Anybody ever bowhunt deer out of a pop-up blind?

[Finlander]

Any success with them?
Tell me your story!

[scotty18]

I have a Double Bull T2. I've used it for 2 seasons now. I haven't got a deer yet, although I have had plenty of chances. I've been so impressed with mine, I don't use treestands anymore. All my hunting is done on public land. It's so simple to put up. I also think these blinds help contain scent and you don't have to worry about movement. The only problem I have is I shoot a 62" recurve and have to kneel down to shoot. If your thinking of buying one, get a good one and make sure it's lined with black material inside. I'm going to use it next time I go bear hunting.

[Mark Christianson]

I have been thinking about the pop-up blind thing too.
Where I live, I have a huge lowland behind the house, and most of my property is just brush behind the house. No place to even hang a stand. There are some large trees on the very back property line, but I have some major trails in the middle of the swamp.

Hmmmmmm.......

[Fisher Dave]

I have been playing around with a pop up blind for the last 2 seasons. Yes, I have seen deer with the pop up, but never in shooting range for the bow. This year I had set up the blind regularly for my handicapped father hunting with a crossbow. The results I saw is the deer would avoid the direct area the blind was set up .. even for a couple days after I took it down they would avoid that area. I had the blind set up on a small brushy island in a hay field that I saw deer every evening foraging around .. except when the blind was there.

I guess I cant say they dont work, because the deer were still coming out.. I would be more confident in results if the blind was set up for a period of time previous to hunting (weeks?).

This season, I set up the blind on the other side of the field in the treeline .. and went and hunted the other side of the field on foot and got a good close shot on a deer avoiding the blind.

So I guess it worked? Maybe not the way it supposed to, but I'm not complaining.

[BLACKJACK]

Good topic, I've been wondering about this, lusted after Double Bull blind but have been scared off by the big price. Finally [PoorWordUsage]ed for an Ameristep blind when they were on sale, going to try it fro a few years.

FisherDave and Scotty, sounds like you got opposite results!?? Was it the difference in the blind location? Color? Scotty, when you set yours up, did you put it in brush or on the edge? Did you add more brush around it? FD, what kind is yours?

Theres a lot of public land around here that I'd like to hunt, I'm thinking these ground blinds might be the ticket, but not if they scare deer!

[delmuts]

i haven't used mine much either. but talking to other guys i have been told the biggest problem is that it stands out to a deers' eye sight. when using you need to place brush, grass, or what ever type of cover you are dealing with on it and over it. a freind of mine had the same problem. after i talked to him he went out and covered his with grass and hay from the bales near by. two days later he had to replace the hay .he had does in easy bow range, but not a big enough buck for him. several guys i know just love them for turkey hunting in the spring too! del

[Canuck]

I hve used the Outhouse for 3 years now and swear by them. I hunt on public land. I havn't shot a deer with the bow out of one yet but hve shot several with the rifle well within bow range. The first year I got it shot a nice 5 X 5 (168) at 15 paces and he never knew I was there. Two days later my brother in the same spot shot a smaller 5 X 5 (145) while it was smelling the blood spot. Again 2 days later his friend shot a 5 X zip (broken off) while it was reaching out to smell the blood spots. None of these deer knew were there and well within bow range.

It is alot harder to shoot the bow out of the outhouse as I have to sit right at the back and draw out the back window. It is alittle small for the bow but it can be done. I practice from May til Sept shooting out of it so it gets easier. If I was buying another just for bow hunting I would get one alittle bigger but remember, it keep it small enough to be mobile.

Like mentioned earlier, I too believe the shape of it keeps your scent inside. I still have a few tree stands that I will use but this pop up sure has increased areas to hunt. I don't think they are the end all as you have to be careful where U place it. I would sugguest you make sure you are not outlined on the crest of hill etc. Wind can sometimes cause the material to rattle so be careful about having it tight and out of the gale force.

We also picked up the blaze orange cap for the blinds as we found people were not seeing the blinds and just feel alot safer with the blaze orange. UALL have them so cheap down south it almost sicking. Heard the Outhouse was like 70 buck in Walmart this fall.

