[12-Ringer]

 

[12-Ringer]

Compare to a couple of Mavericks....this is on 4' elevated platform...trying to neutralize a bit of the disadvantage.

 

[BarrieBowHunter]

I've killed probably 90% of my deer (mostly bucks and mostly 135-175 gross) with rifle from a blind over the last 20-23yrs and I think 100% of my bow deer. I have messed with Rhino, Muddy, various Barronett, Bog, Ameristep and I think some other brand, I keep coming back to Barronett's. I talked extensively to a Barronett rep at the Deer and Turkey Expo last year and when we got to camo patterns I can tell you that it really doesn't matter in the end, I'm pretty sure you can make them hot pink and if they are set there for 1 week the deer will get used to them, it is just in the hunter's mind. I have had disabled people get 15-25yd shot opportunities, kids take their deer after a couple sits, friends borrow my spots for bow, rifle and muzzy usually with shot opportunities, daughter #1 and I doubled on fall turkeys 30sec apart using the same single shot .410 with 15-20yd shots.
That being said blinds are not for every person and every situation but to start a thread to bash a technique is a little silly. It is a different mentality and takes a little different planning, if you are making contact with a bow or crossbow I hate to tell you it is not the blinds fault.
For those new to blinds or want a little advise on size and setup here is what I found works for 1 adult, 2 adults, 2 adults with one wheelchair, 1 adult with 1 kid, 1 adult with 2 kids (this will sound like a Barronett advertisement but it's just what works best for me). Outside of vertical bow hunting everything else had a Bog Pod Tripod in the blind too. Keep in mind I'm 6'1" 225lbs
Grounder 250 - Fair Price, good space hub to hub and floor space, decent window setup with a little experimenting. Not good for 1 adult 2 kids, anything more than one person is doable
Grounder 350 - just a little bigger than the 250
Big Mike - Kind of expensive for what you get. I'm not a fan myself but it does work for a couple people, for the floor space and hub to hub it's a little tight and the tall height (designed for standing to shoot a bow which I'm too tall) makes it catch too much wind, center windows are hard or impossible to use sitting in a low chair so have to use corner windows which is fine if you understand that.
Radar - more price minded usually and just a little to small for my liking for almost everything
Big Cat - Been seeing them on sale for under $200. Tons of room from hub to hub, floor and tall to where I can stand straight up int he middle. Downside center windows are hard to impossible to use sitting in a low chair so have to use corner windows usually, tall so stake it in really tight for wind.
Feather 5 - 5 sided blind, can unzip one full side to flip it up if need be (good for wheelchairs), not overly tall but good enough height, plenty of room for me and my 2 daughters so much so this spring I had to move the .410 and tripod around to get on a turkey from the front to the back with all of us in there and daughter got a shot. For the size it's not that heavy. I like the window layout as of now but I haven't spent as much time in these vs others
Muddy Infinity - Decent blind for the money especially on sale. Fabric quality is not as good as the Barronett's I've had but I patch them just the same. Ok window setup and can fit 2 people with 1 wheelchair and Bog Pod decent but it gets tight. Spare backup blind for me
Rhino - Similar to the Muddy for the money it's ok and is a spare backup for me
Bog Grave Digger Blind - Got on sale for half price, heavy 600 denier fabric, seems big at first but its a 3 sided blind so it gets tight quick with 1 daughter, tripod and me in there. Noiseless plastic zipper works good, noiseless sliding window mesh and solid fabric work good for the most part. For a solo lanky bow hunter it might be the best but I have only rifle hunted out of it so far.

 

[BarrieBowHunter]

Compare to a couple of Mavericks....this is on 4' elevated platform...trying to neutralize a bit of the disadvantage.

View attachment 8390077

Little tip I have done from time to time is take some black electrical tape to the fabric on the poles to clean up the visual and depending on how much fabric sticks out pick up and extra half inch on each side. It's probably more in my head though .

 

[little buddy]

I don't like being I n a pop up blind but i do love hunting from a natural ground blind. I usually can find a large fallen oak or some other natural feature that can be used as a blind. I've had some pretty good luck hunting this way.

 

[BarrieBowHunter]

Another nice thing is I am yet to fall more than 24 inches if I fall asleep in a blind

 

[Pray4draws]

Can't glass or see 100-200 yards away. Grunt in a buck. Make a decision way before he gets to me. No thx.

 

[BarrieBowHunter]

Can't glass or see 100-200 yards away. Grunt in a buck. Make a decision way before he gets to me. No thx.

If you open the window it helps.
Some of my spots I range a tree or wood edge anywhere from 100-400yds away heck when the kids and I are turkey hunting in the spring in Western ND we were glassing 800+ yards into areas from the comfort of the blind. If a buck wants to respond I have grunted or rattled a few different bucks from 200-300yds that were on the other side of the swamp or through the trees where I didn't see him before then came on a string. Some of the woods I hunt are so thick you aren't seeing 100yds if you get more than 10-15ft up anyways so it becomes a horse a piece.

 

[deadquiet]

I've killed probably 90% of my deer (mostly bucks and mostly 135-175 gross) with rifle from a blind over the last 20-23yrs and I think 100% of my bow deer.

That's where you hunt or pay to hunt........not what you hunt from. Unless it's S TX and then you don't have many options unless you use a tripod.

 

[WMU]

Definitely NOT my preference, but they have their purpose. The best two buck in PA I've ever been able to actually release an arrow on have come from a ground blind, both in the 150" class and I missed both times? That is just plain crazy for me...but we have this cooridor on propety that funnels and seems to hold the highest caliber buck on our property every year and there is no good way to hunt if from a stand...so....insert a blind.

