HuntingNet.com Forums - Preseason work equals success....

No question successful scouting trips leave us all in a state of great anticipation for the upcoming season.To that end here's a tip on making your preseason trips even more effective towards success in the upcoming season.Build a blind or at least look for an area to set-up one of the many mobile blinds available to the modern day hunter today!So often times we take to the turkey woods on a scouting trip locate a roost site,travel route,feeding area, strutzone,etc,and when opening day arrives find ourself groping around the woods looking for a good set-up to conceal ourselves close to these areas and often times find it easier said than done!If we would've took the time in our preseason work to build a blind or at least located an area to set-up a mobile blind in we could've easily avoided such a situation and moved right into our patch of woods quite stealthy and concealed adequately in a short amount of time.Often times we're not by ourselves and as a fulltime guide you have to take into account getting not only yourself concealed but another hunter and in some cases even 2 adequately hid.
Whether you're a shotgun-toting turkey hunter setting up on the fly or a bowhunter set up in a high-sign area, a blind is an excellent way to conceal hunters.
It also can add to a hunter's comfort by providing room to move around.

A number of blinds are available at sporting goods stores or through mail-order outlets that range from a short, 2-foot-wide piece of camo cloth staked around the hunter to complete tentlike blinds that offer shelter from the rain and sun.

These larger blinds typically have easy-open shooting windows on each side and are commonly used by hunters who are disabled or using a bow.

For more industrious, budget-conscious hunters, a blind made from natural materials can easily be built and, in some instances, may prove even more effective.

While using downed trees and logs to build low walls is a good start, probably the easiest way to build a blind is to break out a pair of ratchet cutters and trim a number of leafy limbs from the surrounding brush and trees.

Stake the limbs in a manner that offers adequate room to move around inside if necessary, but does not stand out from the surrounding terrain.

Get inside the blind and trim away limbs that obstruct your shooting lanes.

It is important to remember not to conceal yourself so well that you can't see what's going on around you, particularly the approach of another hunter!

If building permanent, natural blinds, try to construct them prior to the season, but only after you have determined likely travel routes or entry points along the field. No sense building a blind in a poor location.

If you know where gobblers are apt to roost and strut during the day, or if you have seen hens feeding in a particular part of a field where gobblers are bound to show up later, put your blind in these areas.I build natural blinds throughout the season and on more than one occasion find myself returning to use these same blinds I built in previous years!
A good blind creates confidence in the hunter because not only is he in the birds but comfortable and properly concealed!This in turn will make you a more patient hunter and more often times than not will add to your overall success!!;)