portable vs popup ground blinds

[rippinlips]

I normally use a climber but I have bing shying away from bow hunting in our woods and op for ground blinds that way the deer get little to no pressure in the woods and I hunt them on the outside as they go to and from feeding. It's working pretty good we have alot more bucks of bigger size hanging around more and showing themselves. What do you guys like and why.

[Mark Christianson]

Well, I hate portables personally.

But, you could lump in ladder stands too(which I do like).

Maybe the better topic would be "elevated stands vs ground blinds".

I like both, and can not honestly say one is more my style.

I like the stands because your view of the surroundings is far superior to being on the ground.

I like the blind, because I can get to a spot and be set up in minutes and be hunting. With the stands, you have a lot more work to get set up, and on the flip side to move the stand you have a lot of work.

Just a couple quick points, and many more I am sure.

[bottomdweller]

I agree with biglake, the blinds go up really quick and your hunting in minuttes, but the view from an elevated stand is alot better. I think I hunt about 75% out of ladder stands and the rest ground blinds.

[Cooter]

I bowhunt with either portable stands, a climber, or ground blind. However, the portables only get put up once a year cuz I can't stand too much of the tree step dump. I love ladder stands for gun hunting and do a little bow hunting out of them but I dislike the fact that on most ladder stands when you stand up you usually end up a couple feet from the tree, which is your main source of cover. I like to hug the tree while standing/waiting for a shot and the climbers and portables allow that.

[Jeremiah Johnson]

I like using portables and ladder stands for rifle. I bought a popup blind last year for archery, but i had to look hard for one that would let you pull back all the way without having to swing around in the blind

[Powerstroke]

Personally I like my portable stands more because of the vantage point and the scent issue. Getting up in the air does have advantages with scent dispersal.

I think I would like my blind more if I actually shot deer out of it, but I have few hunting places where a blind would be beneficial.

[Hotspotter]

Each seems to have their time/place for me, though ground blinds are gaining more and more favor every-year in my book. I like more portables too, which really act like semi-permanents as Cooter alluded to.

Do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of "Another Year on the Ground - Part VI," by the guys at DoubleBull. In it, you'll find another DVD besides the hunts that has a full instructional series on hunting both deer and turkeys out of a blind. These guys were the ones that started it all when it comes to portable blinds, and they've learned quite a bit over the years.

For whitetails, Brooks and Keith have a 50/100 rule in terms of where you're setting up the blind. If the deer's first contact/sight of the blind is within 50 yards, you have to BRUSH THE THING IN! Esp. the top, as it makes a pretty hard "line" against any foliage or the horizon. If the deer's first sight of the blind is at distance, say 100 yards away, there should be no need to brush the thing in. IMO, it still wouldn't hurt, unless it's in the wide-open, and doing so would make it look even more un-natural.

I think with that information, you'll be able to use the ground blind much more effectively, though I still use stands a bit more than 50% of the time anyway.

Joel

[rippinlips]

I've had very good luck using both the last few years, before I started using a climber and ground blinds I was one of those guys that would have about 20 portables out every year now I just have a few portables I use.