Portable Ground Blind ?

[Guest Dragonfly]

I have spent many hours reading various posts regarding ground blinds. I'm considering between a pop-up style blind and a somewhat mobile box blind that you can bow hunt out of.

Here are a few questions:

1. Do you purchase the pop-up blind because it's portable?

I noticed many of you set out your blinds weeks and months before you plan to hunt them. I know why you do this, but don't understand why you don't use a box or make-shift blind.

2. What the big advantage of a pop-up blind that goes up in 10 seconds vs. a blind that goes up in 2-5 min., if you are going to leave it the woods anyway?

3. What is the big advantage of a 15 lb pop-up blind vs. a 20 lb blind if you are going to step-up and leave it in the woods?

4. How many of you that use portable ground blinds actually take them out hunting, set-up, hunt, then take the blind home with you? Do you get good results?

Thanks

[stevebeilgard]

depends on your blind. i have an ameristep i'll use once a year. but i won't leave it out very long, unless it's in sight of the rancher. i have a double bull matrix that i won't leave out for any reason. theives are everywhere. i have 10 blinds that i made out of a roll of construction wire and burlap. cost me about 40.00 per blind. i leave them all out for weeks at a time. will set up 3 more on sunday....

[Brad6639]

"How many of you that use portable ground blinds actually take them out hunting, set-up, hunt, then take the blind home with you? Do you get good results?"

I have taken them out and brought them back most of the time. Ive only hunted out of a ground blind a handful of times with a bow for deer, and never got one out of them yet. I have shot at deer out of a makeshift blind and had lots of deer close, but no kills yet. Im going to primarily be hunting out of my ground blind this year, mostly because I just want to shoot a deer on the same level with a bow.

Now that being said, heres what Im going to do. Im going to take mine in each day and try to brush it in with the natural brush as much as possible. I will more than likely take it back out with me each time. I will more than likely trim some natural brush and put it around the pop up blind, maybe even leaning against it. I imagine the biggest thing is getting it to look natural. The camo patterns are great, so Id think if you get them brushed in decent, you'd have very little chance of getting busted when you go to draw. My only concern is scent control. When your in a tree you can have your scent carry over the deers head most of the time, on the ground your at the level their nose is, so I imagine scent control is of utmost importance. Im confident with my scent control system, so I think I will have a better change this year as any. I have a full 3 weeks of work off for the end of October through the middle of November, and I intend to spend most of it in that blind trying to get close to a nice buck.

[wesleycasey]

i have an ameristep doghouse blind and i bring it in the woods and take it out each time i hunt out of it!! like they said theres alot of thieves out there!! but on the other hand they are a portable blind and its not that big of deal to throw it up nor take it down and when its down it fits in a little convenient back pack!!! .....i do enjoy mine though there great if u got a youn buck hunting with ya cause my lil brother still likes to move alot and the blind is pretty forgiving being all is covered pretty much except his head when he is sitting down

[johnf]

I've gone out set up my blind and had deer come as close a 5 yards from me. The best cover I've used was an oak with low limbs that shielded most of the blind. I would decide when I got there which window I was shooting out of and close the rest, leaving only a very small hole to see out of and only enough room to shoot out of the one window. This will do several things for you: hold you scent in the blind, keep the cold wind off of you, keeping your scent from swirling, keep you warm, and keep you more conceled. The first time I used mine I had all windows wide open so I could see. (bad plan) A doe came up from behind a looked in at me from about 10 yards. With all the windows wide she could see everything. Needless to say, I didn't get her.

As for scent control, I usually spray the outside of my blind with some sort of cover scent, ususally fresh earth and every so often give it some touch-ups around the windows. I do use the Scent-away products on myself also.

If you are going to leave it in one spot, you need to put it there early. If you are going to have it there for one or two days, I would just pack it in and out and put it in a different spot every day (at least 50 yards from where it was the day befor)

[Flintlock1776]

Check out Double Bull T2 Blind

I posted a review on the product after I bought it at Cabelas.

Go to www.cabelas.com and enter in Double Bull in search then pick the T2 blind and read buyers comments.

I have had bucks with 10 feet of the blind on the ground!

[MichiganHunter]

1. I bought a Double Bull because it's quick set up and portability and i'm 6' 4" and it gives me some room.

2. The advantage is..your goin to make noise with both but if you takin it in and settin it up to hunt right out of it you make noise for a lot less time.

3. lol....well its 5lbs but if you have even walked a long way with a blind into a new area or with any gear any extra weight you can cut out is a huge savings.

4.I have done that several times, gone down state to visit fam with a small chunk of property and it's easy to take that out and set it up for a quick hunt....now i've never shot anythin out of it but i have had small 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 year olds walk under 50 yards from it, Just have to brush it in a bit and than deer dont pay it as much attention