Popup ground blinds
Wisconsin
What are folks personal experience with pop-up ground blinds? I went to check out my favorite early season area and it is beyond thick with skeeters, way more so than usual.
I'm thinking about putting up a few pop-up blinds to hunt the early season and not get eaten alive. I'm a little concerned that if I throw up a blind, it will deter deer from that particular trail and I might be better off just dealing with the skeeters from a tree or throwing up blinds in spots I don't care about ruining.
Last year was awesome.... the mosquitoes were in real low numbers... feel like we are paying for that this year
I am also open to suggestions about dealing with mosquitoes when in the tree. In the past I have worn thick jeans, a neck gaiter, a hat, full body netting and then keep my hands inside my clothes somewhere. It helps, but if the bugs are bad, all that armor just seems to do is concentrate the bites to wherever they can manage to get through.
I would not waste my time with pop up blinds, and my daughters bought me 3, and and I have sold 2..... I set them up in late season, in the up, if needed for old guys... At 73 I am not and old guy........................
I run and gun with my tree seat, harldly ever hunt the same place twice in the north twice.........................
All of my clothes are treated, including my guille, and have experience very little issues,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
We are all different, but that is how I hunt
Thanks, groundhunter. Are you treating clothes with Permethrin? I should give that a try. I've had an unopened bottle sitting in my cabinet for awhile.
When I went to Canada, I hunted out of some pop up blinds, all DBs. I never questioned the guide.. Never guide the guide so to speak.... for my personal style they are not mobile enough..................... I treat all my clothes with Sawyer Sprays, but ticks have not really been an issue for me in the UP..... SW Wis is another story, and that is why I do it.....
Everytime my wife bought a blanket or pillow etc, i saved those plastic, zipper enclosed bags,,,,, that is what I keep my hunting clothes in, treated........ Now remember, I am hunting public land, not over food plots, etc, that is why I remain mobile..........................
If by really good odds and I hit a majic spot, I will put one up for late season,,,, For me I would rather hunt late season than the rut
As for ground blinds, I have used them but not for mosquito control. Looking forward to using the Rhino 180 I bought on sale last winter. As for insect control; 1. I use permethrin for ticks and a Thermocell for mosquitos. This time of year when placing cams or any time in the woods, I use deer fly strips on my hat to grab and hold the deer flies. It works!
As for ground blinds. I've used the pop up - pop out kind and I've used the Hidden Hunter blind. With the pop up - pop out I usually end up with broken rods from heavy snow damage. I never had that problem with my Hidden Hunter. Bears did some fabric damaged and bent some rods on my Hidden Hunter but it's still usable.
Mosquitos I just use spray. The only flesh they can get to are my hands and some of my face and the spray keeps them away. Tick repellant on my pant legs.
A Thermacell works in a tree stand for me. I carry a screw in hanger and hang it low on the upwind side.
Another vote for thermacell.
For mosquitoes Therocells are good. A breezy spot is good, makes you feel more comfortable and oftens means an easy understanding of where your scent is flowing and reduces scent pooling...
A pop up blind is great turkey hunting, sitting all day, or hiding a person who fidgets a lot. For deer hunting it is good for a place you know you will be hunting a few times. Like a hot trail, a water source, a food plot, a bait pile. Unless you are limited in where you can hunt, you seldom going to want to hunt where the blind is.
I think mosquitoes are just as bad with a blind as without, unless it is very dry inside (no leaves....) and you have shoot through screen up everywhere. The dark of the blind, I think retains moisture and increase mosquito likelihood.
I have never heard of Thermacell. Thanks all, I'm definitely gonna be giving one of those a try.
Thermacell is a must early season. You'll be shocked at their effectiveness on mosquitoes. They don't stop much else I'm told, so if flies are an issue, good luck.
Ground blinds and deer just don't seem to do well for me. Deer looking at ground level are in my opinion too damn curious to overlook a pop up. Even one brushed in, they just seem to see the windows and they don't seem to like them. I'm sure for gun or crossbow they work, especially in a food plot where the pop up has been there for months, but running and gunning with one? Don't waste your time. Im a huge advocate of them for turkeys. I own 5 myself, but I'd rather find a big tree or make a ground nest to hide behind if I was targeting deer.
Like Tom, pointed out, he has problems with his roof collapsing with snow, etc. One trick you can do, is, and if you have a overhang branch, lets say, 2 inch in diameter or more, is this. Take some paracord, put it threw the eyelet on the outside of roof, and then I tie on a weight, throw it up over, the branch, and then tie it off, at the eyelet again. a tight roof will keep it from collapsing. I also have a pole inside, that I cut to fit my blind, and using a bowl, place that in the center, to further keep the roof tight, from snow.......
In the big woods, where I hunt with lots of conifers, etc, I get them well blended in, and have deer walk by at steps. Also works well, in private cornfields,,,,, However in the hill country, I have had the deer spook big time, so I never use them, in the hills. Just my 3/4 guille and tree seat.....................Like Pete said, I think they are poor for run and gun, also except for turkey. I did have a DB T2, that was good for that, but sold it,,,,,,
thermacell gets my vote too.
I enjoy hunting out of a ground blind. Easy fix for snow collapsing ground blinds "Ground Blind Support Pole". Leave it in your blind and remember to set it back up when you leave after hunting.
MjF - They didn't have those support rods when I had my pop ups. They are definitely worth their money when they work. I tried using an old broom handle one time to support the roof and that was a fail. Beside roof rods break I also had side wall rods break. I got the most use out of mine in frigid temps.
MjF nice gadget. 2 1x1s and some duck tape works too. I just make a little depression (drill/ or round rasp) in the end to fit the center roof nut. Just adjust to the correct height and tape them together. Zip ties work too.
Good idea but I wouldn’t want to mess with duck tape and zip ties every time I hunted in it.
I have never had a problem with a pole and a bowl, and I am dealing with UP snow Tie off the roof
For whatever reason I got busted every time I sat in one. No matter if it was brushed in out of sight, was there for a year, etc. I sat in one that someone left out from the season prior. A small buck came in and was immediately on high alert. He milled around in the thick around it and moved off. I had one start blowing out of sight on one of mine that I set up a month before, brushed in, in a clump of 8' pines. I'm not sure if it acts like a sent bomb when your sitting in it or what the deal is, but I just have 0 luck and 0 confidence in them.
I just use natural ground blinds and have very seldom been pegged if ever.
All my ground blinds are natural. I tried a DB but felt out of touch with nature . Plus I morning an old Doe walked by , hit the brakes & walked right to me . At 10 yards snorted & ran off .
Guess they would be OK for gun season .
With a ground blind, you have to sit back in the shadows. If you not in shadow you show up ad a bright image in a black background. That contrast is very noticeable. Definitely have to keep several windows closed to not be skylined.
I agree if your clusterphobic, not for you...... I have only used them a few times. I would wear black, and stay way in the back. shoot window very small, and had a lot of confidence in my spot. Shot a nice 10 at 15 steps, that was my best......... But is not my go too style thats for sure........................
Years ago, once I had my HBS, there was no where that I could not sit quiet, a game changer for sure,,,,,,,,,,,,, Will have one up for sale at Horicon this year.....
