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Posted By: JJHACK Ground blinds - 10/27/16
Hi folks,

Gonna buy a New Ground blind. The current one is about done, it had a successful career but must be retired before all the seams are shot when I need it most.

I've used a few over the years. Both those I've owned and those I have borrowed or the guides that have supplied them in some places we have hunted. A couple really stand out. Double Bull and Rhino Blinds.

I'm not able to see how anything is better then these two, and the Rhino stands out as the better quality to my eye. I've always thought that the Double Bull was the best made but have used a couple Rhino blinds that just can't be beat. Am I missing something here? Is there anything about the Rhino over the long term that is not good? Double bull is Pretty darn good too..... Just trying to make the right choice the first time.
Posted By: Crappie_Killer Re: Ground blinds - 10/27/16
Have never used the Rhino so cannot compare, but you cannot go wrong with the Double Bull in my opinion.
Posted By: dale06 Re: Ground blinds - 10/28/16
Originally Posted by Crappie_Killer
Have never used the Rhino so cannot compare, but you cannot go wrong with the Double Bull in my opinion.


I have several Double Bull blinds and they have served me well. Have not tried the Rhino blinds.
Also, I tried one of the cheap off brands and it lasted one or two uses and basically was worthless.
Posted By: JJHACK Re: Ground blinds - 10/28/16
I left my last 100.00 pop up with the outfitter in Oklahoma I hunted with. It was stretching apart at the seams and the poles were poking through the corner pockets.

Not even worth packing up. So....... time for a "real" pop up blind.
Posted By: saddlering Re: Ground blinds - 10/28/16
My old double bull is about wore out also love the blind tho! I bought a new one 2 years ago after Primos bought them, Ill not buy another was a pain from the start! a buddie has one called a Blackout by cabelas I like it alot but dont know much about it!
Posted By: JJHACK Re: Ground blinds - 11/01/16
Okay, I was at Cabelas in Boise and looked over the newest double bull they have on display . It's nice but I'm not convinced it is better then the Rhino blinds I have used in Texas. It also does not look as well made ( stitching quality) as the ones that I have used before, but that's just from my aging memory!

Wish I knew more people with a Rhino that has been used for a few years. Seems that when people are going to buy something this expensive or personal they want to see it in a store ( like me). I think the biggest differences are the quality of the material used and the feeling of how big inside it is. There is something about the Rhino that made it feel much more roomy?

I need to see a Rhino blind in person to see what the current version is like. They just don't seem to be for sale anyplace but the website.
Posted By: Huntingnut Re: Ground blinds - 11/05/16
I have both a Rhino and a Double bull. The Rhino is a few years old and the double bull is maybe three. Both have held up very well, but my personal preference is the Double Bull.
Posted By: JJHACK Re: Ground blinds - 11/05/16
I see that the rhino now comes in a regular and a large size. It's a foot wider and a bit taller.

Having been stuffed into a ground blind before this sounds like it my be the difference for my choice. I like the idea of a bit more space especially if I've got a third person with us. Or just to get a pack or other gear out of the way.

I wish I could see them someplace side by side!
Posted By: hanco Re: Ground blinds - 11/07/16
We build them out if plywood.
Posted By: hanco Re: Ground blinds - 11/07/16
We build them out of plywood
Posted By: JJHACK Re: Ground blinds - 11/07/16
Hard to fold them up and hunt in 4-5 states a year.
Posted By: Reloder28 Re: Ground blinds - 11/08/16
JJ,

I have owned Ameristep Doghouses, on my second now, since 1998. They have served me well. I realize they are considered cheap by most. But, I get a lot of use from them and have never wanted for more. Other more expensive blinds have not offered the ease of deployment & the light weight. I have enjoyed from the Ameristep.
Posted By: Lawdwaz Re: Ground blinds - 11/13/16
An older hunting buddy asked me to borrow my old goose hunting blind for deer season this year. He's not looking to climb too many trees anymore but just wanting to get out out and sit on the ground and be hidden somewhat behind a screen of some sort. I told him sure he could borrow it but then this thread got me thinking.

Last week I ordered a Rhino Blind and just set it up this morning.......slick deal!

