Pronghorn & ground blinds?
Pronghorn
I'll be hunting in Montana in August over water holes using portable ground blind. I live 12 hours away so getting over there and setting up 3 or 4 days in advance is not an option. Am I wasting my time setting up the morning of my hunt?
Ric, you would not be wasting your time, but you could certainly be compromising the size buck you might be able to take. Many antelope require a week or two to get used to and feel comfortable around something new and strange near a waterhole they have been using for a length of time.
Go over before day light, and dig you pop up blind down into the ground to the depth where the bottom of the shooting hole is just above ground level. Then brush it in good and you should be good to go.
This takes some hard work, that short cutters aren't usually willing to do, but for the several hard hours of work you do, the dividend will certainly pay off big time.
Have a great bowhunt. BB
Hunted WY this year and to my suprise had little luck from blinds. Same day set will be tough.
I've had the same results with naked same day set-ups. Only other thing that may work is to completely brush in the blind. I mean REALLY make it look like a bush. It helped my buddy get an P&Y (just barely-but who's counting) on a DIY hunt where we set up a day before opener. I was able to watch the buck come in and he tensed for a few seconds when he came over the rise, examined the blind and then just relaxed, wagged his tail and led his does into the waterhole. That was fun, you could actually see him relax. PM me if you are want to know how we secured the vegetation to the blind.
Here is the result. Good luck!
I have killed to bucks out of a DB blind set up the same day. I ahve had no problem at all with it spooking the 'lopes.
One thing though, dont use a blind that has the leafy camo stuff. It flaps and makes noise in the wind and the 'lopes will not come near it.
BB is right on with his comments! The more you can blend your blind in with the background the likely the shorter the time period for antelope to acclimate to a blind. Blending in your blind won't hardly matter at all if they are put up well in advance and in a good location.
A lot depends upon the particular area and conditions where you are hunting. If there are a lot of water sources and there hasn't been many days for bucks to get used to a blind they likely will water elsewhere. If it is cool and wet with many water sources available they likely won't come in no matter how long the antelope have had to acclimate to a blind. If it is super hot and dry and you find the only water source for 20 miles....look out here they come!
Hunting from ground blinds can be mighty frustrating if you don't have a lot of time and patience...especially if you are looking for a particularly big buck!
I've had dinko bucks come in to water the day I put up a blind but as BB stated you likely won't have much luck with the old timers. There are night and day differences in how nervous antelope are if they aren't used to a blind. I've had antelope pace back and forth and even circle around downwind trying to catch a whiff of the blind if not given enough time to acclimate; however, if the blind is set up in advance they don't even seem to hesitate unless they spot or hear something weird. As mentioned above, if they hear flapping of any part of the blind by the wind you might as well hang it up if it hasn't been set up for any length of time.
A lot of guys are pretty tickled to death with a 12-14" buck so it may not matter to you whether you put forth the time and effort to set up a blind early. Obviously just like any other hunt the more you put into it the more likely you will to succeed!
Same day set-up, no brush in...
One more....Granted your seeing the little bucks here, but here's others I missed!
This is in SD!
Wide open grasslands...My buddy shot his doe and buck within an hour of each other...
Absolutely not wasting your time. Now, if you waited until it was light, maybe so. My success has been the same as the others posted here.
dv
Ike is there water around?? or do you use the decoys to draw them in??
Ike, Is that photoshop, decoys, or some pet antelope behind you guys in the last photo? :8)
Ike, I've never thought of using a herd of decoys? I still have a feeling some of the older bucks may be leery but I guess in the heat of the rut just about anything can happen?
LoL! No, no photoshop they're decoys....That's the disclaimer, we were there as the rut started to kcik off...We didn't sit any water holes, just the fields with a few decoys, worked great!
Ike, I'd be curious how the antelope reacted to the decoys? Do you think it mattered that the decoys were stationary and didn't move?
I know that antelope are curious critters and that you can sometimes tempt them in to about 100 to 200 yards by "flagging". Have you had (or heard of) success using this more than one time? If there was a lone monster buck I would think he might be leery but if it is during the rut and he's following does and wound up it may work.
I've heard of several guys using decoys at waterholes and from what I've heard it often times messes things up rather than doing any good. Antelope may be a little more "jumpy" and nervous while watering than elsewhere?