I don't have nearly as much experience in one and chalk up those misses to that inexperience...worrying more about window clearance, movement in the blind with a mature buck 25 yards away, etc...than focusing at the details of the shot.

In my humble opinion the two most significant disadvantages of a blind are uniquely intertwined, the hunter's inability to detect game at what I often refer to as 'safe distances' and battling the deer's senses inside the kill zone on their level. It obviously depends on your particular set, but in my experience far to often when in a blind deer end up on top of you before you realize it, forcing the hunter to get into appropriate position typically involving, movement, sound, etc...all with a target animal in extremely close range....this happens FAR less while in a stand simply because you can spot them at a greater distance and choose most appropriate opportunities to position yourself.

I did invest in a TideWe VisMax 3-4 person in 300D material and I can say it is an entirely different blind hunting experience. Not saying its remotely close to being in a stand, but at least you can see all around and depending on the particular set, that can make an extraordinary difference.

A few pics from my Pop at 7AM EST on 10/6 in Potter Co. PA.....

My son bought bought the same setup two weeks ago. It's a hotel...lol. But it's a game changer. The see thru system is amazing.
I bought two pursuit hub style pop-ups from Bass/Cabela's a month ago. Not the see thru system but these are very nice Pop-ups for $80 a piece.
I'm getting more away from tree stands and staying on the ground more and having the ease and versatility of being mobile quickly.

 

[12-Ringer]

My goto has always been the Barronett Blind, but only the OX series.....I still believe these blinds represent the best bang for your buck in the blind industry...they have features and materials usually found only blinds 2x their price point. I took a big hit when I did sxs comparisons with my Apex blinds, but we are supposed to be archers helping archers and I'm not a sell out....the OX series blinds from Barronett are tough as nails, from the hubs and rods, to material and tie-down loops. The windows are well thought out from height and width to adjustability. We have several that have been left afield for 3 years (seems to be the limit) wihtout fail. In the winter moths we do install a custom PVC support pole on the center hub to help combat collapse from snow and it has proven to be very efficient in that manner. The OX4 and 5 aren't the kind you want to be hauling around too much, they're not light, but very easy to set-up and break down, water-tight even in some pretty bad downpours. Although hunting from a blind is not my preference, when I do the OX-series from Barronett is still my go to.

I do agree with WMY the TidWe VisMax 3-4 person is HUGE, plenty of room to stretch out, store gear, cameras, kids, partners. It's is lighter than the aforementions OX series and offers the advantage of the see through material. However, in my humble opnion, the windows are not low enough. I am 5'10" and sitting on an a standard chair the bottom edge of the window seems to be right in my flight path. If I sit any blind chair shorter than standard height (17"-18") its even more problematic. Its certainly navigatabe, but it is one more thinng to be thinking about when you should be focused on making the shot.

 

[Dickenscpa]

If I could put a big enough ground blind out that I could easily shoot a bow from I'm not adverse to it. There's no way I could put one out and it still be there 2 days later. I also don't really have a spot that I'm gonna hunt right there every time.

I'm certainly not gonna drag one in and out every time.

For me to employ a ground blind I would have to have a spot on my property that I hunted a lot and I lived on that property so it didn't walk off.

 

[MNarrow]

Hunted from a blind on Tuesday night for the first time in about 10 years. Only reason was I was taking my 7 year old son for the first time along with my wife. It is a Barronett Ox 5. Really nice blind but I would much prefer to be in a tree. But bringing kids with you, this was the ticket.

 

[Old Loggy]

Sounds like you just need to quit using small blinds. View attachment 8390058
View attachment 8390059

Is that a Bible your reading?

 

[Corbin Rowe]

I tried one about 10yrs ago. Set in it twice and traded it for taxidermy work. I hated it.

 

[CTXtradman]

I’ve been bow and crossbow hunting for 19 years and have shot a few deer a year for the last 15 years.

I’ve gotten like 50% from tree or ladder stands, like 40% still hunting, and maybe 10% from a blind either wood or a popup.

I just don’t care for being enclosed and having to worry about where my limbs are so much and taking awkward sitting or kneeling shots. I also like the view from elevation a lot more.

They’re convenient especially in bad weather but I just don’t enjoy it as much and struggle being enclosed. I thought I was good today but wacked my top cam on the roof pole and shot under a doe shooting awkwardly with my son in the blind with me.

Ground blinds are not all created equal you have to do your research on how tall your blind is, how long your bow is, how tall your seat makes you sit, where your top cam, limbs are in the seated position at full draw in the blind ect. I assure you there is plenty of room if you pick the right one. Sounds like you have had some bad experiences due to improper blind to hunter fitment. I prefer to be in a tree some days and some days in a ground blind. Comfort and concealment is so much easier in a blind than in a tree depending on other factors but not always. I had to learn all of this traditional bow hunting from a ground blind my first season. I chose a blind that worked for my recurve and this year when I setup a new blind I chose one that worked with my compound. A bit of measuring was done prior to insure proper fitment. I have since hunted from it and it all worked out. Good luck this year. I hope you get a good deer.

 

[SRS1990]

I’ll never hunt a blind, I’m not disabled nor a child. If it’s not bare ground or in a tree it ain’t happening for me. Mostly bc I don’t hunt private it’s not worth lugging a blind onto public, and also it just doesn’t feel like hunting. Even as a kid I’d ask my dad why we aren’t in a tree.