GROUND BLINDS

[Florida bowhunter]

I notice some of you hunt in ground blinds, what blind do you guys think is best for shooting a 60 inch recurve out of and how does the shoot thru mesh effect arrow flight, are they easy to set up

I hunt mostly out of ground blinds, but nearly never from a commercial popup type blind. Most of them are just too tight. If I hunt a day type hunt or someplace I cannot leave a blind for an extended period, I use my Double Bull popup. Most of my deer hunting is on ground that I can leave the blind there for extended periods of time. In those cases I use homemade blinds. The blind I shot my doe from this morming was a big old metal water tank that I converted into a blind.

One of my favorites is the carpet blind. These blinds are made by covering a cattle panel with outdoor astroturf carpet. Here is a pic of my "Astroblind":

 

Bisch

[Florida bowhunter]

Bish that looks nice, bet it took some doing to put it togather...congratulations on your trad kill.

They do take a little time and a little work, but you will not find a more comfortable blind! They are cheap too, about 1/2 the price of a quality popup blind.

The carpet on the side of the blind in the above pic has been on that blind and in the woods since 2008, and is still in perfect condition! The roof part is brand new. I have yet to see a popup blind that would last anywhere near that long being in the wood 24/7/365 for 6yrs!

Thanks!!

Bisch

[2treks]

Hey Bisch.
Is that material water proof?
Thanks.

CTT

Originally posted by Two Tracks:
Hey Bisch.
Is that material water proof?
Thanks.

CTT

No, it is not waterproof, but we line the dome on top with black plastic from Home Depot before we put the carpet on the top. Water does not leak in. You do not need the plastic on the sides, and the back of the carpet is covered with a black rubber. I don't hunt in a downpour, but have sat many a days in it with a light rain, and never gotten wet.

Here is a pic of the roof from the inside:

     

And here is a pic of how I made the door. I made a frame out of angle iron and the door itself is a piece of a cattle panel covered in the grass carpet:

 

Bisch

[beaunaro]

Nice job, Bisch!

Jim and I want to build some Florida hog hunting blinds like this.

Good to know they work.

Can you make the wall out of just one 16' cattle panel?
I believe they measure 54" x 16' long.

also, where did you get the carpet and what color do we ask for?

Thank you.

[bowhuntingrn]

A couple pics of my new Ghost Blind set up yesterday morning. It definitely doesn't give you the full coverage that a pop up or similar does, but is great for the public land hunting that I do. With the additional carry bag / pack, I can carry the blind, a chair, and my pack very conveniently and hands free. Thinking about adding a couple of the extenders to give me something to hide behind a little more while moving to draw. Both pics are from about 18-19 yards, but I zoomed in on the second one so its easier to make out. Look right in the center on the first pic. Definitely not the cheapest option, but one of the most versitile for sure, not to mention quick and easy to set up. You can also see my bow hanging from a sapling to the right if you look closely.
 
 

Originally posted by beaunaro:
Nice job, Bisch!

Jim and I want to build some Florida hog hunting blinds like this.

Good to know they work.

Can you make the wall out of just one 16' cattle panel?
I believe they measure 54" x 16' long.

also, where did you get the carpet and what color do we ask for?

Thank you.

The blind in my pics above is one 16' cattle panel with a 41" wide door. My panels were only 50" tall, but taller would be better because the carpet comes in 6' widths. If you make the door much narrower than 41", it starts getting cramped inside with a stick bow. You can buy the carpet at Home Depot, or probably any home improvement store that sells indoor/outdoor carpet. We use the light and dark mixed brown shade because it blends in better. The green shades tend to be way to bright.

Bisch

[LBR]

For "ready made", I've had good luck with the Ameristep Penthouse.  Plenty big enough for a longbow-I'm a big guy, and I have hunted from mine with another adult in it with me, also with a longbow.  Have to pay attention, but it can be done.  Had one in the woods now for...4 or 5 years.  This may be it's last year, but it has held up well.  It's in a creek bottom where it floods, otherwise it might have been good for a few more years.

[uglyjake]

Very nice.  I would like to make one like this for my daughter and me to hunt out of.

