If you consider using a ground blind for bowhunting, this consideration has likely left you to ponder various quandaries regarding how to do so efficiently. This is completely understandable, as a hunting blind’s use generally requires a level of foresight to achieve success.
Utilizing a hunting blind within your deer hunting strategy is an excellent way to vary your hunting routine, and achieve new levels of success that you might not have otherwise believed to be possible.
At a Glance: The Best Ground Blinds for Bow Hunting
A ground blind allows a hunter to position themselves in areas that lack a tree of the right proportions for adequate stand placement, all the while staying completely concealed.
The most important element of ground blind success is ample planning. In order to achieve success, you must first determine where the blind is to be placed, how it is to be prepared, and what you must do to hunt out of it in the most efficient way possible.
Although this might sound complex, with careful attention to detail, you too can experience ground blind deer hunting success.
Barronett Blinds Big Cat Pop Up Portable Hunting Blind
Ameristep Care Taker Kick Out Pop-Up Ground Blind
Barronett Blinds GR351BT Grounder 350
Knowing Where To Set Up Your Hunting Blind?
Perhaps the most important consideration to make when bow hunting from a ground blind is understanding deer movement within the area you hunt.
This understanding greatly influences the placement of your blind and how you choose to hunt from it. After all, you cannot successfully harvest a deer if you are not hunting where they are.
Deer are generally creatures of habit. They conduct themselves as necessary on a daily basis in order to facilitate survival. These patterns typically revolve around obtaining adequate sources of food and water, bedding in dense cover for safety, and avoiding predators.
Your goal is to scout sufficiently to become familiar with how deer in an area travel to and from their feeding and bedding cover, as they seek to avoid interaction with anything they perceive as danger.
This is best accomplished by scouting from a distance in order to locate prime feeding areas. Once these locations are found, you can observe which direction deer travel as they enter and exit these areas.
This will allow you to deduce the probable location of nearby bedding areas. Your suspicions can be confirmed through the use of trail cameras to monitor trails associated with this route, allowing you to choose where along the travel corridor your blind should be located.
When Should You Set Up Your Ground Blind For Bowhunting
Under ideal circumstances, you would want to set your blind up as much in advance of the season as possible. This allows deer to become accustomed to its presence, thus eliminating any reluctance that they might have toward it.
Oftentimes, two to three weeks is an adequate amount of time for deer to become acquainted with this new feature within their habitat.
If season has already begun when you seek to place your blind, it is important to position the blind in a manner that makes it as inconspicuous as possible.
This means ground blind placement should be reserved for areas featuring ample cover, and it is imperative that you brush your blind to the best of your ability.
Camouflage Your Hunting Blind?
This leads us to our next point of concern. In order to maximize your ground blind deer hunting success, you must camouflage your blind (read.. recommended hunting face mask) as efficiently as possible.
This is best accomplished with the use of natural materials present at the site. If at all possible, place your blind in a location that already features some form of natural cover, such as a brushy fencerow or wooded field edge. If that is not possible make sure to use a blind that utilizes a good camo pattern.
The presence of a natural cover will assist in blending your blind into its surroundings. Additionally, the brush can be cut to assist in breaking up your blind’s outline.
Read our review of the Ameristep Element Hunting Blind here
By cutting small saplings and swaths of native grass, and placing them around the exterior of your blind in a concealing manner, you are better able to remain undetected and reduce the amount of time that it takes for deer to become comfortable with its presence.
For more tips and tricks on setting up a blind, watch this video.
What About Human Scent And Sun?
Even after your blind is set and camouflaged, you still must take proper precautions to ensure that you do not alert deer of your presence while hunting. The single biggest factor to consider is your human scent.
Deer have extremely sensitive noses and will readily pick out a hunter by their scent (read.. perfect portable ozone generator for hunting). For this reason, it is of the utmost importance to wash all clothing in scent-free detergents, shower in scent-free body wash and use a quality scent elimination spray when going afield.
You must also consider how deer perceive your human form while in the blind. Sun shining inside of a blind’s window can quickly give away a hunter’s presence.
Although standard hunting camouflage will typically do the job quite well, many hunters have begun opting for black color clothing in order to blend in with the dark interior of their blinds.
Additionally, the use of a camo facemask or face paint is advised, as this cuts down the natural glare emitted from a hunter’s face.
