duck boat blind

[Farley]

Or go to Walmart and pick up some of that blind material. Not burlap, but this other stuff that has a cammo print on it and it's somewhat see through and very light weight. One of my friends was making a lay-down goose blind with it and it seems like the right stuff to use. Does anyone know what this stuff's called?

[Guest]

Dozer,
email me at [email protected]
I'll get you some instructions on how to make one.

[dozer42]

does anyone have any plans for a duck boat blind? are cat tails legal to use for your blind? if not what are some of my options.

thanks
chris

[WALLEYENUTZ]

cattails are legal, but I do not recommend them. They don't last very long! I have used ditch grass before and it works ok, but if you can afford it use FastGrass. It's made from Palm branches. doesn't dry up nearly as fast.

[Riverratpete]

Tom, Could you please email me a copy of that boat blind also, I'm looking for a new way to do a blind around the edges. Thanks man. [email protected]

[Guest]

I don't know if you have access to a good book store but Wild Fowl magazine often runs a boat blind articles as well as a best boat blind contest, all of these come with quite detailed instructions on how they were made. Good luck.

[Riverratpete]

Muski Mania, Thanks for the heads up man! I'll go to Borders today.

[Guest]

I'll be sending all of those interested ideas on the blind later today or tomorrow

[Guest]

Ok...the blind.

I guess it would all depend on what kind of water you are hunting, but I build my blinds out of what they call Broom Grass. I bundle it up in 2" diameter bundles, zip tie them together, one at the bottom, one about a foot up from that and then another foot from that. I then take 1" chicken wire and zip tie the bundles to it every other hole in the wire so there is about a 1 inch gap between each bundle. I used green garden fencing last year for the first time and it seemed to hold up better.

I make these blinds so they will extend about 2 feet beyond the back of the boat so I can draw them behind the boat and cover up the back end. On each end of the wire/fence I screw together 3, 3 foot lathes, sandwiching the wire/fence between them. By doing this, I can tie a rope around the lathes.

I then use 8, 10 foot poles that I stick into the mud along side of the boat. 2 of them I tie together at the front to form an upside down V. The bow of the boat can then fit into the V. I then stick the remaining poles into the mud at a 30-45 degree angle. Then I tie the blinds to the outside of the poles. By doing this, you can drive in and out of the blind with your boat. After you drive in, you pull the back flaps tight around the back and tie them together. When you need to go out and get your birds, just untie the back and back out.

The blinds roll up into bundles about 2 feet thick, so they really do not take up too much space. It's old school, but there is no better blind. It is all natural and blends in with any cover. Ive even used them without a boat as a shore blind. I usually make mine about 2 weeks before the season, that way the grass is still somewhat green and blends in better with the green cattails in early October. By the time November rolls around, the grass has dried and blends right in with the brown cattails.

The grass you want, you can find in almost any ditch, just look for the long wavy stuff that grows together in patches. Just cut them down with a siscor or knife and bundle them as you go. The grass will be somewhat flat when you first get it, bit as it dries it curls up and becomes round just like the bristles on a broom, it's what they used to make brooms out of, hence the name Broom Grass. If you stand it upright in your garage after every use and store it in a dry place during the off season, it will last almost forever. I have a blind that I built 15 years ago that I use on my 12 footer.

Building this takes a bit of work, and it takes quite a bit of grass depending on how big your boat is, but it is well worth it.

[Guest]

bump...for those interested

[redhooks]

Great idea-thanks Tom!

[Duck-o-holic]

I've hunted out of this blind, and can attest to its effectiveness! I know this style of blind as a "Mud Lake blind" as many of the guides and hunters used this style blind on Mud Lake back in the 40's and earlier. Tom's family has a lot of history hunting on this lake, as his reletives had a duck camp there for decades. I have not seen or heard of this exact type of blind elsewhere, but I'm sure its use is more widespread than what I know about. One other thing that I can attest to, is that just about every time that one begins to take this blind down to leave for the day... it draws in ducks like crazy

Duck-o-holic

[Guest]

Alas, I'll be putting the blind into semi-retirement this fall. Building one with a metal frame and grass mats, but I'll still use it when the need arises.
Hey Duck,
Now it will look like 2 motorized bogs heading across the lake!!