I have just about zero experience with these kind of blinds other than about 20 minutes of wrestling with an early Double Bull Blind 10 years ago then finally giving up after I couldn't get the POS up. LOL

Then, I spent 10 minutes with a buddy in a Ameristep Blind and didn't like that too much.

This Rhino is nice! Plenty big for 2 guys and their gear, set up/take down are a piece of cake, well made, great carry bag w/shoulder straps, zippered pouch for stakes and guy lines.

Finding the right chair may be a bit of a chore. So far the best I have is a Slumberjack Directors chair. The height is just about perfect. I'll have to find another one as I'm sure he will have company from some of the other guys in camp. smile

My buddy is 84 or 85 and he's going to be thrilled with having a roof over his head this year!
Posted By: Talus_in_Arizona Re: Ground blinds - 11/13/16
JJ, after hunting a lot with ground blinds that I had to pack in, I now use a pair of the Doghouse types. They are just so simple and adequate. If two folks hunt, I use one or erect two side by side. It's low tech and works.

The hub styles are more PITA with no return on investment, IMO. Been there. Neither pack well, but the Doghouse less poorly.

A big plus is that I will often put up a Doghouse blind and leave it for a week or so. Or stow it in the carry sack and leave it in a tree. Around here, bears like to find your blind and roll on it. This is tragic for hub types, but not a big deal (most of the time) for the Doghouse types.

I'll be Doghousing again this winter.

Jeff
Posted By: JJHACK Re: Ground blinds - 11/15/16
Okay, finally found a Rhino blind to have a first hand "look see" at the materials quality and design.

The quality is about the same as Double bull, Actually I cannot see a difference in the fabric. The Rhino uses fabric about like you would find a heavy duty back pack. The hubs and poles are solid, as is the quality of the stitching. The door opening on the Rhino is quite a bit better for my needs. It's simple and fail proof. One handed in and out.

Wndows and mesh....... hard to see one having advantage over the other. The biggest difference is the entry door. The Rhino is better to me. Now one disclaimer on this. The Rhino blind I saw was not the standard size, it was the bigger size. Most of these I have used have been about the same 5 foot square and 65" tall or there about.

This one is 6' square and a 6' plus tall or there about. Never saw one this size before, the owner told me it is the "oversize" model. That little bigger size was quite nice. Especially for a bow hunter. Oh one other thing I liked about this model was the sewn in horizontal Belt loops around mid height and again about 20" down from the top. These are for sticking brush and grass into. Simply brilliant to have this really heavy duty design sewn around all four sides.

The top opens up as well, for waterfowl, which I won't likely ever use but it's worth the mention if you need that function. I believe this will be the one I get. That bigger size is not so much larger that it will be any more difficult to hide in the bush, but the extra space for gear or possibly having a kid with me is very welcome space. I really do like the idea of the extra height for drawing a bow as well. The standard size is perfect for a gun hunter, but this slightly bigger one is the bow hunters dream.

As stated above, First time I set it up took 5 minutes, Take down was under three minutes including getting it all back into the back pack case. Second time I set it up knowing a few little things to do, I could set it up in 2 minutes. This is a HUGE improvement over anything else I have ever used. Once you gently pull out the hub straps it seems to go up by itself!

I have some folding camp chairs that I will probably use for now. But I think I too may need to find something just right for this blind. If you have used or owned a Double bull, and just wished for a little more room, then this is much like a double bull quality with a bit bigger space inside.
Posted By: kellory Re: Ground blinds - 11/15/16
Originally Posted by Reloder28
JJ,

I have owned Ameristep Doghouses, on my second now, since 1998. They have served me well. I realize they are considered cheap by most. But, I get a lot of use from them and have never wanted for more. Other more expensive blinds have not offered the ease of deployment & the light weight. I have enjoyed from the Ameristep.

THIS^^^^ i have several versions and never had a problem other than one torn zipper.
Posted By: warpig602 Re: Ground blinds - 11/15/16
Ive been sing the standard size Rhineo for 3 years. This year added the "plus" size. I actually prefer the zippered door onthe smaller size but at 6'5 and 290lbs I can appreciate 6the extra space. I had plenty of draw room in the standard size but I had to have my blind chair positioned just right. I also had to be more cognitive of drawing my bow with its 31in long arrows. The added space of the plus size is nice. That being said, if I didnt already have the standard size I probably would have went with the standard from a cost perspective. Now that I have the plus size, my next one will likely be another standard. Thats not to say I dislike the bigger one, simply that now that I have a bigger model I make it my primary and I will use my smaller ones for secondary setups.

