Dog House

[pluckit]

I just bought an Ameristep Doghouse Ground Blind to hunt from during early Black Powder season coming up next Thursday. One of the tips says to spray the seams and outside walls with silicone spray. Is this a good idea? Or do you (anyone) think that it will make the blind smell too much and scare the deer away.

[lemoyne]

Yes, it is a good idea, but the solvent will smell to much to do it that close to season. I like to do my water proofing at least a month before season.

[cayugad]

I have one and had it sit out all winter in the snow. It's never been sprayed and I never seen it leak. Maybe I should spray mine one of these days. The one thing about mine is, it gets real humid in them. So be sure and crack a few windows. Because in the winter when I muzzleloader hunt, that humid air from your breath and body plus the cold temps can make for some real uncomfortable late afternoons. You will find if you get it up early, the deer will totally ignore it. I had deer within five feet of a window.

[pluckit]

Thanks for the help. They recommend not to leave it out in direct sunlight. They say that ultraviolet light harms the material. They suggest putting the blind up in a shaded area. So I intend to take it down after every hunt which will also eliminate the risk of theft. The reason I bought it is because of the lack of good trees for a stand and I don't want to block shooting lanes by putting it behind the wood line. I am setting it up on the corner of a patch of thickets at the corner of a patch of woods over looking a field. So it's pretty much out in the sunlight but backed into the thickets just a little so that I can see out of 3 sides. I see deer crossing here all the time when I'm in my stand. It's about a 165 yard shot from my stand so I wanted to get closer. If they cross here and I'm in the blind the shot will be reduced to somewhere between 5 to 50 yards.

[keyshunter]

One of our Doghouse blinds usually is set up where it gets a lot of direct sun on one side. That side has turned an interesting shade of pink, but the deer still ignore it.