James B

Good question. I think if you set it up a week or two before season they will get used to it and pay no attention. I have parked my pickup right in plain view in my pasture and had them walk right up to it and sniff it. Sometimes I think curosity will get the best of them and they have to check it out. The next time they may just bolt instead. I can set in my hayloft with the little door open and they walk right up behind the barn never looking up at the door. I could get them with a spear if I wanted to.

Texas Hunter

I hunt out of ground blinds, I think the key is to set up early and give it
time to become part of the surroundings.

kevin1

Crashman ,
you could also have used nearby vegetation to further break up the out line of the blind by laying it against the sides or using the loops to hold it . Skyline Apparition is a poor choice for grassy areas . My Outhouse is in a pattern called Tangle that works well in woods or other cluttered backgrounds , but would stick out like a sore thumb against grass .

loner

it is all about deer getting used to it' s location.i have had one in this spot going on 2 years.i have been watching deer feeding on persimmons 75 yards away for last 3 weeks.i have had turkeys within 40 yards. http://www.hunt101.com/img/059718.JPG

benhuntin

I know mine did. When I first got it i thought I could just set that camo wonder on the edge of the field and I would just dissappear. Wrong. Deer saw that thing from 75 yards away. I finally set it back in the brush some and that helped. Ive had much better luck with plain burlap material and camo netting. I think the shape of some of those new ground blinds looks to unnatural to the deer and the camo patterns dont break them up enough. I think the reason the bull blind works so well is because of the shape and the more outline breaking camo pattern.

kevin1

I think that break up is important , but you can' t underestimate the effect of backdrop . The shape of the blind becomes irrelevant if the deer can' t distiguish it from the surroundings . Most of the blinds that I' ve seen were square , and the folks hunting from them seem to still do well . Become part of the backdrop and deer will go down .

formula1

I don' t know if I' ve done more blind hunting than most, I just know that in my past two clubs, I blind hunted more than anyone by far. I was also more successful at it than my comparable tree stand conterparts. I' ve used homemade blinds (4' x4' x4' ) with camo fabric from WallyWorld and I' ve used the portable kind. Let me offer my suggestions, but please interpret them for your use, as they may not exactly fit your situation.

1) If you use blinds without a lot of cover, put them out early ( 2 months before season at least) so deer get used to them.

2) When possible use cover to break up the outline of the blind. If you can' t use the cover, then camo it with vegetation from the area (i.e. take some grass and sticks and tape it to the blind or lean it against the blind).

3) Always sit in the shadow of the blind and use a face mask and gloves. Your face will stand out, even in the shadows.

4) If you' re in thick cover, set up your shooting lanes so you have two in each direction you plan to watch, one to see the deer, the other to shoot it in. This really works well in dense bedding areas, but be careful not to disturb the vegetation too much, and do it as early as possible.

5) I don' t recommend going to a new spot, putting down the portable blind and hunting it right away, unless you can insure you are well hidden from deer activity. It' s been my experience that deer just ' know' something in the area has changed, so they' ll usually find you! Timing and cover are the keys to your setup.

Good hunting! Blind hunting to me is the most exciting way to hunt. You can really get them up close and personal!

bassn81

My dad just bought a small single person ground blind. My question is, how on earth do you watch all of your surroundings with one. Do you find alot of
" dead spots" ?

formula1

Bassn81:

I do one of two things:

1) I hunt with area behind me that I don' t intend to watch. I' ve found I can still get a pretty full view...say 270-300 degrees. Most blinds have large enough windows that you get a full view for the most part. I don' t really notice ' deadspots' , although if you happen not to be looking a particular direction at a particular time, those deer can slip up on you fast from that direction.

2) I use a 360 degree swivel seat to look in all directions.

burniegoeasily

It all depends on if the blind was new to the area when you hunted or had been there for a while. I have shot deer out of a ground blind with my bow. I find areas that have natural cover and just add to them to suit my situation. If you fabricate or build something the deer are not use to seeing in that area it will spook them. They probably didnt see you, just saw an unusual mound of something they were not use to. Most deer will be safe than sorry.

As some have mentioned here, Crouching in a field is usually better. I have shot deer within 10 yards of me simply crouching in tall grass.

Also, it is a little early (or at least in these parts) to start rattling. Most deer are on a feeding cycle, not crazy because of the rut.