Any one have any experience? I'd like to build a hay bale blind this summer for bow hunting this fall. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

http://www.archerytalk.com/vb/showthread.php?t=1839408

Ground blinds are the ticket. Killed one whitetail and one coyote out of the same blind just a few days apart. Both with my bow.

Yes...lots. Either make them where they are completely hidden or out in the open where the deer will not be "surprised" when they see them. The smaller the opening to shoot from, the more effective they will be. The downsides of a good ground blind are wind and the fact that they get kinda claustrophobic, dulling your ability to see and hear. I describe a good ground blind as like sitting in solitary confinement with a picture of woods on the wall. But they work.

Natural gound blinds are the only way to hunt.

Eye level adds so much to the experience.

I don't care if I kill less. That is not why I am out there.

I have killed half a dozen whitetails from pop up ground blinds, including a decent 10 point, my biggest ever.

I have done it one of two ways, either brush it in real well several weeks before hunting, or I have set them out a month or more with no brushing in.
I have shot through netting in all my deer kills.
For turkeys, set them up anywhere and kill a turkey any time.

I like cedar trees.

Find a little group of em, and cut a hole out to sit in.

Pile the cuttings in front for more cover.

Don't know if that opportunity will present itself, but that's my experience.

I don't like being cooped up.

But in a tight one... a built one, the scent is almost a non issue at times.

Pop up ones not at all. But I've sat in both a LOT because you can get away with a LOT... lot of movement, book reading etc...

ANd in reality, it doesn't much matter if I can see far or not, I can see past my chosen max distacne, and if they aren't in range anyway... not much I can do about it.

Its one of the easier ways for turkeys with a bow. Without one, they are VERY hard with a bow, having to wait until the fan blocks the eyes to draw, though that gives a really good shot angle at the same time.

All this being said I haven't sat in a tripod or such in years. and I have killed my 3 biggest bucks out of a box...

The cedar tree trick works REALLY well too if you can find that place.

Probably my imagination but when I'm in a pop-up blind I always hear lots of deer just out of my field of view. I'm just using them for turkeys now. I like the cedar trees for deer if I'm on the ground.

I did the cedar tree thicket thing while hunting in Kansas last fall and it was really fun. ALmost was run over by a decent 8 point that was chasing hard. I have hunted turkeys a ton out of blinds here in PA as it is really fun with my dayghters and as others say above you can really get away with allot of movement.

Started using them about 10 years ago and have seen my success grow significantly. I've had deer walk within 10 yards of the blind only an hour after I put it up. They don't care & don't even give it a second look. I've killed four of my five biggest bucks out of a ground blind. The fifth was killed from the ground with no blind, but the brush was thicker there.

I've used them for years and they rock. So roomy and break that cold wind. I use the Doghouse. Why? Because it is light and does not have hubs that break. Repeat -- hubs that break. I have experience with three hub types and they all broke quickly. I actually have two Doghouses and set them up side by side when hunting with a pard. A word to the wise: if you hunt with them, practice in them. I found that the right chair makes all the difference. Typical camp chairs are too deep for archery. stools and tripod stools SUCK after the first 20 minutes. The advantage to a ground blind is you can hang out all day with ease. Read a book, make a sandwich, whatever. I don't put the mesh up, just open the windows and get in the dark spot. Love 'em.

What chair do you suggest? I've been using a canvas camp chair, but like you said too deep. I'm thinking some director's chairs might be better.

LL Bean has (or had, when I last looked) armless fold up chairs that are perfect. Armless is the key, imo. The chairs with arms prevent you from being able to rotate towards a deer coming from either side.

I use one like this. It is light and I can put it in the side pockets of my backpack fine. Mine is Browning label but this one is like it. I have not tried the swivel ones like this, but they may be great.

http://www.amazon.com/ALPS-Mountain...&keywords=three+legged+folding+chair

Agree 100%. I started with a chair with arms. It was very comfortable, but shooting was pretty difficult.

I actually fixed the arm problem by cutting down the back 'post' of the backrest on my draw side. But that didn't fix the 'deep' problem. The new chair was a better route.

Thanks for the recommendation.

I picked up a "fishing" chair from bass pro for $15 that looks very much like the one listed above.

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.