Does a ground blind spook deer?
 

Hey guys, I was out bowhunting last night next to my food plot, and I had a doe and two fawns come out. I was sitting in my ground blind, the wind was in my favour, however, when the deer came out (they saw me before I saw them) the doe was spooked by the ground blind. It wasn' t long and they were outta there!! My ground blind was positioned across a small ditch and in some long marsh grass, but in relatively open cover. This was the first time I have ever used my ground blind for hunting deer and was rather discouraged. Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

RE: Does a ground blind spook deer?
 

Hi,
You' re better off crouching down in the grass than using a ground blind. The problem is that you don' t have a backdrop behind you so the blind is standing out. If it were up against a hill or even dense cover it would blend in. Is there a treeline or brushline close by that you could set up against? Is the color of the blind the same as the grass or is it a woods camo pattern?

All the deer see is the top of the blind standing out against the skyline, just as a hunter would, so the blind is not accomplishing anything. The purpose of a blind is to set it up against a backdrop of cover that is the same color so that is conceals you. Hope that helps.
Good Luck this season!
Mark
http://www.buckhuntersecrets.com

RE: Does a ground blind spook deer?
 

This last season I had a doe stick her head in the
window of my Penthouse Blind my partner at that
time was in a tree stand and could not belive that
she did that,maybe something else spooked her!:D

RE: Does a ground blind spook deer?
 

Just curious if the fawns still had their spots? The reason I ask is that any doe that has late fawns still nursing will be much more alert at times. This is a year of very many late fawns, atleast it is here. ....so be aware to that fact please! If it is later in the season and a Matriarch doe is leading, she will also alert if she scents that you are there, more than likely she will always be the first to alert if in a group which is very common this time of year. The hormones are ticking for does and bucks alike, getting ready to go.... You may want to use a natural ground blind if your hunting area allows...ie: deadfalls etc. I have always in the past found deadfalls to be most excellent and effective ground blinds.:)

RE: Does a ground blind spook deer?
 

Every deer experience is different. I had deer bed down right next to my ground blind. I jumped then while arriving. Just when you think you got them figured out they throw you a curve. Two years ago I had a button buck come by my stand almost every morning. He would come off the corn field and always look my way to see if I was there, like to say good morning.Then he would move on

RE: Does a ground blind spook deer?
 

My friend you will have that from time to time, and it is a good thing. I think that you have it happen more often because they know you do not have a red door, and you respect them, meaning that you respect the deer. !!! [:-]:D;)

RE: Does a ground blind spook deer?
 

Just curious, how many days had your ground blind been in position? If it was just a day or so, then that may be your problem.

RE: Does a ground blind spook deer?
 

You didn' t say what type of ground blind it was , but it is essential to make sure that your blind becomes part of it' s backdrop . Deer will quickly notice anything that stands out , or wasn' t there before . I use a pop-up , and I haven' t had any spook whether I set it up a minute ago or the day before .

I' m very careful when setting up to inspect the set up from every direction to see whether I can spot it easily . We have much more complex vision than deer , especially color , so if I have trouble seeing it so will they . Remember to take a distant background into account , it also helps to break up your outline at ground level . Lack of break up was probably what got you .

RE: Does a ground blind spook deer?
 

Thanks for all the helpful advice guys. I was using a pop up blind made by hunter' s view. It is skyline apparition camo, however the camo seems quite dark, I probably did not have a good match with the marsh grass. I carry the blind with me and set it up each use, so maybe that also spooked her. I also find the deer in my area are super high strung, we own 106 acres that is 700 feet wide and a little over a mile long. The other land owners all just want to shoot their deer and are not interested in any type of QDM. I find this type of pressure is hard to deal with, but it is all I' ve got for now. Anyhow, thanks again, and I will keep you posted with how I make out.

RE: Does a ground blind spook deer?
 

I would have to say you had a background problem.I had a doe last season spot me at over a 100 yards.Had it set up next to a tree but not well hidden.

RE: Does a ground blind spook deer?
 

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.

RE: Does a ground blind spook deer?
 

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.

RE: Does a ground blind spook deer?
 

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 .

RE: Does a ground blind spook deer?
 

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

RE: Does a ground blind spook deer?
 

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.

RE: Does a ground blind spook deer?
 

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 .

RE: Does a ground blind spook deer?
 

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!

RE: Does a ground blind spook deer?
 

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" ?

RE: Does a ground blind spook deer?
 

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.

RE: Does a ground blind spook deer?
 

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.