Visibility And Shooting Lanes?
As a general rule, your ground blinds will be of little use if you cannot see out of it or achieve sufficient clearance to place a shot. For this reason, after setting up your blind, it is imperative to sit inside your ground blind, as you would when hunting, to gauge what brush must be trimmed. Also, ensure that you have enough window openings.
Maybe it´s also a good idea to try if you have enough room to draw your bow or aim properly with your crossbow…
The bottom line is: if any obstructions in the field of view or shot window are found, they must be removed at this time. This alleviates the need for trimming when you are attempting to hunt.
Avoid Letting The Deer Pattern You
Deer are naturally cautious and do not respond well to human pressure. For this reason, you must be diligent in remaining undetected as you travel to and from your ground blind.
When hunting in the morning, it is important to allow yourself plenty of time to walk to your blind under the cover of darkness.
This limits the amount of deer that will become aware of your arrival. Likewise, when hunting in the afternoon, strive to arrive at your blind at least an hour before you expect deer to travel through the area.
It is also worth noting that you should take your time when traveling to and from your blind. This will cut down on unnecessary noise and prevent sweat-inducing body heat that leads to excessive human odor.
Additionally, if you do spook deer as you journey to your blind, it will likely be time to rest that location for a few days. If you do not over hunt your blind, deer are less likely to pattern your intrusions.
Knowing Where And How To Set Up Your Blind
When setting up your blind for bow hunting, you will utilize the aforementioned preseason scouting to determine its placement. Once a travel corridor between feed and bedding locations is discovered, you can set your blind up in the nearest natural cover that is within shooting distance of the trail.
When securing your blind in place, ensure that all ground stakes are fully engaged in the ground, as this prevents a stiff gust of wind from sending your blind airborne.
Some blinds are also equipped with additional tie-down ropes. They are to be secured to their points of contact and tied in a sufficient manner to prevent unintended release.
Most modern blinds are fashioned in a way that makes them naturally weather-resistant. However, it can be helpful to spray your blind down with a silicon-based tent weather sealant.
This will assist in keeping you dry on even the rainiest days. If at all possible, conduct this weatherproofing chore well in advance of the season and allow your blind to air out, as to minimize the scent imparted by this procedure.
Ground Blind Hunting Success
Ground blinds are a wonderful tool for today’s hunter. Through their use, an individual can maximize their efficiency and capitalize on the opportunities that they might not have otherwise had.
By scouting in advance of the season, efficiently placing your blind, and being strategic when hunting from your blind, you will likely be well on your way to filling your tags this season. If you plan to hunt in more demanding weather conditions, make sure to bring along a sufficient ground blind heater system.
As always, feel free to leave any comments that you might have, as we appreciate any feedback from our readers.
FAQ (People Also Ask)
Do Ground Blinds Spook Deer?
The simple answer to this question is a resounding no if all proper precautions have been taken. If a blind is half-heartedly placed the day before season, deer movement will likely be negatively impacted.
However, if a blind is placed in a predetermined location well in advance of the season, and brushed into the best of your ability, deer will accept its presence as a natural part of their environment.
Do You Have To Brush In A Ground Blind?
Brushing in ground blinds is highly advised. This reduces a deer’s reluctance toward this new addition to their environment and shortens the length of time that it takes for deer to become accustomed to its presence.
While a blind could certainly be placed without brushing it in, less than favorable results would likely follow.
What Are The Best Ground Blinds For Deer Hunting?
It is best to select a ground blind based on your personal needs. We, as bowhunters will likely benefit from the extra room for drawing your bow that a larger diameter blind provides. My personal preference for a ground blind is the Primos Double Bull Deluxe Ground Blind. You can check out the primos double bull here.
This is simply because its 60”x60” dimensions allow me more than enough space to comfortably draw my bow and execute a shot in virtually any scenario.
How Do You Bow Hunt Deer From Ground Blinds?
To bow hunt deer from a ground blind, you scout the area that you will be hunting to establish knowledge of the travel corridors that deer are using. You will then place your blind within shooting distance of a viable trail in this travel corridor, and brush it to the best of your ability, thus breaking up its outline.
From this point, you will hunt from your blind in a strategic manner, to prevent deer from becoming wise to your presence.
