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Ground Blinds on Public Land

Does anyone on here use ground blinds on public land for bow hunting? I have a real fear of heights and when I do use my climber I can only go up about 10-12 feet. I know it's not ideal which is why I also purchased a ground blind. If you hunt public land and use a ground blind, do you leave it there over the course of many weeks or do you pull it each day/hunt? When picking a spot to put your ground blind what are you looking for to help conceal it? What type of chair or bucket do you use to give you the best options for moving around to get in position for the shot? Thank you for any advice!

Does anyone on here use ground blinds on public land for bow hunting? I have a real fear of heights and when I do use my climber I can only go up about 10-12 feet. I know it's not ideal which is why I also purchased a ground blind. If you hunt public land and use a ground blind, do you leave it there over the course of many weeks or do you pull it each day/hunt? When picking a spot to put your ground blind what are you looking for to help conceal it? What type of chair or bucket do you use to give you the best options for moving around to get in position for the shot? Thank you for any advice!

I stopped hunting out of trees a few years ago . At age 72 the feet don't move as quick as sometimes needed up in the air .

Hunting from the ground really connects you with nature . Very challenging . I use windfalls & blow downs . I move them around to cover trails .

I do have an advantage in lincoln cty . Theres a lot of ridges & hills overlooking swamps & thickets putting you above the Deer .

Leave a ground blind up in the metro expect it to be vanalized.

I wouldnt leave anything on the ground. Pack in pack out. Even a hang on I would take my sticks with me at the end of the day.

For me, a five gallon bucket was about the perfect height to use in my ground blind.

I now just use a small foldable chair that turns into a backpack. I don't use a ground blind at all since I e proven to myself that it's not needed. Good back cover and an easily packable chair that you feel confident shooting from.

Crusader, can you provide a link or the name of the product that goes from a chair to a backpack? I'd like to take a look at it. My biggest complaint is trying to find something that is easy to transport going in and out. Most chairs (camping, folding, etc.) they are just too bulky and not easy to carry with everything else I carry in.

I rarely sit higher than 10 or 12 feet. Never had a problem. Is it legal to leave a ground blind on public?

You can leave a ground blind during the season with your name , address & phone # . I use 7 gal buckets , I have 2 that I put out last week & 1 at home to pratice shooting .

I tried a ground blind TENT once . Felt completely disconnected from nature .

I've tried the popup blinds also. Like Ruger said, It does not feel right. I'm Ok with natural blinds on the ground especially if I find a large blow down. Plus, I'm shooting a 64" recurve and I am not sure I could shoot decent out of a blind. I feel the best though in a tree.

Another question about ground blinds for those of you who have used them before. Do you shoot through the camo mesh? I use mechanicals, what impact if any does the camo mesh have on arrow flight? I have read a few different articles and forums and they all seem to say something different when it comes to mechanicals.

HOLD THE PHONE JOE -

Ruger - Yes, you can place ground blinds/treestands in the woods and yes, you can leave them overnight with the appropriate signage (i.e. Customer ID, name, address, etc.) - But ONLY (NORTH) of Highway 64 in this State.

AND, your only limited to 2 stands for County!

Those of you that would do this (S) of Highway 64 - Ya might be in some hot water!!

NOW, remember, if your hunting COUNTY owned land in WI, there are currently 18 Counties of 72 Counties in this State that have it right and allow such activity 24/7 during the hunting period and THAT is Statewide!

Be sure to check with your County Forester before heading out onto public COUNTY land, so you have it straight or read County ordinances for that County.

Counties that DO NOT adopt overnight tree stands follow the southern half of the State in the "every night" take down rule usually.

At the risk of sounding like a wise guy, if you have a question about hunting and legalities, your best served by contacting the WDNR directly.

The "I read it on Bowsite" defense is pretty flimsy in court!

I suggest "On-Line" and the "WDNR / ON-LINE" chat. You get your question answered IN WRITING. If there is a problem later down the road, those messages are saved for some time and can be referenced if need be.

I suggest that even more so than talking with a Warden. Not that, that is a bad idea either.

Not that the Warden is inept or stupid - verbal and "in writing" are two different things. Hard to say, I didn't hear that or I didn't say that, when its in writing! Sometimes the question is lost in the conversation, not with the written word. And sometimes, you wont get a written response and have to take a verbal.

Finally, if you have any question tune into WDNR TV "Rules and Regulations" (Part 2) with my friend WDNR Warden Jake Donar.

Warden Jake explains on film what you, the hunter can and cannot do with regards to tree stands!

Good Hunting!

Buy the cheap ground blinds for $60.00. Brush them up good and leave it there. No one will see it, hell I can't even find them when I go back to hunt.

I use a small folding chair nice & comfy works great.

