Natural Ground Blind vs Commercial Blinds

[The Hawk]

I love my double bull for turkeys.  You can get in the blind, pick it up and walk in under the roost.  A turkey's brain don't have a lot of lobe! Deer are quite a bit more particular. It seems that they require a lot of brushing in. I want to try one of those "Ghost" blinds (plastic mirror).

[hardtimes]

I am natural all the way. You will usally find me hunting from a natrual evergreen blind fashioned from whatever is around.

[Bill Carlsen]

My Double Bull blinds seem to lessen the effect of needing a particular wind direction. I've had lots of deer pretty close over the past two years but only one smelled me and the wind was blowing directly towards him. Still he didn't get alerted until he was 10 yards away. The biggest draw back to commercial blinds is that they are subject to theft.

I've been pretty successful with natural blinds. It's important to be comfortable to minimize the need to move...squirming is a no-no. Unless you set up your natural blinds beforehand you need to bring some tools to clear brush and litter on the ground. I like to use a grunt tube when clearing shooting lanes so that if  you are heard you just might be thought to be a buck making noise. I have also found a leafy suit to be a good thing in a natural blind but not necessary. Face cover and hand cover are essential IMO.

[Hawken1911]

I took my first archery deer out of a natural blind, but this year I took one from an enclosed blind, and I've found that enclosed ground blinds, whether they are permanent or pop-ups have HUGE advantages.  It has already been noted that you can get away with more movement, like drawing your bow, without spooking game.  But enclosed blinds also allow you to be more comfortable in almost all weather conditions; they protect you from the sun, rain, snow, and wind.  With a natural ground blind, you have to pay attention to the wind direction as much as you would with a tree stand, meaning you may have to skip certain blinds on certain days, and a shift in wind direction or a swirling wind can ruin your hunt.  But in my enclosed ground blinds, with just a narrow window open in front, I don't even check wind direction anymore, because the deer never seem to wind me.

Some say, if you have to brush in commercial blinds, what's the point?  All of the advantages listed above is the point.

Paul