I will be using a ground blind also for the first time this Sunday. But I don't want to apply this where not applicable, for example I don't wanna use the wrong sized tire on my car.. will it work? yes but its not ideal. So my question where are blinds ideal? I don't wanna look like a jackass hunting in a ground blind when you should be still hunting or tree stand hunting.

Basically I don't wanna end the day and say "dammit not a single game animal" to have someone say.. that's because you were in a blind.. you should have spotted and stalked in this land.

I have 2 blinds set up currently in the woods both are watching over a swamp that have game trails leading in and out of. Both are tucked into some cover to break up the outline and they both set on high ground so in a way I am in a elevated stand but concealed. I put stands out a month before the season starts so the deer are used to seeing them there I have cameras out that show that they are not overly concerned about them as the deer are still coming through that area like before. The blinds are between 75 and 125 yards away from where I expect to see deer coming out of the swamp.

I prefer to hunt from a blind I have a comfortable seat and I am out of the weather. I can slip in while it is still dark with a pack that has everything I need for a extended days hunt a thermos of coffee a couple of sandwiches and water. I can see out and with the blinds the deer can not see in so I am not worried about moving at the wrong time.

A blind works best if you know the lay of the land and have done some homework to know where the deer travel. You should set up where your shots are not going to be right on top of the deer but well off them. It should blend into the surroundings you dont want to sit it on the top of a hill but below the top.

I have zero experience hunting where you can spot and stalk. It's just too thick here. I have used ground blinds in bedding type thickets, around feeder oaks and on big food plots as well.

Each set up is different for me and I try to adapt to the situation. If there aren't good trees to climb or if the canopy of limbs is too thick (or low) then a ground set is great and I won't hesitate, But then again I grew up sitting under an 'akern' tree with a shotgun full of buckshot.

I was a ground hunter when ground huntin' wasn't cool.

I prefer to make a brush blind or use some netting strategically placed vs. a popup or otherwise prefabricated blind. I feel like I'm taken out of the hunt if I'm inside a blind. The do make somethings easier, like videoing your hunt at a feeder, for example but they certainly aren't required. The videos I just posted a few days ago were all shot without using a blind per se.

I hunt out of a ground blind far more often than not. In my experience, hunting out of a well placed and camouflaged ground blind can be just as good as or better than hunting out of a tree stand.

I filmed this video last year from a ground blind on the edge of one of my food plots:
First Day of Muzzeloader Season - Part 2
Granted, it wasn't brushed in that good, so it kind of stuck out, but these deer still got within 20 yards.




This is the last buck I killed, and more importantly, I got it from a ground blind. He followed a doe within 40 yards of the blind, and had I not knocked my tripod noisily into the side of the blind, I doubt he would have noticed me.

An old timer taught me to build a blind for turkeys when I was young. He used a pocket knife to cut small, leafy branches then stick them in the ground around your set. Over the years I've used that same technique to great success for everything from rifle to bow hunting deer, turkey and hogs.

lone wolf that's an awesome video.. funny how at around the mid point you can see them smelling the air.. like saying.. umm something is not right here. any idea why they were stomping the ground with their front legs? what does that sing mean

Thanks, Rmagnum. I'm not exactly sure what that stomping means, but I think it's a warning to others that they've seen something questionable. Like I said, that blind wasn't well hidden, and the windows were wide open.

They typically stomp before they blow at you when you've been outed as "not quite right"

Chance, you need to get a handgun fired up soon bud, you got a nice setup for it. Get a bogpod with the pistol attachment and get out there! Looks like a GREAT place for a handgun hunter. If I lived closer, you'd have to kick me out of your blind when you got there. Hahahaha