Rhino CS has been fast and responsive when asking questions prior to purchase and even gave me a 20.00 off code to use. I have had 0 issues with either blind and my first one has been out from 70 to single digits, rain, snow and heat for 3 years now.
Posted By: warpig602 Re: Ground blinds - 11/15/16
Yes, I can go from bag to setup in 2 minutes. They arent the most lightest, most portable setups but the bag has backpack straps for the longer walks.
Posted By: warpig602 Re: Ground blinds - 11/15/16
If the cost doesnt matter, get the plus size. It only weighs 1/2 a pound more and the extra space is nice with 2 people in there. I can fit me and both the kids, chairs in there with no problem.

As for chairs, get eh Redneck blind chair. Great for bowhunting. My cabelas spinning chair creaked after 2 days and started squeaking after 4. While it was super comfortable it will ow relegated to Turkey season.
Posted By: JJHACK Re: Ground blinds - 11/15/16
I have a redneck predator blind on my farm on an 8 foot platform. I have two of their chairs as well. They squeak and grind horrible. Tried to get them apart to grease up the bearings. However they are riveted together so it's a project to get them apart.

That fibreglass blind is as good as it gets, but my chairs are bad! I have replaced the plastic washers at all bolt through connections which has helped but still not the quality product redneck has been famous for.
Posted By: warpig602 Re: Ground blinds - 11/15/16
Damn. Guess its back to the search for me. How old are they?
Posted By: JJHACK Re: Ground blinds - 11/15/16
Two or possibly 3 years. Got them on sale at scheels in sandy Utah. They were 50 bucks each.

I would buy the millennium ground blind seats if I had it to do over those are the best made.

Sadly, I've written redneck 4 times about these seats without a single reply!
Posted By: JJHACK Re: Ground blinds - 11/16/16
We sat in the blind last night. My arrangement is set up this time of year for rabbits in the orchard. We have a motion sensing Green light that comes on when anything moves under it. Most game cannot see the green light and ignores it.

There were the typical string of deer walking through and eating the grass, willow leaves and the whole corn. We saw a dozen rabbits and took out 4 of them, and one big fat Possum. Just using an Air rifle to keep things quiet. Trying to take out as many as possible.

During this 3 hour sit I really paid attention to the sounds from the redneck seats. One of them definitely is just plain noisy, the swivel makes a clunking sound to get it moving from still and then is silent once rotating. Just the initial turn makes the clunking. Like it's stuck a bit wherever it stops.

However it also creaks horrible when you lean to the right or left to see out of side window. That's really horrible. The other seat does not have the breakaway clunking sound and swivels flawlessly It does have the same creaking sound when leaning but only about half as loud. My guess is that it will get worse as time goes on. The seat base is 5/16" plywood, with foam pad and then a nice thick pack cloth cover. I'm thinking the wood flexing is the weak link here. Either I need to replace with 3/4" or some other type of base? I'm just 175 lbs. It's not like I'm a giant of a guy really pushing the limits here.

As bow hunters we don't get cut any slack on this when at 20 yards. This type of sound is a deal breaker much of the time. Especially with a slowly moving nervous about everything Whitetail deer.

My suggestion is to steer clear of the redneck seats!

Posted By: warpig602 Re: Ground blinds - 11/17/16
Originally Posted by JJHACK




As bow hunters we don't get cut any slack on this when at 20 yards. This type of sound is a deal breaker much of the time. Especially with a slowly moving nervous about everything Whitetail deer.





Amen to that. I already got one and am happy with it. Maybe that will change as they age.
Posted By: country_20boy Re: Ground blinds - 11/17/16
At one time, Double Bull blinds had a lifetime warranty. Not sure if this is still the case, but it's worth checking. Pretty sure this was the case after Primos bought them.....
Posted By: warpig602 Re: Ground blinds - 11/20/16
Had 40MPH+ gust this week, snapped a pole in my Plus size Rhino. Had a replacement pole sent within the hour. My smaller Rhino didnt seem to take any major damage.
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