Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Bowhunting Need some feedback guys

I have had the opportunity to use a ground blind more and more lately. In Africa we use them every day and I have a staff of guys that can slap them together pretty darn quick when needed. These guys have been building blinds with me and for me for many years now so they know what I need and do a good job. In the USA I don't have a staff of guys to do this and often need to improvise with whats available at the time.

I have seen these new pop-up light weight ground blinds on the market which seen to have a lot going for them. Good size, good view, and rather inexpensive in the scheme of things.

What I would like to know is what you have used and if they are rugged enough to stand up to many seasons of use? I may bring a couple to RSA this year and I may also keep one here for myself to use in Wa. Some places are very good for hunting in a blind here. I tend to glass over large areas of good habitat when I find it. This would allow some rain protection and a bit of a wind break I hope. There are a number on the market and I would like to hear the reviews of those you have used. TIA

Have only used double bull. But the ones I have can be set out at pre season and then stay for 2-3 months of weather depending. I've had one now for 5+ years and it gets mostly abused. Still hanging in there tough.

Nephew just bought a doghouse last year. So far so good but I don't think that it'll hold up as well.

Jeff

I've used this Northwoods blind for two years now and absolutly love it. It is very portable and sets up in seconds. The Nat Gear camo pattern does not alarm deer as some other blinds I have used. Cost is very reasonable for the quality you get.

Northwoods has an 800 number if you have any questions.

http://www.northwoodsoutfitters.com/Pages/HuntingBlinds.htm

I don't like them a bit. The well made ones are too heavy to drag around and they are HOT HOT HOT to hunt from in August and September. For late bow hunts when it cools down, they aren't bad at all. I think mature animals pick up on them quickly and never present themselves. I MUCH prefer to make a blind out of the natural brush in the area. Flinch

Flinch is right on the heat.

As an aside we always brush ours in well after setup. Making a natural brush blind is OK, but normally folks dont have a cover over the top so you are not in darkness which is a big plus for blinds.

As to weight, you have to deal with what you have. I don't doubt that for a lot of mountain hunting they are useless. I personally wouldn't take one for muleys or elk unless it was a short hike to a water hole etc... For antelope they are a big help. Frankly Elk and Muleys have never seemed to have quite the whit of the WT but I'm not saying that to start a flaming war, just I could always get away with tons more stuff the few times I've hunted them.

For their uses they come in really handy. Having taken a number of gobblers out of one and insanely close distances they do conceal well.

You have to decide on whats important. Much as I have a hard time making myself carry a climbing stand a few miles off the road.

Jeff

There are so many discussions on these pages that come only from the experience of the person writing them and not any kind of over all knowledge base. It causes a lot of arguments and stress. Each person has to look at the need for various products and the suggestions regarding them based on the people who have used them under potentially far different circumstances.

For me in the PNW with the relentless drizzle a blind with a roof is a welcome idea. For the guy in Arizona it might sound insane to sit in one during hot sunny weather. I have hunted tree stands much of my life. Especially when I was guiding bear hunts over bait. My tree stands were all on private land and were built for comfort. It was a common occurance to have guys sleeping in them. My wife also fell asleep in them frequently.

The ground blind seems to have several nice features for me and I can also use them in Africa at the waterholes. I think I will buy a double bull as it is the only one made with poly cotton and not nylon. The nylon is a bad noisy idea in my opinion. Many of the others tout this carbon liner which is an absolute joke which realy turns me off from them. I prefer honesty from a manufacturer not their hype and lies. One in particular claims that the carbon liner reactivates in direct sunshine. Well the truth is carbon only reactivates at 1600 deg F so they must need to get really close to the sun.

Anyway, the blinds are too heavy to pack around but once set and left out for the few weeks they are needed it an easy situation and will have the ability to keep me.......well........less wet and to block some wind when hunting long hours in the Pacific Northwest.

Can not comment on the blinds of which you speak, but will say that anything which allows the hunter to stay comfortably on stand is an asset. I hunt from a tower stand which is insulated and have a small propane heater that allows me to go into my stand before first light and stay until after dark, comfortably, no matter the conditions. This not only makes it enjoyable but lets me make full use of the limited amount of time I have to hunt. We often have miserable weather here during hunting season, and it used frustrate me that I would have to leave my favorite spot because I was quite literally freezing to death. So you leave to warm up and almost every time on the way back in would find tracks where the game had moved thru in my absence. I do understand where you are coming from. Sorry to ramble on.

I wish you well in your quest, and would appreciate a review in the future. Good hunting.

