Poratable Ground Blind

[nettlle]

I have never owned or hunted from one. I have always hunted from tree stands. Or over natural the ground cover. I fear my tree climbing days are growing short.

I am thinking about buying a portable ground blind to hunt out of here at home. It would be a one person blind. It's very flat ground here and extremely windy here. I would like the stand to be able to remain usable for a few weeks in these conditions. I would use a crossbow, long gun, or pistol.

Portability is not a consideration. I can haul it on my ATV.

 

[Armored farmer]

Yup. That's what I use mostly.
I get a nice blind chair, and a small indoor/outdoor carpet like 8x8 so your chairs don't sink in the soft ground.
You can Glam it up with a heater and thermos, but a good ol wool blanket to throw over your lap will suffice.
Brush it in really good, especially on top.

 

[Armored farmer]

 

[JFrank]

Sweet !
I have been pondering the purchase of such a thing, now I'm sure.

 

[jmorris]

I knew one fellow that had a blind on a trailer. Towed to where he wanted and unhitched it. It was more comfortable that a pop up and after a few weeks in the same spot, wasn’t something “new” to the area that might spook an animal.

His was a bit more “home made” looking but similar to this.

 

[Chuck R.]

There's another thread here from last year that might help:

https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/pop-up-ground-blind-recommendations.882415/

I like mine although I hardly use it now that I build my elevated stand. It worked really well though.

 

[FL-NC]

I didn't start using popup blinds until I moved here a few years ago. Here are some things I learned:
1- buy a blind with a capacity of at least 1 more person than you plan to have inside of it. I don't know what size people they test these things for, but I'm sure they are Asian.
2- put your new blind outside for a few days after you buy it to get the "newness" smell out. Also the bag it came in.
3- if possible, put your blind out a couple weeks before you start hunting to give the animals time to become accustomed to it
4- go to harbor freight and buy a cheap camo tarp and attach it securely to the roof of your blind. This protects it from UV and other environmental damage. The tarps cost less than $10, so you can just throw it away after season if it becomes unserviceable.
5- remove any of the mesh window screens you are not using and put them away. If the screens you use rot out or get holes shot thru them, you have replacements.
6- make sure whatever chair/stool you use inside the blind is comfortable and quiet
7- chapstick makes excellent zipper lube
8- as soon as season is over, drag your blind out in the open and make sure it completely dries out, then bag it up and store it away until next season. Every day you leave it out in the woods, you are taking service life away from it.

 

[Captcurt]

FN-LC covered it well. Definitely pick a blind that is big enough to handle all of your gear or possibly an unexpected guest like a Grandkid. My first blind was a one-man/woman, affair that was too small when I used my bow. I couldn't come to full draw without my elbow hitting the wall behind me. Bought a couple of blinds big enough for two hunters and never had another problem.

 

[EddieG54]

Old age and bad knees have about stopped any tree climbing. I have been using a two person pop up the last couple of seasons. I can take it down and relocate in a few minutes if conditions warrant. Be sure to stake the bottom down and tie off the sides in case of high winds. Also zip the doors and windows before leaving to keep unwanted critters out. (It's a surprise to step in the blind in the dark about the same time a possum is wanting out).

 

[Rembrandt]

Built a haybale blind, worked great.....but even better after permanently mounting it to a trailer.

 

[1976B.L.Johns.]

^^^ Think I liked that before...^^^

 

[Sniper66]

I tried a "chair bilnd", borrowed from my bro-n-law. I don't recommend them at all. Once you sit down and pull the top over your head, you can only shoot forward and if you shift your sitting position, the entire blind shakes. Junk in my opinion. Also don't recommend blinds with thin polyester....the wind tears them up pretty badly......been there. I really like Rhino Blinds with the 600 Denier fabric. Extremely durable, but you should buy some tent stakes to hold it down. The included ones are wimpy and will not hold it down in a 50mph wind....I know this from painful experience. The one I like is larger than you are describing, but I think you will enjoy the space and how it allows movement and leg stretching. Easy to set up and take down with a little practice. I'm 75 and can sling it over my shoulder and hike into my spot, which is about a quarter mile from my parking spot, set it up and walk back to the vehicle in about an hour. Not bad for a geezer, With your ATV, it would be a piece of cake........Hmmmm, maybe I'll get one of them?

 

[AK Hunter]

I hunt public ground & a pop up blind still needs to be brushed in (stacking brush against it to blend it in to the surroundings) Being I can't cut any brush because of the hunting rules, I have found it's just as easy to stack branches & sticks then dump leaves over it. It's a natural blind so it doesn't need the hunter orange marking & doesn't need to be carried back out.

 

[jmr40]

I hunt public land and often cover a lot of ground. Depending on where I hunt I often carry camo netting in my pack and hang it between trees and set up inside. I found a pretty good spot a few years ago where I could hunt the same spot for a week. Rain was predicted for later in the week so I covered it with a tarp. I saw lots of does that week and they didn't ever notice. Finally on the last day I took the only buck I saw all week.