Anyone have a suggestion for a good bowhunting ground blind. I am looking at keeping it under $150. Want something that is quiet (no flapping in the wind) and that is quick and easy to set up in the dark.. Thanks

I am in the same boat you are. I have been looking at the Ameristep Doghouse with the scent control. I would like to see one set up and play with it before I purchase one. Maybe some of the other guys have used some various blinds and can lend some advice?

At the moment I have three of the 2003 Ameristep blind models...the Penthouse, Doghouse and Doghouse TSC. I hope to do a mini-review of them when time permits in the next week or so. All three blinds can be bought for $150 and under. The Penthouse is the largest at 6.5 feet by 7.5 feet if I remember correctly. I think its use would be warranted for those looking for tons of interior room either to hide an ATV or for use with up to 3 or 4 other hunters. Total weight is around 20 pounds but it is easy to carry in its backpack carrying case.

The Doghouse TSC is the second most expensive but still within your price range. It is around 5.5 feet wide and 5.5 feet tall. Plenty of room for two bowhunters or three gun hunters. It comes with a zip out floor, gear pockets and ground to roof support poles...plus plastic memberane window covers to totally reduce scent dispersion.

The regular Doghouse model is the least expensive of the bunch...retailing around $70-$80 most places. It is approximately 5 feet in diameter and 5.5 feet high. It has the blackened interior, leafy cutouts on the seems and a highly water resistant exterior. I think it is probably the least " flappable" of the three models because of its unique roof support system.

All are easy to use and well worth the price that I paid for them. If you have any further questions on them then fire away.

Hope this helps.

Thanks for teh inputs PA. I have heard that the Ameristep models with TSC are noisy and that there is a glare from teh TSC material. Is this true? I usually try to do a good job with my scent anyway so I don' t think it would be worth the extra cost if it is noisy and gives off a glare.

I can attest to the fact that they definitely are not noisy blinds nor do they give off a " glare" when in direct sunlight. I think both comments stem from the fact that the Ameristep blinds are made of nylon material and not some form of canvas like their chief competitor.

In regard to the windflap issue, I have not noticed excessive windflap with any of the blinds though I think the possibility is there moreso with the particular models that use the ground to ceiling roof support as opposed to the models that just use a roof support attached at the window level. The added support across the roof seems to take away from some of the support provided by the spring steel across the sides of the blind thus making them less " tight" than if they just used the shorter roof supports. Ofcourse, all models have window " tie-downs" so that does help to some extent.

I will provide pictures with my review so you can judge for yourself.

***Edited*** Sorry, I did not notice that you specifically mentioned the TSC material. All the TSC material is, is some plastic memberane for the windows. I do not use it so I cannot comment on it. I have not had a scent control problem when not using it so I do not see the need for it. Just my two cents.

I' ve owned the regular doghouse, and the TSC doghouse. if your goin to be packin it in a long way, then I' d recomend the regular doghouse. it weighs 12 lbs, where the tsc model weighs around 19-20 lbs. it says 14 lbs in the catalog, but that' s wrong. I didn' t have a problem with noise with my regular doghouse, and I hadn' t used the TSC windows, so I don' t know about the noise issue on it. but I like the TSC model better because it' s 68" x68" x68" tall as opposed to the regular which is 60" x60" x70" tall. also the TSC model has a zip in floor, gear pockets on each side, the edge releaf. and floor to floor poles. and I beleive it' s made of thicker material.
you can get the regular doghouse for around $70.00 in tangle camo, or mossyoak for $100.00. the TSC is $119.00 in tangle and $139 in mossyoak.

Hey guys, I have the TSC Doghouse and I really like it, excluding the mesh and TSC windows. Yes the windows do glare. Here is my post from a thread here last week.....I' m copying and pasting it.

>>>>>>>>>>>

I have the Doghouse TSC. I set it up on the edge of a field one evening when I bought it last season and walked away from it 20 yrds and looked at it. The clear shiny plastic on the inside of those windows was literally glaring at me. I was disgusted! Not only do the windows crackle like cellophane (that' s what they are I guess?) it' s shiny! I immediatly called Ameristep and asked them if I could order the replacement mesh windows without the TSC and she said not at the time but eventually that would be an option. I told her my concerns and she was dead silent.......then she said, " you are about the 20th call today with the same concerns. People do not like the way the window glare." She then told me that many people were taking a very sharp razor blade knife and carefully cutting the clear plastic off the mesh windows. Finally disgusted and not know what else to do, I cut the plastic off. Down the drain went all that extra $$ I paid for the TSC.

Now about the shoot thru mesh windows.... I know guys who shoot thru the mesh on these types of blinds and have great success but my testing quickly showed me that I will not be risking shooting thru the mesh windows. I very commonly practice with my bow while sitting in my chair that I will use in my pop-up blind and I' m very accurate while sitting in that chair. I then moved my chair into my blind and shot thru the open windows and was still dead on. I then put the mesh windows on and stretched them as tight as possible. I backed up to 20 yrds and took a shot thru the mesh window. To my utter shock, my arrow went off to the side of the target and was lost in my grass! I told myself I flinched but I moved my blind up to 10 yrds and shot another arrow. It hit in the very bottom right hand corner of my target. Now I' m very concerned. 3rd arrow, 10 yrds, hit left 6 inches and way down low. Now I' m ticked.lol I put everything up and tested it again on 3 seperate occasions. Every single time I experienced VERY eratic arrow flight and I never had an arrow hit where I was aiming. I have decided that I will NOT be using those mesh shoot thru windows. I just can' t make it work for me.

Disclaimer These were only my results and almost everyone else I talk to has no problems with the shoot thru mesh windows.

If it matters, I shoot a Diamond Hornet, 57lbs, 80% let off, 27 in draw, Gold Tip carbon arrows, and Thunderhead fixed 100 gr broad heads.

try just building your own out of sticks leaves and trees make it look natural works for me during gun hunting

I build my own every year with sticks and stuff works for me beacuse next year its still in fair shape and just needs a little work to make it look new agian

but like you said you where looking for some thing that dont take time

have you ever tryed neting works great just tie or use thunb tacks and put it around a few trees takes like 5 min.

Does anyone have knowledge concerning the Ameristep " Outhouse" ground blind? Is there enough room to draw and sight a bow inside of it?

Kindest Regards,

-Will in Maryland