The time of year and turrain are what determine how I hunt. Tree stand hunting or portable blind hunting isn't very condusive to success in my experience. You have to be able to move and change with the wind, the animals, the weather and the time of year. Waterholes are great to hunt over when it is hot, but a portable blind TOTALLY sucks in conditions due to the heat that draws an animal to water. When the weather is foul, they definitely have their place, but it is usually windy and I haven't used a quiet blind yet in the wind. They flap and make hearing anything impossible. Animals know the strange sound of flapping nylon or cotton isn't natural and avoid them. I do like the mesh "fence" type blindes the best, but the enclosed ones are more bother than they are worth in my opinion.

Elk aren't too bothered by blinds, but mature mule deer and especially whitetails are very attentive to "differences" in the places they water or feed. I have built small natural ground blinds around a favorite water hole of mine. I have seen numerous big bucks pop out of the brush at 200-300 yards, look right at my blind and bolt. I know for CERTAIN they didn't see me or smell me. The difference of the surroundings around the water hole pointed their eyes right to me. I had two different bucks I was after and I simply couldn't fool them, no matter how well my blind was made. They always picked out my blinds and bolted. It became a real challenge for me to get a bow shot at these two bucks.

I hunted a couple of times in the south from elevated box stands. Every deer I saw (and many I didn't) looked right at the box stand the second they cleared the brush and bolted. Small animals don't seem to care, but mature animals look for stands. I like as much in my favor as possible and the portables have not impressed me at all so far, neither have the box stands. Flinch

The one main thing that doesnt make sense to me about these dome tent blinds is it must be like hunting out of a dome tent. When im in the woods deer often come from any place and those little noises they make would seem to be muffled by the blind. When i hunt i also want to BE a part of the natural surroundings, its pretty hard for a chickadee to land on your arrow in a tent <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Well guys, the focus of the post was not whether they were going to be useful for "YOU" but rather the quality of the blinds made by various manufacturers in general.

They are certainly not useful in every situation, and not going to be the sole means of all future hunting. They do have a place and some benifits I can see helping me. Especially for turkey hunting and in my South African camps with kids and couples who might not be so good with sitting very still for long periods. They also allow my bow and handgun hunters here to know exactly what they will be sitting in over there. They allow much more comfort in damp drizzly conditions for me and my gear, and would reduce the bugs from driving you nuts as well.

The noise in the wind is also a concern to me. However the Double Bull patented design I've been told is so tight it cannot flap in the wind. They claim it is as tight as a drum and sets up in under a minute. These are the most expensive blinds made today. The patented design is now being made by another company (legally) in China with a less expensive material. I wonder how good these are?

So the question is who has used these and what do you think of the quality and longevity of them? Can they be left in the bush for a few weeks set up at the spot your hunting from to weather into the location?

The debate over whether you think they are good or would use one is a different thread then this. Although I welcome the comments to hear the pros and cons. Just not in this thread which is addressing a far different line of issues.

JJ,

I have a Double Bull that I absolutely love!! The construction on the DB is by far the best IMO of the groundblinds available today.

As for the weight, they make the new Matrix with lightweight rods that drop the weight down quite a bit (five lbs I think??).

I will be anxious to here how they do in Africa if you give it a try.

Trey

JJ

I think I made mention that mine is usually out a month or two in the weather permanently each season and I've had it(bought a demonstrator model) for what should easily be close to 10 years by now. Still in solid shape!

Jeff

I have used one of the Double Bull blinds now for several years for taking turkeys with my recurve. I have the Predator camo version, four sides with room for two although I invariably hunt alone. Two bowhunters would be crowded with not much room to maneuver.

It is quite heavy canvas with screened windows all around and a zippered opening for the top so you could open it up to look around or use it for a duck blind. These have an internal frame that collapses easily and takes a little time to learn how to put up quickly but it can be done in seconds when you get the hang of it. It comes with tie ropes and stakes and can be made quite secure in a breeze.

I Spayed a commercial waterproofing material on it and have been in it in the rain and stayed very dry.

I am very pleased with mine although it's not the smallest package to carry around; packed up it's about 41/2 ft long by 10 inches or so and must weigh ~ 20 lbs. I'm not sure about those figures, just guestimates. Anyway, it's a quality product although I've not used any other so cannot truly say how it compares.

Whitetails may shy away from it; seems they do best if it's set up a while and they can get used to it. Turkeys? You could put it up on a golf course, set your dekes out and they'll strut right up as if it's invisible.

I could see where something like the Double Bull could be very affective by a water hole in the RSA and for a guide and one shooter there's enough room.