best advice for using natural ground blinds.

[VA Elite]

I will have to utilize this tactic this season. I have hunted from pop ups but it has never worked for me. so what tips and ideas do you have for me?

[jsweka]

I personally think what is behind you is more important than what is in front of you.  Park yourself on the down-wind side of a good trail and  find something you can sit in front of that will break up your silhouette.  I like downed tree tops or patches of grape vines.  If you have some cover in front, all the better.  The bottom line is you don't want to look like a ground hog poking it's head up out of a hole.

[Sirius Black]

I just worked on one of mine today. I pick a spot that I think will be down wind of deer that I will see (deer trails are up wind of my location) and build a blind of local material, mostly pine and oak limbs for me. Just remember to build it up behind yourself too, to break up your human outline. I killed an eight point buck from this blind two seasons ago at 11 yards. The deer never knew I was there. The only $ I spent was on the 5 gallon bucket that I sit on in the blind!

[Cavscout9753]

I like to find natural dead fall or thick brush about 20 meters off of a trail and with the wind in the right direction. Then I tuck into it. I carry hand trimmers and trim small limbs and stuff to creat a horse shoe of cover around me. The trick is to have solid stuff behind you to break up your outline and move very little and very slowly. Stay ready to action since you likely won't see the game until they are very close. Treestands let you get away with a little fudgery here and there, the ground game can be pretty demanding. A 3 legged stool is handy. Have stuff you need at hand so youre not digging around in things often. Some people say they see less game on the ground than on a stand but I contend that yes, I saw many deer on a stand - moving off in the distance and never having been a possibility to shoot anyhow, so I'll settle with only seeing the animals I can shoot. A good pair of hand pruners and a folding camp stool is all you need. The trick is to learn from each brush blind you build. After some time youll be cranking them out on the fly and in 5 minutes

[BAK]

Movement will be much more critical.  Don't!

[VA Elite]

so how many of you go in and build a blind and hunt it right then?

[Cavscout9753]

I do if the situation warrants it. Just keep it as small and obscure as you can get away with. You're not building a branch-igloo, just enough to break up your outline and movement. Tie into large solid stuff, deadfall, rocks, whatevers there.

[VA Elite]

gotcha

[Sam McMichael]

You have gotten some real good advice about breaking your outline and having back cover. Also, if the location already has some down treetops that you can easily add to that is good. It enhances what is already there without a whole new landscape feature popping up.

[VA Elite]

a lot of the areas are large cut overs about 8-10 hrs old. there are rows that are open. short young pines.

[archer66]

Cedar trees, scrub oak trees, tall ragweed, goldenrod, tall native grasses, deadfalls, brushpiles....all of it can be utilized.  The best natural ground blind hunts I've ever had have been impromptu deals on public land where I knew deer were passing through and I simply found some cover near their travel route.  For instance in situations where I'm in tall native grasses or ragweed or goldenrod or some combination I'll get downwind of the trail maybe ten yards and stomp down a 4 foot diameter circle to sit in...then I stomp down a shoulder width lane toward where I expect deer to come from and at about a 45 degree angle to that lane I stomp down another lane to shoot through....works great....deer walk past the first lane and by the time they make it to the second lane I'm ready to shoot and they're at a perfect quartering away angle.  DEAD DEER!!!!  

Really as long as you sit still, have some cover and play the wind you'll be amazed how easy it is to get close to deer.  The big key is getting in position for the shot and drawing without getting caught on ground level at close range.  I like to let the deer walk past me before I try to shoot....I set myself up so that my bow is naturally pointed toward my shooting lane so I have to move as little as possible.

FUN!!!!!!

[AZ_Longbow]

I like to find a spot that nature has made close to what I want and enhance it. You want cover behind you. You can disappear if what's behind you is thick and keeps light from showing you. I had 5 deer walk up to 7 yards this year by sitting against a dead oak with catsclaw and manzanita near me. They approached me in the one area I had no front cover. But the tree broke my outline and as long as I was dead still they fed and played. Soon as I tryed to draw on the 2 bucks though the lack of frontal cover  hurt. Out here in AZ where I hunt others no trees for a stand. So keep it as small as possible so it seems more natural. Just enough to hide and move a bit. And I use smoke before I hunt. creosote leaves burned and I get that smoke all over my skin and gear. Jus don't breath it for long. Its an irritant to the lungs.