[cloudbaseracer]

Originally posted by bowhuntingrn:
A couple pics of my new Ghost Blind set up yesterday morning. It definitely doesn't give you the full coverage that a pop up or similar does, but is great for the public land hunting that I do. With the additional carry bag / pack, I can carry the blind, a chair, and my pack very conveniently and hands free. Thinking about adding a couple of the extenders to give me something to hide behind a little more while moving to draw. Both pics are from about 18-19 yards, but I zoomed in on the second one so its easier to make out. Look right in the center on the first pic. Definitely not the cheapest option, but one of the most versitile for sure, not to mention quick and easy to set up. You can also see my bow hanging from a sapling to the right if you look closely.
 
 

I just tried mine for the first time and it seems to blend in pretty well.  I am not sure how to best use it here in the hilly terrain we have.  If I am above the trail I may be more silhouetted but if below they may be able to see over the top easier.

Any thoughts?

[bowhuntingrn]

Cloudbaseracer - I'm definitely not the ghost blind "expert". The above pics were from my first "actual use" other than in the back yard. My thoughts though...being silhouetted is probably a bad thing the majority of the time. Seems if you could get somewhere between level and "just high enough" so that the top of the blind wouldn't extend much if at all above the horizon. That probably doesn't help much, but is my .02. Have you given the extenders any thought? Might help when / if you have to set it up lower than you would like. The main purpose of this type blind in my way of thinking is to hide movements I have to make in preparation of the shot, primarily foot and leg positioning. One other observation, when just looking at the blind, it stands out a bit (probably because I know it's there). However, through the camera lens, it blends much better. I'm hoping "the camera lens" view is more of what the animal sees.

[cloudbaseracer]

I have two of the extenders and think I may need to get a few more to complete the set-up.  When I say silhouetted I am probably giving you the wrong idea since I would never place it at the top of a hill.  The one particular area I am thinking of using it is on a pretty steep slope and there would be quite a bit of hill behind and above me so I would hopefully blend into the background.  

I do think these things work pretty good even though we humans can see them pretty quickly unless brushed in well. I think it may not even be that bad that your head is above if the rest of your body is hidden from view.  Is that how you feel as well?

Cheers,
James

[bowhuntingrn]

Originally posted by cloudbaseracer:
I do think these things work pretty good even though we humans can see them pretty quickly unless brushed in well. I think it may not even be that bad that your head is above if the rest of your body is hidden from view.  Is that how you feel as well?

Cheers,
James

That's exactly what I'm thinking, hope to prove it before the season is over    Good luck and be sure to share pics if you get things to come together.

[John3]

98% of my hunting is from the ground... Great looking blinds!
I build natural blinds ( think a large deadfall) and crawl inside them.. Deadly if I do things right.

[TooManyHobbies]

Bisch, I love your blind. I picked up three cattle fence panels, cut one in half the long way and attached to a full panel to give me more height. Used the 1/2" pvc for the roof support. Haven't put everything else together yet, but was wondering how you attached everything without putting holes in the plastic roof? I'm using cable ties for everything else. Or is the astroturf holding down the plastic and anchored below the plastic?
I only decided to make some because I hate sitting at home when it's raining (prefer natural blind). And since I had to cut one in half, that leaves me enough to make a second one.
Thanks for the idea and info.

The PVC frame goes on first, and looks like this:

   

Then the black plastic is draped over the PVC frame and tucked into the top of the cattle panel.

The top is the weak link to this blind (at least in the hot TX sun). At first we just used a couple pieces if the carpet to cover the top and folded and tucked it to get it to lay as flat as possible. The one in my pics above involved some work. I cut a 6' circle out of the carpet. I then cut 2' strips of carpet. I then used a torch to heat and melt all the seams together. I then put carpet seam tape on all the seams. Doing it this way makes the top piece fit like a cap, and there is not near as many places for mice to chew and nest in.

Bisch

[fnshtr]

Love the blind Bisch! I use a Primos GroundMax pop up blind. Shot my first deer out of it tonight... with my 60" BW PCH. (See my story on the post entitled "First year hunting deer from a ground blind".)

Lots of room and hard to beat for a temporary blind at about $100.

[pdk25]

TTT