KitsapCaller

I have an Ameristep Doghouse pop-up blind and was wondering....If I set this thing up the evening before opening day, could it spook the birds?

Thanks in advance.

Howler

Several factors will determine if you spook the birds or not. Such as how early are you getting there, how bright is the moon, how noisy are you while setting up, and how close to them are you setting up. If it's still dark thirty, no gobblin' yet, a dark moon, and you're quite you can set up real close to them without bothering them, every morning, BUT if you're not getting there until the first gobbles have started, you're noisy, and the moon is bright, then you're going to spook birds.

So, get there early and be as quiet as you can, then you won't spook a bird. We do it all the time.

BigBuck95

As long as your not setting up right under them and you don't make a ton of sound, you should be able to set up the night before without problem, plus you get to see where they're going to roost. This IS what you want to do, right? Correct me if I'm wrong....

BigBuck95

IL-Cornfed

As the others have mentioned, as long as the birds don't spot you... you're good to go! In fact, the majority of birds that we have killed from pop-ups have been taken from blinds that were set up the day before. I generally prefer mid day

gtousey

If you are quite and not in sight of them you can set up most anytime, but the early morning hours are the most sensitive cause they are on roost and scanning for threats, to see where they will fly down. I set up late morning on some birds I had seen in a field, and simply waited until they moved down the tree line around a point and out of sight. An hour later they came cruising back to the decoys. The best thing to learn is how to set up the blind quickly and with as little noise, and you can get in pretty close. The am is the most sensitive, if you aren't sure where the birds roosted then I wouldn't push it.

THE GOBBLER STOPPER

I just saw on a hunting show last week where they were hunting field birds, you know the type that are always out in the middle strutting around but will not come back towards the woods for nothing? Well they went in early one morning and set the blind up right in the middle of the field where the birds had been for the past several days and the gobblers came right to the blind like it was nothing new...

So bottom line, "will the blind spook the birds" probably not as long as you do like the others have said and do it under the cover of darkness... Let us know what happens...

KitsapCaller

I was planning on setting it up the day before when the birds are clearly away from the area. Then, very quietly climb into it on opening day well before daybreak while it is still dark.

Howler

Shouldn't have any trouble doing that, 'cause like I said, we set up and hunt out of the blind that same morning, under the cover of darkness and we are sometimes very close to roosted birds.

We hunt birds just like THE GOBBLER STOPPER discribes, open fields and all. It does work. It's amazing that the blind right out in the open just doesn't bother the birds.

KitsapCaller

Thanks for the confirmation. I thought it would be okay.