AW Portable 1-2 Person Pop Up Hunting Blind Tent 300D with Carrying Bag 60"x60"x68" Camo Hub Polyester Fibre Outdoor 3.9 out of 5 stars 9 customer reviews | 4 answered questions Price: $62.95 Free Shipping for Prime Members

I have a pop-up tent that I have used when the younger grandkids want to go sit with me. "They have the I cant sit still sindrome." I have taken target shots, thru the mesh,out of it and my broadheads did not open. "still really don't trust it." I like a natural ground blind made by a blow down and natural forest debris. Like ruger stated, I tend to set up above the edge of a swamp or thick area where it meets the hardwoods. It takes no time at all to make a nice blind when you find the right spot. I use a tripod ice fishing stool, very light and very small, folds up and has a shoulder strap on it. 95% is out of a tree for me, and I agree 10 to 12 feet is enough. My stand behind the house is only 12 ft and has been very successful. Climber behind house is 20 ft.

I wouldn't use a mechanical when shooting through mesh. May deploy blades prematurely and alter flight path. It basically defeats one of the main advantages of mechanicals. Don't open the backside windows of the blind or you may silhouette yourself. If you're deer hunting out of it, brushing in is a necessity (unless you have it up for months before you hunt out of it.)

I am using natural vegetation ground blinds more and more. That is what I started with when I was just beginning bowhunting in the mid-sixties, weren't many treestands back then and laws were different. I have pop up blinds but I agree with what Ruger and Live2hunt said. So I use natural vegetation. I hunt National Forest lands and the Federal regs allow you to use dead and down materials to construct a ground blind but it must be scattered at the end of the season. There currently are no limits on how many grounds blinds one can have on National Forest here is Wisco. Oh, and no name or address needs to be on them. But that might be changing and the same goes for treestands on National Forest lands here.

Smokey -

However, I still think you need to be careful when you speak of the National Forest in that areas such as the Chequamegon - Nicolet National Forest. "Black Jack", "Rainbow Lake", "Porcupine Lake" (and several others) are in the National Forest but strictly prohibit ground blinds and tree stand erected at ANY time.

The point is to make sure that you know where your hunting and the regulations that you need to abide by.

Different parts of the State...different rules apply!

Bloodtrail, the prohibitions are for PERMANENT treestands or ground blinds on the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest; not for temporary stands or blinds as long as they are removed by the end of the season.

Brewcrew, here it is. I got it from either Walmart or farm&fleet for around $15. I'm 6'3" and at first I thought it may be a little short for me but I found it was actually almost perfect. It's comfy and quiet.

Brewcrew, here it is. I got it from either Walmart or farm&fleet for around $15. I'm 6'3" and at first I thought it may be a little short for me but I found it was actually almost perfect. It's comfy and quiet.

Brewcrew, here it is. I got it from either Walmart or farm&fleet for around $15. I'm 6'3" and at first I thought it may be a little short for me but I found it was actually almost perfect. It's comfy and quiet.

That chair is all I use now when hunting from the ground. I can put my calls, rangefinder, water etc. in that cooler pocket and carry my bow. I doubt I'll ever go back to using a ground blind again.

That is exactly what I'm looking for. Thanks crusader!

Smokey -

You are correct, and "permanent" would mean nailed into a tree, portable left after season and such and that would be unlawful.

A stand that is removed daily OR at the end of the season would fit the bill.

You and I talked about this back in 2014 on a treestand thread, when much was said about hunters leaving stands overnight and many were opposed. Now we have stand placement (N) of Highway 64 and 18 counties in the State that allow treestands all season long.

Times have changed.

Do people who hunt from ground blinds wear camo or go with black? I had been wearing my camo but a lot of people say to go with black so you are blending in with the shadows. I was thinking of getting a larger black long sleeve shirt to just pull over the my coat or whatever I'm wearing that day. Any thoughts?

I guess it would depend on the inside color of the blind. Mine is black, so I wear black. The most overlooked thing is having too many windows open, more specifically the window behind you. Once light comes in from that angle, doesn’t much matter what you’re wearing.

Reggiezpop, is that to say you will always want the back of the blind to be towards the sun? That way you don't have the sun coming into the blind. I always keep the back closed. Thanks!

I wear Black in my blinds for Turkey. The pants don't mater much but I treat my Black ones with Permethrin so that is what I wear. I rarely use them for deer as it gets dark in them & you get out & it looks like daytime. I would like to try the Primos with one way viewing material but I already have too many blinds. That one may not feel so closed in. I shoot through the screen with G5 broadheads & I put 3 inch feathers on & tune my bow so they go straight through the screen. I do know a guy that is a very experienced hunter & he uses mechanicals & shoots through screen with no problem. I never tried it as I don't like mechanicals for anything with my low poundage. I do have a bunch I would like to use up though. I do get pretty tired of hearing rage in the cage or a Mathews moment from a few of my hunting buddies also. lol

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