koger]

Darker is denitley better, have taken a lot of deer and  turkey on the ground. Wife and I hunt almost exclusively from the ground. I have taken old woven wire fence, 47 inch variety and make a huge upside down U, then weave straw, sage grass and brush into the wire, and had black plastic or blk nylon ground landscaping material tied to the bottom with twine. You can do the same thing around the bottom. In most instances where I used this, it was old wire in the woods, and just recycled it. PM me if I can be of further help.

[Zradix]

Yeah, I've built some pretty extravagant ground blinds.
Only did the roof once.
Didn't like it. I felt like I was in a pop up.
I like being able to look up and around to just enjoy the woods.

One thing I often do is build my blind high enough so I need to build shooting windows.

I just look around for sticks and dead small trees to use as poles or Y shaped brush.

It's sort of an engineering puzzle I enjoy.

Ferns and evergreen branches fill in the gaps in a hurry...fallen leaves work ok for a while in a pinch.

[The Vanilla Gorilla]

I usually build my blinds into the sides of big cedar trees, so they is usually some overhang with the branches.  If I need some more overhang, cedar branches can be bungeed or tied into whatever spot you need em. I don't like too much right above me tho, so my bow limbs don't interfere with the tree limbs.

[straitera]

Dig deep enough (2-3') that you can see out at ground level while sitting on a folding stool. Surround w/deadfall. Leave plenty shoot lanes. Great concealment. No need for roof.

[hardtimes]

I use the same technique as The vanilla Gorilla does. I feel the base of a big cedar tree is a big jump start to having you natural blind set. You can pull and tie them anyway you would like. I also dont like a whole lot of limbs over my head, they will just hinder bow movement.

[SlowBowke]

I sit on a bucket on the shady side of a tree with something behind me to break up my silouette (how do ya spell that)....my shape lol.

Im too lazy to do all that work and the rear ends that hunt in the woods I do dont need to know (and too ignorant to notice small signs) where I hunt.......cause they stick a tree stand up there if they find out.

Seriously, I dont like limbs close to me. I end up whacking them with my bow and scaring off the critters......and a bucket is easier to move with the wind.

Besides........deer cant see plaid.    

God Bless

It deer season YET?

Slow

[Roy Steele]

I started huntung off the ground full time in 05. After stand hunting for over 30 years. I use a home made ghillie I MADE IN 82. The only time I do'nt use it is if the place is suitable for a completly brushed in blind (log mainly).
  But mainly I like to keep it simple and just stand up a couple logs for break up and let my ghillie do the rest. I make sure I have good cover behind my head, your head dose 98% of your moving. Plus this way mature bucks don't seam to shy away for it like the will a full blowed blind.
  I only build my blinds in the winter after season.MINE are mainly sites not blinds in the real sence. Some of the place I hunt there's other people hunt it also. And if you don't know what your looking at you don't think blind.I od'nt want anyonedamageing my site in anyway (sent) I carry a seat for most. I never go back untill the time of years right and the winds right.
  I REALLY DON'T HAVE A PROBLEM KILLING DEER FROM THE GROUND.mATTER FACT I PREFER IT NOW. You just have to hunt the wind more. It has to be in your favor all the time NO IF'S WALKING IN,WHY YOUR THERE AND WHEN YOU LEAVE. THIS IS WHEN MOST PEOPLE DON'T CARE. THERE HUNTS OVER. It is important for when you go back. I never let the bucks know I've been there.

[Night Wing]

I usually like to have a tree's trunk behind me. The bigger the trunk, the better. Where I bowhunt, the piney woods are thick with lots of bushes too so I try to incorporate that into my ground blind as well. I do brush those gaps. Then a set of Predator Spring Green camo for me to wear tops it all off.

[dink]

never worried about over head material my favorite blind is a up rooted maple i just sit in front of the root ball place some brush in front

[David Mitchell]

I don't worry so much about cover in front of me--it's good cover behind you to break up your form that's most important.  One of the best ground spots I've ever hunted has absolutely NO cover in front of me but the limbs of a big pine that fell over behind me.  We tend to want to hide behind stuff but it isn't necessary. Break up your form a bit with good background cover, watch the wind, and keep movement to a minimum.  Never think about overhead stuff.  The deer almost never look down on me.  

[owlbait]

graybark, you made a great point, if that overhead cover produces shadow for you it can be effective. One of the best still hunters I ever saw in action was always moving to, and stopping in, the shadows. He was hard to spot, and I think overhead cover that helped make shadows for your blind could make a diiference.