This will be my first year bowhunting and I hunt public land. I will be using a pop up blind. I can't leave the blind overnight on the land I will be hunting. I gun hunted this property last season and have scouted it so far this year. I have found some sign and have a good idea where I want to put the blind.
The problem is I know I will have to set up early in the morning the day of the hunt. I was thinking 4AM or so.
Will I spook the deer to much to have a chance? Any ideas?

Thats funny you mention this...let me tell you a quick story.

I taught my cousin to shoot instinctive about 5 yrs ago with the recurve and our own home crafted cedar arrows. No sights.

3 yrs into bowhunting he decides he would like to try hunting from ground blinds vs. treestands for several reasons. Dr. Ken Nordberg - author for Bowhunting World magazine and wrote several books as well on scouting, etc. was one reason why he opted to ground blind hunt.

Anyway - he shoots a beautiful 8-10 point buck less than 15 yds from a ground blind he improvised of just layering dead-fallen trees. The deer never knew he was there as his 125-gr Magnus BH zipped thru the boiler room. Deer was dead in less than 25 yds.

Sicne then I/we have enjoyed ground blind hunting via what Nordberg called 'Mobile Stand Hunting.'

Whitetails (in Ken's opinion) have smartened up to treestand-toting hunters in the last 30 yrs. Employing a ground blind makes 'moving' to another area because of wind changes daily or other factors requiring a move (not seeing deer where you should, der out of gun/bow range, deer winding you, etc).

We use some polyester or burlap camo netting that comes in like 4 ft tall x what-ever length you want. We tie some parachute cord to the 4 corners of the netting and use it to see up an instant 'blind.' I also use a camo bucket I purchased (5 gallon sheetrock 'mud' bucket) that has a soft ball-bearing seat on it that rotates 360 degs). I tuck my lunch, camo netting, and any other stuff I need in it for the outing. It takes me just a few minutes to set up the netting in-between 2 trees and set up my ground blind. Cost me maybe $20 for the netting. Its works so well that the deer never see me as I slowly stand up just high enough to shoot over the top of the netting. I do stay downwind always when employing this rig.

Its works SO well its unreal! Takes me only 5 mins to take it down when I'm finished and I don't have to worry about falling/climbing in the dark, treestand theft, steps, expense, nor locks.

Its exactly what G. Fred Asbell wrote about in one of his books as well...

Sorts what I do ,I leave mine there though. I have several set ups like that and it works well.

My first few years I hunted exclusively on the ground in heavily pressured public land. I had several "blinds" of natural material like trees and branches in a few locations overlooking prime deer trails and scrapes near bedding areas I had found in late Summer.

I had deer within 10 yards a couple of times, and within 20 yardsmany more.
Gotta play the wind when you're on the ground, and clear some shooting lanes looking both ways down the trails. Don't draw too soon. If you can see them, they'll likely see you when you move, so you'll want them in close and you'll have to shoot quickly. Although I currently hunt with a sighted compound, a fast instinctive shot would be ideal at close range.

I agree. When faced with such close shots some sight-users have been known to completely ignore their sight pins and shoot instinctively anyway. Not having practiced such skills naturally causes them to miss the shot!

GREAT.. Thanks for the info. When I gun hunt I usually just sit up against a tree and place som twigs around me. I was just wondering if the ground blind would spook them especially within 20 yards or so. I've been practicing out of the blind in a sitting position and I feel 25 yards is my comfort zone

I have several models of pop-ups , they don't spook deer very often even when they detect it . I've had them come up an inspect the strange new object more than once , but since it doesn't move or otherwise theaten them they soon ignore it . It helps a lot if you set up inside a treeline or brush to break up it's outline .

Set up is as quick and quiet as you make it , certainly quieter than climbing a tree , but you need to practice doing it in the dark a few times before you go out . One of the biggest reasons I own pop-ups is their ability to provide reasonable protection from detection and weather , and their portability . My heaviest one is still a full 11 lbs. lighter than my lightest tree stand , and the tree stand won't keep the wind and rain off my middle aged bones .

Shooting a bow in one depends largely on the blind's configuration and the size of your bow . Forget tight ones like the Ameristep Outhouse , too narrow at the peak , you'd have to completely unzip the door and sit halfway outside just to draw . A taller more box shaped one like the Double Bulls is a better choice since you'll have better headroom to draw and you canstay fully concealed . The Ameristep Doghouse types are a compromise , if your axle to axle is short they can work out , longbows and recurves need not apply .

Kevin, I have a Ameristep Brickhouse TSC, It's Box shaped and seems to be user friendly as I have been practicing shooting out of it for about 1 month now. Looking forward to using it in about 60 days

Same here and I typically use the Ameristep Doghouse just on the day of the hunt. It goes with me when I go in and comes with me when I come out. The deer notice it but don't seem bothered by it.

This is what I use - about 4 yards long x 54" tall. Works perfectly tied between 2 trees to form a front wall or in-between 3 trees to form a triangle blind all around me.

http://www.wingsupply.com/shop/Scripts/prodViewSKU.asp?SKU=HSNYLON&idAff=1538