Anyone hunt with ground blinds for deer and are they just as effective as treestands and are they easy to setup??? Any help is appreciated
For bow hunting I only did a few times as a kid but sometimes still do for gun hunting. But when I first started bow hunting I would hide in the brush at the corner of 2 trails and manipulated the brush so I had a shooting lane on each trail. Other times I would use a topped tree as a blind and just add branches and leaves to the front to conceal myself. Hunting from a tree stand is where it's at for bow hunting in my opinion. I hunt from both the ground and a tree for gun hunting and the only reason I sometimes hunt from the ground during gun season is because you can shoot from a much longer distance and don't necessarily need to be in a tree.
I'm sitting in a ground blind right now that I put up today. It's worked in the past i just haven't seen a deer yet haha Sent from iPhone
The "Hub" type blinds are real easy to set up. I like the "Big Mike" Blind by Barronet and Ameristep makes easy to set up blinds also. - Best of luck to you.
Most all ground blinds are extremely easy to set up however I prefer to hunt from a tree stand. I have used a ground blind during inclement weather but I would rather put on a ghillie suit and do spot and stalk if I were to hunt from the ground.
Its more for the portability for me because I want to hunt in my own town also at my private land up at my camp about an hour away. I might buy a couple of tree-stands with sticks later on for up at the camp and have 2 ground blinds for around here all I no is ground blinds seem more portable and they get the job done.
You will be able to see more from a tree stand, that said, you will also be more visible. I just dont like looking through a tiny hole all day.
Shot 3 deer out I ground blinds between me and my buddy last year. Gotta know how to hunt to do so (scent, wind, deets habits, etc etc)
IMO you will shoot more deer from a tree stand. You will see farther, have more shooting lanes, youll have better scent control and you'll see more deer. Almost everyone I know that has started in a blind eventually realizes they need to be in a tree. I know 2 guys that use blinds. They are both older and just dont feel safe in a tree. They don't get as many shots or see as many deer and they get busted much easier. That being said every now and then they will shoot a deer. If I'm bowhunting Im in a tree. Period. If you pick the right tree you will not be out in the open. Do what you feel most confident with. If you have the right spot, wind, scent control, etc the ground blind should work. My advice is to use a tree stand. Either way be safe and good luck.
How would you be able to have more scent control in a tree stand? Your exposed to the wind way more. In a ground blind you normally position it to where you have your back closed which eliminates air flow. Ive had deer inches away from my window and never smell me. I am personally a huge fan of ground blinds and hunt out of them more then tree stands. I've also been busted in tree stands and can't think of any time ive ever been busted in hunting in a ground blind.
] This saturday i setup a 2nd ground blind on my MD. property. I didnt have time to trim shooting lanes so i took some pictures from each window i have open ( total of 4 which is my front half of hte blind) to see what i need to cut. the back of the blind is closed up and nestled in small patch of trees surrounded by brush. I have a 180 degree view from my blinds.
No doubt if there are no trees for a stand than I blind is the only way DOGFISH...IMO if I'm 20 feet off the floor there's less of a chance for my scent to be picked up. Obviously it depends on wind and other factors but bottom line is I'm 20 feet off the ground. I'm more confident that my scent is less likely to be picked up compared to sitting on the ground. The op said he liked the mobility of a ground blind so I'm guessing he will be moving around alot. If a blind is set up early enough for deer to get used to it that's one thing. If it's just thrown up and hunted they are more likely to notice it. I'm no expert in ground blinds but I know deer will pick up on the smallest changes in there surroundings. There much less likely to look up. I'm not saying that they won't. Just more likely to pick it up on the ground on there level. I mostly hunt out of hang ons in trees with good cover. Trust me I'm not out in the open. How do you position your blind to where the back is closed? Are you hunting along a cliff or a hill? I don't see how it will eliminate air flow either way. Your scent will just funnel along. A climber in a bare tree in open woods....ok maybe you'll get visually picked out. But if you put your stand in a tree with good cover you shouldn't have a problem with getting busted. I Know alot of bowhunters and 95% of them hunt from a tree stand. The ones that use blinds are older or in bad shape and that's the only reason they use blinds. My buddie hunted out of a blind his first 2 years with a bow. He said it cost him alot of deer. Once he got off the ground. He shot more deer. This is obviously just my opinion but I think most will agree. You have a better shot at killing a white tail from a tree than on the ground. please don't take it personal I just feel strongly that to kill a deer especially a mature buck you have a better chance if you get off the ground and into a tree.
I hunt in the middle of a felled oak tree. I added a few more branches to the front to conceal my movements and pruned anything sticking up that an arrow might hit. Works great.
I use a ground blind. I use it for deer, turkey, pig hunting. Its versatile and it gives me more freedom to move and I can relax while spending time waiting. On a side note. Once while squirrel hunting I was sitting waiting on a bushy tail to show himself and a deer pops out from some thicket about 75 yrds out. It's. Feeding on fallen oak leaves and slowly feeding its way to me. At 10 yrds out im thinking how long before. It notices me! I sit still, he keeps coming! I had my 410 laying across my lap, he got so close he actually. Sniffed the end of the barrel. Of my shotgun! I have spent alotof time in the woods, both on the ground and in a tree. Never in my 25yrs of hunting have I met a deer face to face up in a tree! You can be in a tree or you can live on the ground!
I definitely prefer to be off the ground but I do like ground blind hunting as well. I have shot some deer from them and actually around here you can see more from the ground than the air. I don't have big open hardwood ridges etc........to hunt. YOu just have to make sure they are brushed in really good. I too love to have mine out about a month before I hunt. You can get away with using one sooner but you better have it hidden really well.....You to have to worry about your scent more from the ground....
Ive had countless times that i could poke a deer with a arrow they were so close while in a ground blind
