Ground Blind for Bow Hunting

[Tree Spud]

I am look for feedback on experiences with using a ground blind for bow hunting. I will probably mount the blind on a 6'-8' platform so I can be a bit elevated and see over the screening cover surrounding the food plot. This will be up close to the deer so concealment is important. Would leave this up most of the season from Sept to Nov.

• What brands have good sturdy support?
• Screening materials for the windows?
• Can you shoot an arrow through without deflections?
• Can you shoot from a chair or only standing?

Appreciate any input on good brands you have had success with.

 

[ksgobbler]

I dont know if you can find them anymore but Primos the Vision is my favorite. Someone else bought the patent. I have an under armour that I dont like, and my Ameristep didnt last a season outside. Its difficult to get drawn on deer. I wear all black and only leave one window open so you are against a black back drop. Unless you are a midget you wont shoot standing. I practiced off of a knee as well as sitting.

 

[Charles Clear]

I prefer a hub style blind compared to others, more room. It all depends on what you want to spend. Guys love their Double Bull blinds, I've been using a cheap Ameristep Care taker

 

[SwampCat]

We use the Ameristep Brickhouse Blind. Inexpensive enough to put out several and big enough for comfortable bow hunting. I would not elevate it - I would blend it in to the ground vegetation

 

[Nova]

I bought a soft sided redneck blind last winter when they had a deal on them and put it on a platform. That is one sweet blind and has everything you are looking for. Silent slide camo screen windows are truly silent slide. I turkey hunted out of it this spring and had turkeys within 10 yards that did not hear me slide the window screen open. The corners have long skinny windows for shooting a bow out of and they also have horizontal windows on each side. You can leave the metal powder coated framework up and just take the soft sided cover off in the off season. Here is a pic of it, sorry for the blurry pic, but you get the idea.

 

[Tree Spud]

I dont know if you can find them anymore but Primos the Vision is my favorite. Someone else bought the patent. I have an under armour that I dont like, and my Ameristep didnt last a season outside. Its difficult to get drawn on deer. I wear all black and only leave one window open so you are against a black back drop. Unless you are a midget you wont shoot standing. I practiced off of a knee as well as sitting.

The Primos Vision does not appear to be available anymore, not sure if it was re-branded.

I bought a soft sided redneck blind last winter when they had a deal on them and put it on a platform. That is one sweet blind and has everything you are looking for. Silent slide camo screen windows are truly silent slide. I turkey hunted out of it this spring and had turkeys within 10 yards that did not hear me slide the window screen open. The corners have long skinny windows for shooting a bow out of and they also have horizontal windows on each side. You can leave the metal powder coated framework up and just take the soft sided cover off in the off season. Here is a pic of it, sorry for the blurry pic, but you get the idea.

Nova .... I like the concept of the Red Neck soft sided with the rigid support structure. If the windows are that quiet, that is good.

How did you attach to the platform?

How easy was it to assemble and then mount on the platform?

How securely does the frame bolt together, any now when windy?

 

[TreeDaddy]

I dont know if you can find them anymore but Primos the Vision is my favorite. Someone else bought the patent. I have an under armour that I dont like, and my Ameristep didnt last a season outside. Its difficult to get drawn on deer. I wear all black and only leave one window open so you are against a black back drop. Unless you are a midget you wont shoot standing. I practiced off of a knee as well as sitting.

Ameristep blinds are up there with fimco sprayers,poulan saws,Bic razors , and all things Harbor Freight........disposable after one use

bill

 

[ssesox]

I was also in the market for a good pop up blind and reached out for advice on different forum. I ended up buying a the top of the line Double bull not the see through materiel surround view. The first thing I noticed is the materiel is much heavier and its darker inside the blind. I think that's going make a difference. Also the window design is much better and again seals out light. I'm anxious to see how it works this season. I've bowhunted deer out of cheaper popup blinds with mixed success. The deer get squirrelly and I'm convinced they can see me. I only leave one window open and the blind was set in place for 3 weeks before I hunted out of it and they still would freak out. They may have also smelled me. Although wind direction was perfect I was at the bottom of a hill which I'm guessing causes the wind to swirl. I'm going to start using my ozonics also. That's another gadget that I'm not sure makes much of a difference. But that's for a another forum.

 

[Scott S]

I just got a Barronett Big Cat 350 about a week ago. Haven't hunted out of it yet, but it appears well made. Silent windows, easy set up, and tall enough for me to draw my bow back comfortably while standing (I'm 6'1").

 

[gwm]

I also have the Redneck Soft Side. I like the room these give us and I like I can leave them out all year if I want. I bought the platform Redneck sells to get the blind up.

 

[Tree Spud]

Ameristep blinds are up there with fimco sprayers,poulan saws,Bic razors , and all things Harbor Freight........disposable after one use

bill

I have a FIMCO 25 gal sprayer that I have used for 2 years, never a problem, and have never replaced a part. I spray 100-150 gal of Gly a year, equaling several 1000 gals per year sprayed.

I have been pleased with performance ...

 

[Livesintrees]

Look into rhino blinds. Ive been very happy with them

 

[loshonhora]

if you're going to build a platform, why don't you just build a blind on top of it? you can make it the proper height to shoot your bow, and it will be more weather proof than any pop up blind.

 

[Tree Spud]

if you're going to build a platform, why don't you just build a blind on top of it? you can make it the proper height to shoot your bow, and it will be more weather proof than any pop up blind.

I already have 9 box blinds out on our property, with 2 more to go up, good for gun hunting as they are 10'-18' high.

