ground blind
Whitetail Deer
Contributors to this thread:
What is everyone using for ground blind. I have a new property with limited tree stand trees and the amarastep I have is very limiting in my draw cycle and range of shot opportunities. I use a modern compound. Jeff.
Natural blinds; a few properly placed sticks and some grass shoved in can conceal a bow hunter very well.
i prefer natural but I have a barronett grounder 350 Ive yet to try. Hub blinds are a real plus in bad weather. a heater can keep you comfy in bad weather. I did some scouting today and found a well used trail that runs near a creek bottom. there was a large path of greenbriers and I thought I could cut an opened larger enough to get in and make a ambush spot.
Keep it natural.blend in and spot and stalk.Be the hunter,don't wait for the opportunity make it!Stand in thick cover on a thru way,they will come.
We have 3 Ameristep "Carnivore" blinds out. Plenty of room for 2 hunters.
I have a Redneck Bale Blind. Lots of room and you don't have brush it in.
I have been using a double bull for the last couple of years. Pleased with it so far. This thing is a castle compared to my old Ameristep doghouse.
Double Bulls. The new see through one looks interesting. This is a Dark Horse snuggled up under a cabbage palm
marktm250's Link
Just curious ... anyone ever try a www.ghostblind.com?
I've wanted to try a ghost blind for a long time but won't drop the coin to do it in KS because it's usually breezy. I think it's a great idea but can picture it moving a lot with a little wind. Anyone out there use the Ghost blind in the wind?
Maybe if you staked it good and laid a branch across it would be good. Or you could cut a slit in the top and run a rope across with stakes on each side and user a tautline hitch to cinch it down?
I have been contemplating something like this , or maybe some fabric and stakes, which is more portable than a climber and not as obtrusive as a full-on blind for some run-n-gun tactics.
I could of use something like this in KS this year along with a decoy. There were perfect setups for it that could have made a difference in my outcome.
ive got a couple of baronet blinds from midway. nice blinds but they lack anything on the outside for brushing them in.
I do have a ghost blind, its pretty amazing. it does kind of suck in the wind, I use longer rebar stakes and added extra guy lines.
"I have been contemplating something like this , or maybe some fabric and stakes, which is more portable than a climber and not as obtrusive as a full-on blind for some run-n-gun tactics."
marktm250 - I run-n-gun with a decoy in KS a lot. I take a couple of old aluminum arrows as stakes (very light with a pointed end) and a section of see through mesh camo that I picked up for duck hunting. The mesh draped in front with a little grass thrown on it does a great job of hiding you. With the decoy as a distraction it usually isn't too hard to get drawn on a deer with this set-up.
Double Bull... I’ve had them since they first came out . Realy good blinds and for $30 you can send them in for repairs if you rip one or break something.
Catscratch, for even more portability, do you think the silhouette decoys (e.g., Montana Decoys) will work OK? Maybe just add a 3D tail or something?
I went on an outfitted hunt in KS for the first time. Hunting was real slow, but I changed farms and finally spotted a few bucks 300 yds away. After I climbed down that morning, I walked down the picked bean field to get a better idea of what they were up to. I came upon a gun blind that was elevated about 3' off the ground on a strip between the bean field and a small pasture.
It was the last night I could hunt and I decided to hunt that blind even though I could only shoot out the back door into the pasture. Sure enough, a real nice 10 stepped out about 80 yds away but I had nothing to draw him closer.
If I had a decoy and a blind, I could have set up a little closer the next night and who knows ...
Rather than sitting in a stand all week, I like the idea of observing them and then moving in on them with a decoy/blind to make it happen. The terrain I hunted in KS was flat enough and had enough open area where I think a decoy would work.
BTW, one other hunter in camp did have a decoy and deployed it and had a small buck run it right over!
I have never used decoys on deer, but after seeing that decoy video posted recently, seems really exciting and damn effective in the right areas at the right time.
I have a ghost blind. I set it up when I first tried it, walked about 30 yards away, and went into a panic when I couldn’t find it for several minutes. I use it occasionally as I like the simplicity of brush blinds and still hunting or tracking, but it is amazing how close critters come to you. I had a young bear walk within 3 feet of me and never knew I was there. I had dozed off and almost filled my pants when I awoke as he passed by me.
My old Double Bull Matrix is still going. Great blind.
"do you think the silhouette decoys (e.g., Montana Decoys) will work OK?" Yes, that is exactly what I use. If you google image "renzo buck decoy" you can see what it looks like. A couple of rules for decoying bucks from my experience; 1 - Set up for them to come into the decoy head on. Occasionally I have a young one come in from the tail side but the vast majority come in facing the head. 2 - Make it visible. They don't like to be surprised at close range. I like to set up on the outside edge of cover. This is especially effective on small blocks of cover that you can't get into to hunt without spooking them due to their small size. 3 - Sometimes a grunt or bleat can be used to get a distant bucks attention but don't over do it. IF one looks up and sees your decoy rest assured that he knows your decoy is there. Keep calling to him and it will probably spook him off... less is more. 4 - This relates to #3... if a deer leaves without interacting with your decoy don't count him out. I've had numerous buck look at but ignore my decoy, but come back an hour later ready to fight.
I have a couple Ameristeps, and a couple of brands I bought on clearance at Bass Pro for cheap. Not even sure what they are. I haven't had clearance issues with any of them