Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Bowhunting Using ground blinds for whitetail

I'll second that recommendation. The three legged chairs allow you to lean quietly, without having to "scoot" across a seat.

There was another reason I was over in this part of the campfire, and saw this thread.

I have not bowhunted in a few years due to a bum shoulder, but I thought I would throw some ideas at y'all.

Yes, natural ground blinds are cool, but there are some other very effective solutions I've tried.

First off, take a look at this:

Shamanic Portable Stump

I taught my son this tactic, because he was 16 and hunting on his own and wanted to find his own spots. The nifty thing about the Portable Stump idea is that it is a middle ground between still hunting and blind hunting. The whole thing goes up and down in couple of minutes. BTW: Don't fear burlap. It stinks, but it is a stink that is natural for the woods. It is more of a cover scent than anything else. Deer do not seem to mind it. Having said that, I usually use Nylap. I have taken deer within 15 minutes of putting up one of these.



There is a variation of the portable stump I've used to great success. If you take the blind material and put it up between two trees, and then sit such that you are shooting parallel to the blind, you can fit into a very small space, and be totally invisible to the deer. I've taken a buck 10 paces away with a brisket shot while his sister watched me, standing less than 3 feet away. It works the trick is having the chutzpah to try it. The best place I've found for pulling this trick is where the deer are running parallel to a fence line, just inside the treeline next to an open field. They are more worried about what's in the field,and not what's right next to the trail.

The other idea I want to throw at you is setting your tree stand really low. This is a strange concept to come from an old nosebleed cowboy that used to think hunting started with your toes 25 feet in the air. This is kind of halfway between a ground blind and a tree stand. Truth is, if your feet are above a deer's head, he's probably not going to pay much attention to you. I've taken two of my largest deer from a climbing stand's platform less than 6 feet in the air. The trick to this is a) wind and b) being off the deer's line of sight. Again, I like to use this trick where the deer are not coming head-on at me and whose attention is going to be drawn elsewhere. Breaks in fence lines are good spots for this trick.

The whole point of a blind is wind and rain protection, plus concealment. If you only need the latter, then there are many options. But day after day, all day long, a blind will keep you in the stand instead of back at the truck. I take a sleeping bag into mine and leave it for the whole hunt. When I get there, in I go up to the shoulders. As for deer, they could care less. There's nothing like being kicked back in a comfortable seat, moving feet around as needed and not worried about moving your hands. If a deer/elk is far away from your treestand, or at a similar elevation, the height of the treestand provides no concealment at all. As for buckets, after an hour I would be ready to get off that thing, padded or not. If you just don't need wind or rain protection, and can manage concealment issues, then a bare lawn or camping chair will do nicely -- if portability won't prevent the use of one. After more than 40 years of hunting, I find that comfort matters ...

If you are feeling a little flush one of these should work back East.

http://natureblinds.com/

Don't do trees anymore. Have had great success using self-constructed forts/ground blinds here in PA the last several years. Build them in the right spot and you'll get nice bucks. As for seating, have used a plastic milk cases with a foam seat for several decades as they're sturdy, weatherproof, inexpensive and hold a lot of gear when entering and leaving the woods....

My buddy got a Ghost Blind last year and I used it a lot - had several deer within 5 yards of me and they had no clue. When you see one you will be blown away at how well they work, and you don't feel like you are hunting out of a cave when you are using one. Also go up WAY easier than a traditional blind...

I do the natural blind thing. White Pines are prevalent where I hunt and tend to be bushy and thick when on the young side. They work well to shoot from and seem to always be near a good run. I always pack a foldable chair and shoot from my knees or standing. I run a 62" recurve so pop up blinds are usually to tight and for the money you can't beat a natural blind.

I do it all the time for gun season. I've made shots from 7 yards with a gun, so I think you'll be fine with a bow. I have just used what Ma Nature has given me and built them with logs and brush.

The time is near. The season begins in SC on 8/15. I hunt a big hay field full of 6 foot bails overlooking a deep swamp.
I have given up tree stands so will set two bails at 45 degrees in strategic locations for a comfortable shoulder height shooting position. I may build some "shooting houses" on skids from designs I have seen, but the family budget tells me hay bails are the way to go.

I've been using Ameristep's Penthouse tent for many years now. Plenty of room to move around unnoticed and high enough to stand & come to a full draw with room to spare.

I set it up at least 1 month before opener. Dress all in black including a wool ski cap & light work gloves & paint your face completely black. Being aware of becoming scent free will give you an even greater advantage to the scent protection of the blind itself.

I've had deer & a few bear walk literally right up to the window cutouts & look right inside. Every animal I ever saw from this blind never knew I was there.

I've taken many a deer using this fool proof method of blind, early setup, dress options, and scent control. Last October I took a nice 7 point with a single arrow at appx 12 yards.

Good luck.

-Ken

From an anatomical perspective, I would think shooting parrallel to the ground would provide better presentation of the arrow through the vitals as opposed to an elevated position which would cause some Extreme angles.