The platform I build will portable by the forks on my tractor. I am looking for mobility of the platform, without the weight of a box bland. Want to be able to move into areas where my gun blinds are not suitable for bow hunting. Take the blind off, move the platform, and re-set-up the blind.

I know where the movement from bedding to food source is, just want to be able to tweak ... many of these areas do not have good trees for hand on or ladder stands ... at least not within the 50 yards I want to be.

 

[ksgobbler]

Another thing I forgot to mention was how wary the deer were around the blind. I had it out and brushed in a month before the season. I also left the window I would shoout out of open when I wasnt there. Everything else gave ot a wide berth except a night.

 

[yoderjac]

I already have 9 box blinds out on our property, with 2 more to go up, good for gun hunting as they are 10'-18' high.

The platform I build will portable by the forks on my tractor. I am looking for mobility of the platform, without the weight of a box bland. Want to be able to move into areas where my gun blinds are not suitable for bow hunting. Take the blind off, move the platform, and re-set-up the blind.

I know where the movement from bedding to food source is, just want to be able to tweak ... many of these areas do not have good trees for hand on or ladder stands ... at least not within the 50 yards I want to be.

I am look for feedback on experiences with using a ground blind for bow hunting. I will probably mount the blind on a 6'-8' platform so I can be a bit elevated and see over the screening cover surrounding the food plot. This will be up close to the deer so concealment is important. Would leave this up most of the season from Sept to Nov.

• What brands have good sturdy support?
• Screening materials for the windows?
• Can you shoot an arrow through without deflections?
• Can you shoot from a chair or only standing?

Appreciate any input on good brands you have had success with.

Elevation is more important for a low exit wound than it is even for concealment and visibility. The biggest issues I had when I started bowhunting from ground blinds was the lack of blood trails. Even a well placed shot that hits both lungs with a large diameter broadhead produces little blood to follow. A high exit wound allows the blood to fill up the chest cavity rather than dripping out as the deer runs. You often get a spray of blood followed by no blood for quite a way and perhaps another spray point or two along the trial. If you are persistent, there is a lot of losing and eventually reestablishing the trail. A shot that is less than ideal is much tougher.

I have not found an elevated commercial blind that is effective than those I build for the same price. I elevate mine so the floor is 8' to 12' or so off the ground depending on the terrain and vegetation. If I'm shooting a compound I shoot standing and window height becomes more important. For a crossbow, sitting is fine. I like windows that push out because they shade. The biggest concealment issue is being backlighted. I like to situate blinds so that I have a windowless corner to sit in. This thread shows one I built for me: http://www.habitat-talk.com/index.php?threads/foodplot-stand-transfered-from-the-qdma-forum.5529/ This one is 6x6 and higher than most because of the location. It is the only one I've built for myself. Most I build 6x8 which allows me to comfortably take a youngster.

I shoot expandables and prefer not to shoot through a screen. With the elevation and push out windows, the shading is such that I can sit in the blind undetected and only move when the animal is close to shooting position, calm and distracted from me.

Many blinds intended for vertical bows have narrow vertical windows. Since I build mine for multiple weapons (compound, crossbow, muzzloader, rifle, and even shotgun for turkey), I prefer horizontal windows. With this approach, I need to get the windows at just the right height so I can stand, keep good form, not hit the pop-out window, and make a shot inside 25 yards. I make my pop-out windows adjustable so I can open them wider for vertical bowhunting and only as much as needed for a crossbow or firearm.

I'm a fairly big guy. I want a minimum of 6x6 for one person if I'm using a bow.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[Nova]

The Primos Vision does not appear to be available anymore, not sure if it was re-branded.


Nova .... I like the concept of the Red Neck soft sided with the rigid support structure. If the windows are that quiet, that is good.

How did you attach to the platform?

How easy was it to assemble and then mount on the platform?

How securely does the frame bolt together, any now when windy?

I put 1/4 spacers under the bottom tube and screwed it to the platform. That way you can get the shockcord hold down straps under the frame to install or remove the cover.

It takes a little time because there are a lot of parts, but it is simple to do. The second time I set up the frame it took me half the time(45 minutes). There are screw holes in the bottom tubes of the frame. I just simply screwed the frame down with deck screws.

Once all the nuts and bolts are tight is pretty sturdy and once you put the soft cover on it gets even better. I haven't sat in it in high winds, but we have had serious winds this summer and you could not tell by looking at the blind. One storm was 40mph winds with gusts to 60mph. I went up the following weekend and it was solid. The cover is really heavy duty and attaches in quite a few places.

 

[Tree Spud]

I put 1/4 spacers under the bottom tube and screwed it to the platform. That way you can get the shockcord hold down straps under the frame to install or remove the cover.

It takes a little time because there are a lot of parts, but it is simple to do. The second time I set up the frame it took me half the time(45 minutes). There are screw holes in the bottom tubes of the frame. I just simply screwed the frame down with deck screws.

Once all the nuts and bolts are tight is pretty sturdy and once you put the soft cover on it gets even better. I haven't sat in it in high winds, but we have had serious winds this summer and you could not tell by looking at the blind. One storm was 40mph winds with gusts to 60mph. I went up the following weekend and it was solid. The cover is really heavy duty and attaches in quite a few places.

Thanks for the tips. I have 2 on order and looking forward to getting them in place.

 

[bjseiler]

Thanks for the tips. I have 2 on order and looking forward to getting them in place.

What color did you go with?

 

[Tree Spud]

The camo.