Hunting ground blind doubles as ice shelter?

[NyQuiLlama]

I just ordered a "primos predator den blind" from Cabelas and I'm thinking about using it for an ice shelter as well. I can't afford a "clam" or anything too fancy. I figure this should work as the fabric is tough and relatively windproof, there's no floor, and setup and take down are supposed to be simple.

I'm curious if anyone else uses a blind like this for ice fishing shelter applications. Good idea for a guy on a tight budget?

[bloc004]

I have seen more than a couple of these out on the lake. Last weekend I also saw a coleman tent set up on the ice. What ever keeps you warm and keeps you fishing!

[dan z]

seen a double bull the other day on the ice going to have to say thats a first!

[sticknstring]

I tried using my DB once. They're okay if it's calm. If windy, forget about it. They're too light without anchoring.

[NyQuiLlama]

That's what I was afraid of sticknstring. Maybe I can figure some brilliant way of anchoring it, as windy days are the days that it's really nice to have shelter. Worst case scenario I'll do what I always do, sit with my back to the wind.

[Royce Aardahl]

I have an Eskimo Quick fish 3 that has about the same hub system as my Double Bull Matrix ground blind. Under 200 bucks for the eskimo. last fall I broke a rod in the double bull and they sent me 4 rods for just shipping costs. last week I broke one in the eskimo and I called them up and they are sending me some also. excellent customer service both companies! I just used one of the extras from double bull to use in the eskimo till those rods get here. I'm learning if you need to force it to pop open,STOP! and adjust a bit. The nice thing about the Eskimo is they have a flap all the way around the bottom that you can bank some snow on and it's fine with a low wind. if it gets really windy I screw down one of the 5 ice screws that come with it about 5 feet from the house and tie it down. works great! you can also use the screws to anchor the corners down also if you want. so if you are gonna use the ground blind just get some ice screws and it should work just fine but you might get a good breeze on your feet if it's windy if you don't bank any snow.

[Christopher Quast]

I have used my groundmax blind for fishing even during strong winds, just be smart about it and buy some screw in ice anchors and tie it off, mine has a 6 inch flap around the bottom and works great to put slush on top of... All in all it will work just fine for you, after all how many portables can you throw on your back???

[fishin58]

I used mine about 4 years ago...I wish I would have called clam right away...they prolly had something in the works already though...

just make sure you have ice screws!!! I do not know how yours is set up but maybe some rope also to tie to the screws??

[NyQuiLlama]

Thanks a lot for the tips guys! I'll have to pick up some ice screws. Is there a particular brand I should look for, or is an ice screw and ice screw?

I should be okay for the rest of this year because we've got plenty of snow/slush on the ice that I can pile on the bottom flap. But ice screws will be the ticket for early ice.

[jdsmi]

I used my GroundMax Extreme many times before I purchased a flipover and will again if the occasion calls to go extremely light. I've fished in some pretty good winds with the windward side tied off to my car and/or auger. Ice screws would be a better solution. I almost lost mine to a sudden gust of wind once but once anchored, it's as sturdy as any other portable.

As mentioned, the only basic difference between your hunting blind & a ice fishing pop-up is the length of the skirt and the lack of plastic on the windows. No big deal for either.

I'm actually suprised you don't see more hunting blinds on the lake because they make a perfect dual-purpose, low cost solution.

[harvey lee]

I have a few Double Bull blinds and have thought that they would work for ice fishing. You may just need to secure it down a little on a windy day.