Do you guys use deer decoys and just repaint them? or are they antelope decoys and were do you get them at? Thanks
jims, does came in followed by bucks and bucks came in by themselves...Not sure about water holes, BB would be in the know on that one...
As said, it was during the rut and I actually heard bucks whining at the bedded doe decoy to get her up, was funny.....
This shot is at a fence crossing, again with good results, just not for me! Couldn't hit my arse with both hands this trip! ;-)
Chief, You can get pronghorn decoys through Cabela's. Brand names are "Montana, Renzo's" & Mel Dutton makes a fold in half fiberglass one. The Montana decoy folds up into the size of a dinner plate, but has two stakes. Same with the renzo decoy. Tough to set up if your in a hurry & the wind is blowing. The Dutton decoy is bigger & heavier but only has one stake & the wind doesn't affect it as much. It comes in a kit with a buck call though Cabela's. Hope this helps. Thanks guys for all of your knowledge & helpful tips. I may send my blind over ahead of time and have the rancher set it up for me. But you know how it goes "if you want it done right......."
elk stuffer what i do here is go out and set a "mock" blind. we use a lot of different things including chicken wire and burlap with t posts the other mock is heavy canvas with pvc sewn into the corners that slip over rebar. we can put these up months in advance and depending on the grazing not have any problems. we will set up up to 2 months ahead of schedule and have to take a few trips to check on things and shoot coyotes and rock chucks. it is always fun out in the desert :)
COWS CAUSE PROBLEMS it will amaze you how quick they desroy a blind or a mock blind. i have plywood blinds that they accually move around.
Thanks elkstuffer, I was looking at ike's picture and it shows a full body decoy. That was the one I was wondering about. I have looked at the mell dutton and will have one of those but was wondering about the full body one.
I have the full body decoy like Ike's and cant think of the name of it for anything. But, I dont thimk they are made anymore. Ike, we made a handle in the back of ours and makes for carrying it alot better.
I used it alot last summer and noticed the bucks always circle and come in head on to the decoy. In this situation, I dont think a flat decoy would work.
We also used it with calling and worked great.
The decoy we used was a repainted whitetail doe.
We were at the beginning of the rut and the bucks would come in to herd up the doe. Except the two little lost kids who charged the decoy once when I was in the blind and once when I was trying to take it down for the evening.
dv
The kids the first time around.
Oops, that was from the blind, these are about 250 yards away. You can see the giant "tacos" on a couple of those.
Here are the kids.
Brushing in the DB I have had no problem over water holes with first day hunts. The last three years I've never had to wait more then two days to get the goat. One smaller 12" buck, one doe, and one P&Y buck.
Go hunt and have fun you never know what will happen.
It depends on a few factors: number of antelope and hunting pressure.
It is not ideal to setup same day!
Can you kill a goat that way? Yes.
My reco would be to go earlier in the year, scout, setup a plywood blind on a remote waterhole. Bring another blind as backup when you go to hunt.
Most of the time no one is going to mess with your blind.
I would also say a plywood blind works MUCH better than a DB. I love my DB but they do not do well when the wind picks up on those flats.
Good luck..
Sage isn't kidding about the wind. My DB T-5 recurve is now in orbit, I believe. Have had the local ranchers keeping their eye out for the last 3 or 4 years and they haven't found but a shred of fabric. All that was left in the ground was 1 9" tent stake and a D ring.
Cattle can create some very severe damage to blinds as badly as can wind. I've seen some guys build two strand barbed wire fences around their blinds to keep cattle off of them.
The 3-D antelope decoys used to be made by Flambeau, although I have heard they don't make them anymore. My Flambeau basically appears to be a whitetail body, repainted to look like an antelope with an antelope head attached. The legs, head and horns come off and store in the body when carrying.
Marvin
I have a double bull blind that I like very much, but I sure like a plywood blind for antelope hunting much better. It's pretty much cow, theft, and wind proof. It's also much cooler when it’s hot and warmer when it’s cold.
Here's a picture of one of my plywood blinds at a water hole we called Muddy Foot. The picture of the antelope with my first post on this thread was taken the opening morning of my 2006 Wyoming antelope hunt.
Have a great bowhunt. BB
I meant to say that picture with my first post was taken from this blind on the first day of the 2006 Wyoming antelope hunt.
