I have a Doghouse blind that is just too small for me to shoot my bow out of. I just got my hands on a new *to me* Primos Ground Max Eclipse that my inlaws used for one season. I traded a training collar for the blind, and I'm very excited to get in it this fall.

I shot a turkey out of my Doghouse this spring, and it was awesome. I've been that close to them before, but it was neat being able to move around a bit. I'm looking forward to getting that close to a deer on the ground.

Are there any beyond-the-basics tips that you can give me? Gear I may want in my blind, etc?

Thanks y'all-

rw

Set it up so the deer walk by you; not where they are walking towards or angling to you. Even though it's a "blind", the deer are not. LOL! They will react to it and brushing it in with native vegetation will help considerably. Anything to break up it's outline and presence helps hide the blind. If you could get by, it would help to have a limb or two over the open spot you'll shoot through because it will be black. The blackness will alert the deer as that too is unfamiliar. Speaking of the black interior, scrub the camo and wear black clothing as well to help you blend in your blind.

Find yourself a good chair to hunt from. Spare no costs. If you're uncomfortable your sit will not be fun. Find something that is silent as you don't want it to squeak at the wrong time!

When you are on your chair, practice many times bringing the bow up and coming to full draw. This will help prevent any last second mistakes that you may not have known unless you did this. Working out the bugs seconds before the big moment is not the right time to discover your stabilizer is hitting the window shelf. LOL!

The last part many don't have the luxury of and that is pre-setting your blind days or a week or more ahead so the deer get acclimated to it. Doing this puts your blind at risk of theft.

This advice goes for bowhunting especially, but if using a gun, then the principle is similar except you can forgo some of the brushing in because your shots will be longer and the deer can tolerate the blind when it's further off.

iSnipe

The most important piece of gear for a blind in my opinion is a very comfortable chair.

Take a piece of a metal coat hanger and make a large "S" hook . Hang it on one of the roof supports (assuming there are some) and hang your bow with a nocked arrow from it .

My experience last year is to either pack it in and out, or devise a way to lock it in place. Mine was stolen toward the end of the season. Other than that a good chair is a must. A five gallon bucket sux!

I typically build my blinds out of natural surroundings such as small diameter deadfalls. I construct them usually with 4 sides or at least a full triangle. It's much like building a log cabin of sorts using standing trees to interlock the sides for stability. I only go high enough so that when seated only my head and neck are exposed above the top. Some of my blinds are at least 6 foot square so I have som room to move, and kick back in the dark and await the rising sun. All of my constructing takes place in the Spring so that passing deer have ample time to become acustomed to the blind being there when Fall rolls in. I've had deer pass me me (no kidding) as close as 10 feet not yards and never knew I was there. One evening espeacially I had 7 does come off of the mountain,and I was perched with the rifle on the side of the blind just waiting for them to pass in the hopes of a buck following. All 7 ame straight towards me and by my left at 10 feet and were none the wiser. That in itself was as exciting for me as taking a deer.