[Dick4bows]

I just bought a shadow hunter blind. I have 2 places to put it. One is alongside a large bush in the middle of a grass field. The other is on the treeline of the same field. The blind will be erected in June. This should give the deer plenty of time to get used to it. Any comments?

 

[Sam Dunham]

I have done the same. I try to set them up so the deer will be upwind on the prevailing winds for that time of year. How about two different blinds Dick? Have one for each wind change and hunt depending.

 

[longrifle346]

Sam's got the right idea and now is a good time to start thinking about them, I commend you. IMO there's no such thing as having too many blinds in place when you can do so. I start scouting for spots and building natural blinds up almost immediately after the season. My popups wait til later, I'll do the actually setting just a few weeks before bow season, but usually I've already got spots cleared inside the edge of the brush line or thicket. I'll set those and brush them in a couple of months before the season.

I've got natural blinds out there that I've never sat in but one day....

 

[rusty craine]

I am a funnel hunter. Find the pinch points and set up far enough back not to bother them. I don't mind a shoot 20 to 30 yards. I am aiming and I know the distance ( I hunt with range finder).

 

[Dick4bows]

At $1500 a pop, one is my limit. I do have a natural blind on the other side of the field if the wind isn't right

 

[rusty craine]

I see what you mean. I had a lease at Lipan, TX. It was over a peanut field. When the field first stated, the bulldozed the field front one end making a big dam at the other. They started at the west side and went north to the middle. The started on the east side went north to the middle. left a cut right in the middle. 25 yards back was a big Texas live oak. That was my stand tree. Never had that good again.

I could only takes does by agreement but that didn't matter to me. The rancher gad lots of doe tags. .


It can get good at points over a feed field

 

[Larry Hatfield]

i would try to figure where the most traveled route is and make sure the blind is in front of the bush, not alongside. helps break up the outline.

 

[Dick4bows]

Larry,don't you think the deer know it's there no matter what? I left a tractor in themiddle of the same field. (Broke down) The deer avoided it for a couple of weeks and then would walk right by it. I agree that a well brushed blind really helps but it may not be possible here.

 

[Matt_Potter]

I see what you mean. I had a lease at Lipan, TX. It was over a peanut field. When the field first stated, the bulldozed the field front one end making a big dam at the other. They started at the west side and went north to the middle. The started on the east side went north to the middle. left a cut right in the middle. 25 yards back was a big Texas live oak. That was my stand tree. Never had that good again.

I could only takes does by agreement but that didn't matter to me. The rancher gad lots of doe tags. .

It can get good at pinch pilots over a feed field

Rusty my best stand is on a ridge top that got blasted by a micro burst. It took me three days of chain saw work to cut a path through after the burst. It was a good stand before now it's magic - if a buck travels that ridge I'm going to get a shot ;-). It's a nice skinny north south ridge so the wind is almost always right.

Dick

With only two blinds your going to need to be real careful about scent. Even if you don't see the deer over usage of a stand or blind will make the good bucks change their patterns

When I was hunting deer hard I had 15 tree stands and a pant load of natural blinds. My best bucks have all come from very lightly hunted stands.

 

[Sam Dunham]

Larry,don't you think the deer know it's there no matter what? I left a tractor in themiddle of the same field. (Broke down) The deer avoided it for a couple of weeks and then would walk right by it. I agree that a well brushed blind really helps but it may not be possible here.

Deer notice anything out of place. A treestand and deer will pick up on mostly movement. Drive a nail in the area above the treestand seat and hang a pair of old coveralls. Leave them there and the deer will get used to them.

 

[Redbone]

Something else to consider is where will the sun be during hunting season and at the time(s) you will be hunting. dusk or dawn.

Make sure you aren't getting blinded by the sun or the sun is reflecting off something that's in the blind, like your face.

I have abandoned my commercial ground blind for just a natural setup except for turkeys. Too claustrophobic for me and most critter sounds usually come from the windowless sides.