[rolltidehunter]

Back cover and being still is the key. If you are hunting a trail back off it 15 yards. I shot a doe one time standing in front of a large oak tree that was bigger around that I am. She fed to me from over 100 yards away. I was on a hardwood ridge where it is very open with large trees. She was with 3 other deer I shot her at 12-15 yards.

Here is a picture that I have posted a few times. This old tree was in a perfect spot. I never cut the 1st limb
 
 

[Charlie Lamb]

Face camo becomes more important on the ground.

Don't move to take your shot if you can see the deer's eyes. That means they can see you.

A deer moving along a trail will forget what is behind him (as will most animals). Wait till the animal is past to make your move.
   

[LB_hntr]

I dont hunt on the ground as much as I used to. But one of my best tactics for on the go ground blinds was to hike into the area. find my spot and pic a tree for back cover. then walk over to a pine and cut 3 branches about 3 feet long and bring them over to my back cover tree and stick the pine branches in the ground for front cover.
 I also had a few spots that I hunted each season and put a few of the 4 foot artifical christmas trees there (bought after christmas for 15 bucks each).
 Another great trick i used was "cover sticks". I made these by taking 2 1"x2"x4 foot furring strips and putting a screw in the middle of them so they would open like an "x". I then took an old cheap green tarp and cut leaves out of it and stapled them all over the furring strips.Then I painted them with spray paint. I wold take 2 of these into the woods. pick a tree as back cover and then use my 2 "x" cover sticks as front cover by opening them to an x and sticking them in the ground.
Those "cover sticks" worked so good I made a few "all season" ground blind spots by taking 5 or 6 1x2x 4 feet furring boards and painting them or staining them and then cutting a point in the bottom end. I would carry 5 or 6 to a spot and pick a cover tree. then stick the 5 or 6 boards in the ground around me for front cover. it did great breaking up my outline and hiding me by depth perception. those boards cost about a buck a piece and are super light weight.
It doesnt take much to hide you. And back cover is important but front cover is as well. here is why. deer eyes dont have good depth perception. so by putting a little front cover out about 5 feet in front of you they can not put you together beyond it due to the break up and lack of focus beyond the foreground objects.
 I also just used the low turkey chairs or just a foam pad. I shoot with a cant and never have to worry about my bow tip hitting the ground. but practice your chair/pad/seat set up ahead of time to work out any kinks.

[Keefer]

I do as Charlie doe's and notice how he cleaned the leaves where his feet are. He has back cover and the Big downfall is natural and the deer will work around that tree and usually the deer are in a relaxed approach as long as you play the wind and use plenty of scent control ..I have always liked the Hunter Specialty's Earth scent cause it smells like Dirt or wet ground to me..I also spray by boots well and try not to brush up or touch any saplings or branch's etc. on the way to my blind.. I also look for what God provided and I love to hide next to the "root ball" and have had several bucks with in 6 yards and not know I was there..I use a Huntmore 360 seat and adjust it so I can just slighty lift my bow and anchor is with a slight canting motion..

[RedShaft]

I don't know if it's been mentioned. But a key ingredient in setting any stand is to ace it not only down wind but where it puts you in shadow and at a point where when an animal approaches from a direction when on its travels it is not looking directly at you but it's attention is another direction or a place where it has to visuly pay attention for Moment and is not looking around as much. A bend In a trail ect... Take advantage of there weaknesses.

[VA Elite]

great stuff  LB !

[Ray Lyon]

Lot's of great advice above. One other addition to the above is carry some variety length zip ties with you.  They're great for quickly attaching some cover branches.  Take them out at the end of your hunt/season so we're not leaving litter in the woods.

[overbo]

Get good at shooting over 20yrds, find those hard to find cross wind run ways, and stay in your ambush site. It's much easier to want to search for the greener grass when on the ground.