Bowhunting from ground blind?
 

Is it really tough? I want to get one so my girlfriend and I can hunt together without using a Sear's tower of a tree stand and it'll let me be more mobile, but are deer really nervous about the new big thing in their territory? Is the scent of the blind an issue? How about shoot-through windows, supposedly they work with fixed blade broadheads but that seems a little scary?

RE: Bowhunting from ground blind?
 

I used a ground blind this year for the first time. What I did was set the blind up in my yard for a week or so before the hunt. The new smell did have me concerned, thats why I set it out for a week. The shoot through mesh works well. The deer did not have any issues with the "new foriegn object" in thier area. Had Turkeys within 10 yards from the blind for about 20 minutes and they were clueless we were there. I did brush it in really good! That is the key! Me and my wife spent 4 days in it and actually enjoyed it.

RE: Bowhunting from ground blind?
 

I hunt from one a lot. I have taken deer, elk, and antelope from one. Not to imply that they are the paragon of all virtue, but they certainly have their place.

RE: Bowhunting from ground blind?
 

My experience with a Ground Blind is limited to hunting Mule Deer, Antelope, & Turkeys. They work Great for all those animals!! I think Whitetails might take a little more brushing the blind in, but I'm sure they will work in the right situation.

A Buddy killed a nice 10 point Whitetail Buck this past Oct. in NE out of a Blind.

Don't skimp! Buy the best Blind you can afford. Look at the Primos/Double Bull blinds. I Love my Dark Horse.

Dan

RE: Bowhunting from ground blind?
 

Brush it in well and if you have the chance where you hunt, set it up well beforehand and leave it as long as you can. Scent will be gone and it'll really look natural to them.

RE: Bowhunting from ground blind?
 

i set mine up each weekend and i dont brush it in. the deer are very curious as to what it is and actually come in to check it out. i do not use scent control products either.

RE: Bowhunting from ground blind?
 

mature bucks too? I've always been afraid of a blind when it comes to mature deer in bowrange. I do rifle hunt out of one 2 or 3 times a year but thats about it.

RE: Bowhunting from ground blind?
 

I've had the opposite experience. When I've set mine up and not brushed it in, deer don't get within 100 yards of the thing and much foot stomping and snorting shortly follow.

I've also brushed it in and they still see it and take a wide berth. I've had no luck with the whitetails. Turkeys and antelope pay not attention to the thing.

RE: Bowhunting from ground blind?
 

Yes mature bucks too.....when i say i dont brush it in i am not saying that i just plop it in the middle of a field and go to town...i usually look for a cluster of pines and set up in front of them. However i dont do any more work than that.

RE: Bowhunting from ground blind?
 

I shot one early, early bow season this year (september) and there were 3 other does with her, they never knew we were there..For safety, i'd set it up a few weeks before you plan on hunting out of it so they have a little while to get some sort of comfort built around it.

You just gotta find a good spot to put it, like mottz said, brush it in and forsure wouldn't hurt to spray scent killer on it.

RE: Bowhunting from ground blind?
 

What do you mean by brush it in? Do they have loops like a layout blind blind to stuff grass and stuff in it? What if I want to hunt in a hardwood forest but don't have the money to buy several tree stands? There's no real way to brush it in when it's just tall hardwoods but will it really spook them that bad?

RE: Bowhunting from ground blind?
 

Hunting from a blind has its downfalls, but I like doing both. From a treestand, you can see them coming from much farther away. Often times with a blind in the woods, you wont see them untill they are right up on you.
When setting up a blind, I think of these; SHAPE, SILHOUETTE, SHADOW. Just make sure nothing looks weird from the deer's perspective, and you are good. I have also made the mistake of keeping my pop-up blind in the closet in my house[:@]. Talk about ****ty scent control, I saw nothing that day.

RE: Bowhunting from ground blind?
 

Brushing in means set your blind between 2 trees, bushes or whatever. Then find some downed tree limbs and lay them in front, beside, and maybe have 1 leaning across the top. Find some grass and throw that in there also. Mainly just break up the outline of your blind. Make sure you check your shooting lanes.

RE: Bowhunting from ground blind?
 

I cant hunt from a ground blind without alling asleep