ground blinds

[Tbilisi]

I realize this  has been asked before but what ground blind do you prefer and why?  Thanks ahead for all the input.

[JEFF B]

i prefer good old mother nature. why because you can use it anywhere. all ya have to do is move and  sit somewhere else .works for me

[edge2009]

Agree with Jeff, this was my first year trying it. I'll admit the first time I did it, I had serious doubts. I had deer everytime I sat come in. When I went to leave, I simply pick up my small chair and ease out.

[centaur]

Originally posted by JEFF B:
i prefer good old mother nature. why because you can use it anywhere. all ya have to do is move and  sit somewhere else .works for me

Yep, me too.

[ron w]

What been said above.....heck of a lot cheaper also. I will say it's different with turkeys.......they have a knack for picking up movement.

[BWallace10327]

I have a nice hub-style pop up, but I don't use it as much anymore.  There are alot of dead pinions where I hunt now, so I just drag one to where I would like to hunt and stick some sage and pinion or juniper bows in the old dead tree.  I can afford to have many blinds that way.

[jebeckjr]

I have a Hidden Hunter 6x6 blind, which is great.  They are also wonderful people and a pleasure to deal with!

[The Night Stalker]

I never hunted out of a hub style blind till a few years ago. I never would until a friend let me borrow one.  So here it is for what it's worth. My first was a double bull recurve model. I hunted this blind a bunch but have the convenience of having my own little place. So, I can brush it in and leave it set up. Sometimes I will get some hog fence and brush in a spot to get the deer use to have something there and I can come in and set up the blind a few weeks ahead.
I have broke the poles on my double bull three times from heavy wind and snow load. It can get down Rite nasty in the mountain and it ads some comfort from hail, wet snow,etc. It is really user friendly but expensive.
I have a hidden hunter that is nice and portable but for me it has two disadvantages. One is that I feel cramped like I do not have room to draw. Secondly, it has wires on the bottom that you can not help to stand on or get your chair to close to. For turkey hunting, I like this one the most. I would not leave this one out for long in the weather though.
 The other day , I bought a baronet big mike. You can tell it is not built as well as the double bull but for the price, I will just leave it out there. I used rebar pegs, cut small oaks and zip tied them to look like trees growing around it. Doing the same thing with rhododendron give some color contrast. I do not like the windows the way they designed the mesh with Velcro. There is no way you can adjust the windows to get a shot if they are not set up prior. You guys that have hunted a double bull know what I am talking about with the drop down windows.
The material is vinyl like and make noise if the brush is blown against it.
I would like to try a blind turtle model made in Ohio. If you have your own place or lease, a few of these on pinch points would be ideal. I think it would help with scent containment  also. I wonder if you can comfortably shoot a stickbow out of blind turtle.
Lastly, I wanted to try to make my own with hog fence, burlap, netting, I just did not have the time and I worry about getting drawn. I do have a shaggie suit that I use early but  I am addicted to my heater body suit now that the weather has gone cold.

[Sam McMichael]

I use brush blinds. I just don't care much for the pop up blinds as I have trouble handling my longbow in them.

[JO_EZ]

I cary a 3 legged stool with a back on it and a sheet of that cammo "netting" stuff that costs $20 for a 4'X12' piece. The one I have now has the die cut "leaves" in it. I choose a spot with a good back trop (large tree, bush, blow down etc) and put the netting out in front.

I like to stuff some grass, ferns or what ever into the leaf holes. And I make sure some are sticking over the top edge to break up that straight line.

[Kc kreger]

Brush blinds for me!  I am a firm believer in using what nature provided.  Plus the animals are used the sight and smell of the limbs, grasses and what not used to construct them.

The biggest benefit for me is I can construct several different ones for different winds.  And if I'm in a big enough area and the action is slow I am free to get up and move to another location.

The key for me for either type ground blind though is a comfortable chair!

[Jerry Jeffer]

 

[Robyn Hode]

I do the same as JO_EZ. Three leg chair and camo netting. I set up about 10 to 20 yards from a trail. It works great!

[mjh]

A double bull blind for turkeys.  Gillie suit for deer sometimes with an apache blind out front for some draw coverage, have thought about a Hidden hunter blind, but $$$ priorities in other areas usually...

[Ron LaClair]

I've used all kinds of "brush blinds" and "pit blinds" over the years but as I get older I really enjoy sitting in my Hidden Hunter blinds,out of the wind, rain, and snow. In the late December season when it's too cold for a lot of the "Natural" blind hunters to be out I'll be tucked in my HH, snug as a bug in a rug with my Little Buddy propane heater with carpet remnant on the floor...    :D

   

[Easykeeper]

If possible, try one before you buy one.  I have a Double Bull Double Wide, nice blind, well made, plenty of room for my Huntmore 360, a 64" recurve, and a rather large middle-aged guy.

The thing is, I hate hunting out of it.  I have zero visibility except through the windows, which while plenty big enough for shooting are not so good for "just looking around".  I don't know about you but most of my time in a stand or blind is spend without deer right around me and it's the looking around part that keeps me entertained.  In the pop-up blind I feel like I'm peeking out of a dark closet.  I miss all the little birds, migrating waterfowl, various critters, and whatever else might get my attention.  

I used the blind once for hunting, doubt I will use it again.  I did a lot of shooting out of it before the season so I know there's no problem there and I know they are very effective and nice in windy conditions.  I have found it's a tree or brush blind for me.

[jjwaldman]

I have to agree with Easykeeper.  I HATE hunting out of my Barronett.  I bought it to take the kids hunting.

[jkm97]

They can be boring for sure. I usually try and do sone reading as long as there's enough light. After that, twiddle my thumbs...

[Tbilisi]

I had seven does walk to within 15 yards the other morning with a gillie suit.  One old doe didn't like what she saw and just stared for what seemed like an eternity.  I never was able to shoot or move with 14 eyes staring all the way through me down to my soul. Jus thought that perhaps a popup would be the ticket.  Thanks for the experiences.  Don't know what I will do yet but will love to hear more stories about blinds.

[tracker12]

I can sit on the ground and have deer walk by me without knowing I'm there.  But the problem is how many can I actually get shots at?  That persentage leans towards the deer.  I actually have 4 Double Bull Blinds.  Three that I bought used for a price I could not refuse.  I figure I needed to build in a little theft which always seems to happen with hunting gear left in the woods.