Here's another picture of the blind which shows the setup and the water we were hunting.
I have also in set a picture of Dallas and his very first bow taken critter. Dallas is my hunting partner's 18 year old son. He took his buck late in the afternoon on the fourth day of the hunt from this blind.
Have a great bowhunt. BB
Another pic to show the face of the repainted decoy.
The decoy is at 28 yds, the buck at 32.
I passed on this one.
dv
BB: What are the deminsions of your blind? Looks like you may have to dig a hole under it for clearance. Is that correct?
I have one that is 6x6x6 that works OK. It is concrete re-enforcement wire covered with burlap and has black weed barrier underneath the burlap. Works really well but needs recovered every other year.
carefull it is against the law to dig on blm grounds here in Idaho i do not know about other states.
Bill, I can just place skirts on the bottom if I need to raise the blind. It's a pretty simple fix. Were possible I do dig a foot hole first, if not then just add the skirts.
Hope all is well.
Have a great bowhunt. BB
Tad, It is also against the law to put T Posts with wire in the ground around your blind.
Bill,
I think Jeff modeled that blind after the ones I build. Instead of the burlap, try going to walmart and getting that heavy cheap camo fabric they sell in the sewing department. Its very thick and I just wrap it around the concrete re-enforcement wire. I think I got close to 30 feet of the stuff and it's still going strong after 5 years. I like to dig down about 2- 2.5 feet as well. It keeps the blind nice and cool.
Caz: I know yours isn't as tall as Jeff's. Do you make yours so it folds into 3 foot sections. They sure load nice in a truck that way.
They are great blinds but the burlap dry rots after about a season and a half. I'm thinking about making one out of waffer board this year.
Also, on one water hole, I'm thinking about backing my horse trailer up to the pond and hanging some camo netting over the back opening. The antelope around here are used to farm equipment so it should work OK. I even thought about getting and old junk recliner to put in the trailer. LOL!
Bill,
No, I haven't cut the wire at all, so I think they're 5 feet high by 6 feet long. Like I said, I always dig down so even at 5 feet, I have about a 6-7 foot roof depending on how far I dig.
You should really look into that fabric. It's a snap. I simply take some zip ties, and fasten one end to a T-post and then just walk it around until I get back to where I started. Zip tie here an there and I'm done.
I hunted out of a Primos Ground Blind this year. It worked, but I was not entirely satisfied. Anyone have an opinion on the best blind for pronghorn hunting made currently?
You can see my evaluation of the Club XXL at the link.
Good write up. Yes, i know you stated "currently being made".
Hard to understand why they stopped making the Dark Horse ground blind. The only issue I have is the zipper door BUT once you figure the proper way to get in and out, no problem
Windows? 180 degrees out the front, with port height adjustment, and two vertical ports out the back seems like the perfect blind for many needs.
I have also seen and hunted out of a few blinds that had "unfriendly shooting" windows.
Camo colors for pronghorn, does not seem to be an issue. Placing it out a week before is the best practice.
My best, Paul
Why don't they make a archery blind that has just vertical windows ?? or is there one out there ??
One you build yourself. I've had mixed results with portables that appear suddenly. And all of them are damned hot and uncomfortable to sit in during hot pronghorn seasons. Of course, making one of these is a LOT of work and limits you to one location, so you have to choose wisely, and then you have to spend the time to completely remove it. But they're breezy and comfortable and all that sage makes a good cover scent. As for portables, I've had the best luck with smaller ones like the old T2, well brushed in.
I tried an XXL one time but found the wind vibrated the windows that were up like a train going through and the antelope won't come within 40 yards of it. Got out my predators den and shot one the next day at 10 yards in the same kind of wind. The XXL went back to the store when we got back.
This year I started using a Bale Blind and have been extremely pleased with it and the best thing is that animals do not need any time to get use to them. Shot 2 Turkeys out of it last spring and set it up while Antelope hunting and had several Bucks in the first day just nothing I wanted to shoot. Originally bought it for Deer hunting but am now using it for everything.
This year I started using a Bale Blind and have been extremely pleased with it and the best thing is that animals do not need any time to get use to them. Shot 2 Turkeys out of it last spring and set it up while Antelope hunting and had several Bucks in the first day just nothing I wanted to shoot. Originally bought it for Deer hunting but am now using it for everything.
