Ground Blind

[metrojoe]

Anyone have any experience with the one man blinds? Is there enough room to come to full draw in the A frame style blind pictured on the right?

[mnmuzzleloader]

would not even bother that style, got one took it out tried and sent it right back, are you going to want something that you have 360 viewing and silent windows. Does any come to mind?? I would either go with teh DB for top choice or I would go with the new ameristeps that offer the new window style alittle less money but we have talked in length on this site about blinds the overall favorite I think has ben the DB!! Hope this helps out!!!

[orangestew]

I have both those blinds and I can tell you there isn't enough room to bow hunt from the A-frame design. I've tried it for bow hunting and you can draw back if you have your back to one of the corners but then you have to be careful not to brush up against the sides when trying to position for a shot. If you are going to bow hunt you'll want the dome shape.

The A frame works well for gun hunting deer and turkey, especially when you are going to sit for a long time because you are able to stand up in it and stretch.

I use the dome shaped one primarily for bow hunting when I need to hunt where I can't use a tree stand and I have had lots of close encounters. Just be sure set up near some good cover so it blends in a little more. You'll also want to wear dark colored clothes when sitting in your blind. Deer will pick up on more movement if you wear your lighter colored camo clothes while sitting in the blind.

[delmuts]

orangestew. thaks for the info! i have been looking at the cabelas dome one or the ameristep dome.( very similar) i hunt from the ground alot, and hope this would help some. i can't swing the DP. plus the weight would be a problem for me as i carry my hunting clothes in with me in a back pack. do you recomend wearing black when using these? or just stay with dark colors? del

[harvey lee]

Del

Some of the blinds have a black inside and then yes, I would wear black. I always wear camo or a darker color which will help as others have stated.

I believe that with any blind you set up and hunt in on the same day is that one should brush it in. This will really help the deer feel more comfortable with the new item in the woods.

I will sometimes hunt out of a blind without brushing it in but that would be a blind that is set up on private property weeks before I will hunt in it. Of course one will need to be sure of the property you are placing it on and leaving it or, you wont have a blind for long.

orangestew is correct in that you will need to wear some darker colors.

[metrojoe]

Thanks for the info guys. I was doing a little scouting the last day of our annual bowhunting trip to Wisconsin for next year and came across an area that had some great sign but no trees suitable for a stand(well maybe one) I'd prefer to put up a stand but I was considering a ground blind for this location. I've never owned or hunted out of a blind before and it's good to know the A frames just don't cut it for the bow hunter.

[chucker34]

Everyone gives good advice. One of the biggest features besides adequate room to draw and great concealment in my opinion is the shooting windows. You want to have the minimum window space open as possible otherwise it looks like you're sitting in a gazebo enjoying some lemonade. You'll get busted everytime because the deer will see you long before you see it in most cases. For instance, a DB offers a 360 shooting window and easy adjustment. The next best option in my opinion is a hub style blind with windows pretty much all the way around. In this case, try to find a blind like my Big Game Escape Groundmax Deluxe that allows you to silently open and close windows as needed from the inside. I have done this on more than a few occassions when a deer was coming from a direction I hadn't anticipated and not been busted. With many other blinds you would have only been able to open and close the windows with a noisy zippper - from the outside of the blind. So opportunity lost in those cases.

And again, just in general, the darker the inside of the blind and the fewer the windows open the better IMHO. Also, when setting up the blind in your spot, have a friend come along and sit inside with the window openings you want so you can walk around from different angles and distances to see how easy it is to see him.

Good luck!

[woodman]

I have the first one and love it. We used it bow and rifle this year. The doctor told my wife that she couldn't climb in a tree stand due to pregnancy, and due in three weeks. So we left the doc. and bought her this blind. We had 3 does within 20 yards of us bow hunting and one fawn within 5 yards running around us trying to figure out what it was. It was funny watching him/her. My dad used it this rifle season and was impressed also. Maybe have to go get a couple more for christmas presents. My review is that they are excellent and you will not be disappointed.

[jigglestick]

just a side note, I was able to find a snow camo cover for the first one pictured, the dog house blind.

I have not been able to find any snow camo for my escape blind.

dont worry, the time will come when we will need it

Joe, this late in the season, wal-mart usually clearances these blinds out at like 40% off. I bought a dog house for ...I want to say $40.00? I know I bought the other one even cheaper.

[harvey lee]

Something that I would be a little concerned about with some of these blinds is the coil type that fold up. I have seen numerous coil type fold ups that after time dont work as well as when they were new. The coils seem to lose their tension and they just dont work quite as good as the type that have the X frames for each wall.

I also think that the price of the blind wont affect how close the deer come close to it. They dont know if its a $50.00 blind or a $400.00 but you may after years of use when folding it back up.

Just something else to think about when shopping for a blind.

[analyzer]

I really like blind hunting better than stand hunting. The down side is if there is a lot of brush that you'd be able to see and shoot over if you were up high. But the up side is great. The wind doesn't get at you as much, so you stay warmer, and IMO are less likely to get scented. And beside staying warmer, you can put a very comfortable chair in there. If you're warmer, and confortable sitting there, you'll stay out in the field longer, and are more apt to have success. I can't sit in a tree stand for more than 3 or 4 hours. I have no problem sitting in my blind for 6. Considering I usually get to the stand/blind an hour before shooting light, those extra 2 hours are very significant.

I got busted the first time I used one. I am now more careful to sit in the corner of the blind, and adjust the windows so I have no light behind my head. I've now shot 3 deer in 3 years out of the blind, so it's working for me.

I hunt private property and try to set it out at least 2 weeks early.

I highly recommend finding a chair that doesn't squeek when you sit down or stand up, etc. I just use one of my plastic patio chairs. They're quiet and very comfortable. I even put a blanket in my blind to wrap up in, for the first hour, while I wait for shooting light : )~

[chucker34]

I use a plastic lawn chair in "permanent spots" like analyzer does. I also feel like my chances of getting busted are less in a blind correctly set up than 20 feet in a tree as I tend to be too fidgety.

And ditto on what Harvey said. To add to that, go to a pro shop or one of the big uns like Cabelas and have them show you how to set up and take the blind down. Inspect the framework and how it's built. I bought a Cabela's one with fiberglass poles, brought it home and when unfolding it - carefully mind you - snapped a few of the poles. From then on I was a big believer in aluminum or metal poles of some sort.