[Fisher Dave]

I'm not sure what brand mine is offhand.. I will try to remember to pull it out later and look.

A large factor here could very well be the locations we are hunting. The location I hunt, the majority of the deer use this field every day throughout the growing season. The deer definatly notice when something, or anything is different. I had one doe bust me a few times this year. The 1st time she was about 150 yards+ out in the field and looked strait at me... and continued to walk toward me and would not look away until she was close enough to make a positive ID that something was different.. then she started to spit and scream at me. The doe came out early that day.. I had to conciel myself in a hurry(just got there), which consisted of kneeling down in front of some brush, and thick ferns in front of me covered up the front view completely. That deer never seen me move.

A deer in the *woods* may not be as subject to spooking as deer in the fields.

[scotty18]

Blackjack, When I set up my blind I try to put it up against a brush pile or fallen trees. The big thing is not to be silloetted. Same stuff as a treestand. I don't pile brush around it, I'm afraid it could defleck a arrow. I haven't tried my blind in a open field yet, but I think it would work ok as long as you have cover behind you to blend in with. As far as spooking deer, I've had deer close enough to touch. If you do decide to buy a blind, go with Double Bull. They may cost more, but I think you'll be happier than one of the cheaper blinds. The model I have(t2) was $299. The most important thing to look for is black lining. In mine the fabric is died black on the inside. With black lining the animals can't see inside.(your silloette)Also make sure to either screen your back windows or keep them closed. same reason.

Scotty

[BLACKJACK]

After reading these posts I want to get out and try that blind!!! Too bad I have to wait 9 1/2 months! I can see where these blind would really open up the possibilities on public land. How many people actually go out in the dark and put up a tree stand!? With one of these, you could, as long as you can find the spot in the dark.

[frozen toes]

I have the Double Bull T-5 and love it! I have shot two deer out of it, and missed a few. I use to think the big bucks would be afraid of it, but learned the truth in Iowa this year. If the blind is set up properly, any deer will get within bow range of it. I have also set it up on the edge of an alfalfa field and had deer walk within feet of it. But, the biggest reason I love it so much is for pre season scouting. I will set it up on the woodline overlooking green fields in the evenings. The deer go about their business and do not see or pay attention to the blind at all. It also allows me to take my kids scouting with me.

[Lunker]

My brothers first archery deer came out of a ground blind(homemade) a few years ago. Was on the edge of an alfalfa field so couldn
t use a stand, so he set up a blind against a fence near where the deer crossed in the evening. Had a deer run into his blind while he was in it, the first night he couldn't even raise his bow beacause the deer were so close. Got one the second evening, this was our first experiences with ground blinds becasue we hunt big woods, but it was quite successful. My father shot a deer this season out of a hay bale blind on the same field.

[Swamp Scooter]

We started using ground pop ups this year due to the terrible weather for the t-zone in WI. Some of te guys got outhouse blinds but I got mine from online at the sportsmans guide. It has openings that go all the way up to the top and also open in the typical half circle. This allows for you to stand, draw, or sit. They are the same size as the others. I shot 4 bucks and a dow this year. 3 from a pile of dead branches around my chair and then 2 from the blind. Everyone else got them too. I even brought my heater out and had it going on high when I saw my last buck. I had to shut it off, open the window and then take him. They are great and allow you to stay dry more than anything. The breaking of the wind is essential. I think it helps contain the scent too. Two of the guys built free standing platforms and put them on top of it. I had deer within feet of me and they never knew it.

[Havin' Fun]

In the past year I have hunted more on the ground using just the cover available and have had awesome success. Just sitting next to a tree or leaning up against a big tree really works. I've also knelt in the weeds after cutting out a shooting lane. Basically, if you need to stay out of the wind and not bring notice to yourself which is what some of those blinds might do if your not careful. Also, where do you put them after your done?? Keep them outside? Are they being kept scent free??

[Finlander]

Tanx for the input guys!
My son gave ma a pop-up blind for x-mas and wasn't able to try it the last few days after x-mas before the season closed.
Sounds like it will be fun to hunt out of.
It'll be good for keeping those miskeetoes from buzzing around while inside during September.
Anybody use a deer decoy with there blind?