Use Promo Code Randy for 20% off OutdoorClass

Hunting Blinds

WyoDoug

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 8, 2019
Messages
3,517
Location
Cheyenne, Wyoming
Well, I bought me a cheap hay bale hunting blind used and got two herds approach within 25 yards when antelope hunting. The problem I had is the blind was so tiny inside that I could not come to full draw. It also was solid on the backside and any hunter I know will tell you when hunting from a blind is you need to watch your back side too. It was also so flimpsy that a 20 mph breeze kept blowing the side in. Colors were awful and DID NOT match the pattern you would expect out of a hay bale even when it's freshly cut. It also made a bunch of noise when the wind was blowing.

What do you that hunt from blinds use? What is your recommendation? I am looking for a roomy hunting blind with natural colors with windows all the way around. It should be easy and fast to set up and take down.
 
Not directly applicable but I like hub style blinds. They give you extra room with the way they pull out. I currently have an ameristep I bought at Walmart for $100. For deer I always try to tie fresh cut limbs or gather up bundles of grass to "brush it in". I would assume sage bundles would work too. They have a variety of windows with netting to take down or adjust to each situation. I would assume that could be made to work in antelope country but making it blend in with stuff attached will be key I would guess. They come in a bag with a shoulder sling to carry.
 
If I were to buy a blind today it'd prob be the new Surround View ones. Not sure how it's work in direct sun for a goat hunt but being able to see through would be so nice. The price is pretty steep.
 
I hate collapsible blinds for all the reasons you stated. Plus they're hot. I build my own on site with whatever natural materials are available.
 
A friend of mine went guided in eastern Wyoming for antelope. His "blind" was a small seat attached to the legs of a windmill. His feet were no more than 6 feet above the water surface. The guide told him that antelope never perceive danger from "above". Perhaps OP gives you some hay bale elevation opportunity?

He got his first antelope on day 2
 
The terrain I am looking at is flat rolling hills with natural vegetation about 1 foot high and no trees. The hay bales I am talking about is about ten 60# bales that the base natural resources department put out. For hay bales to work, it needs to be a lot of bales or atleast 20-30 bales per location. Whoever put these out to use as blinds had NO CLUE how to hunt antelope. I think they were either nonhunters or at least not bow hunters.
 
Being from TX I have hunted a lot from blinds ranging from $3k builds nicer than my first apartment down to cheap $50 pop ups.
I’ve killed a lot of animals from the cheap pop ups.
Some of my observations and beliefs.
1. You notice the wind and noise of the blind more than the animals.
2. Keep back window closed, side windows just big enough to peek through and front big enough for whatever weapon you are using. The darker it is inside the blind the better.
3. Wear dark upper layers.
4. Have as comfortable a chair as you can pack in.
5. Try to shoot your bow or rifle out of it some prior to season. At the very least draw your bow or set up behind your rifle some. At this point I know my setups and what works. First few years I practiced out of the blinds.
6. Bring a book or smart phone to kill the time with. I get super bored after about a hour. Hence why I still hunt more and getting into western hunting.

In the old days I would leave all the windows open and would get busted every sit. Now I have animals walk close enough to poke with a arrow. Even had a beef cow stick her head in once.
 
Being from TX I have hunted a lot from blinds ranging from $3k builds nicer than my first apartment down to cheap $50 pop ups.
I’ve killed a lot of animals from the cheap pop ups.
Some of my observations and beliefs.
1. You notice the wind and noise of the blind more than the animals.
2. Keep back window closed, side windows just big enough to peek through and front big enough for whatever weapon you are using. The darker it is inside the blind the better.
3. Wear dark upper layers.
4. Have as comfortable a chair as you can pack in.
5. Try to shoot your bow or rifle out of it some prior to season. At the very least draw your bow or set up behind your rifle some. At this point I know my setups and what works. First few years I practiced out of the blinds.
6. Bring a book or smart phone to kill the time with. I get super bored after about a hour. Hence why I still hunt more and getting into western hunting.

In the old days I would leave all the windows open and would get busted every sit. Now I have animals walk close enough to poke with a arrow. Even had a beef cow stick her head in once.

You kinda detailed what I am looking for, but I need peep windows in the back I can view from a chair. I am also looking for shoot through fabric as I had antelope approach within 25 yards but the blind I had was so cramped I could not come to full draw without making so much noise that I spooked both herds.

What I am currently considering is: https://masteroftheoutdoors.com/ameristep-bone-collector-hunting-blind/

But, I am hoping those who are experienced with these popup blinds can clue me in on good ones. I will not be packing these in. If I did that, I would go to where I can use natural vegetation to build one. I am hunting on fairly flat land with no tall vegetation and I noticed with the cheap blind I had that antelpe and a deer approached it less than 25 yards in a relaxed posture and grazed right in front of me. So now I need a good blind I can popup before dawn and take down at dusk or when I am done hunting.
 
Doug, either look at two or three man hub style blinds or angle your regular blinds to give you room to draw. When I bow hunted I turned my pop ups so they wouldn’t be squared into my shooting lane.
Most should have see through fabric and a window in the back you can peep out of.
I don’t know what brands I have because I buy the cheapest I can find. I loose one or two a year to cattle or high winds.
 
I got an insurance check a few years back from a hail storm and got to replace my deck. I kept all the wood, and this summer we built this permanent blind and placed it at a waterhole on a friends ranch. I bolted a trail cam right to the front of it and two others pointing to each end of the water. The night we put the blind in place there were elk sticking their heads right into it and a pretty steady stream of critters since then. Gonna give it a try this weekend and see if we can get it done. Since these pics were taken we got a bunch of black curtains hung all the way around where we can adjust the shooting lanes as needed. Thought about painting it camo, or brushing it in, but the elk don't seem to be spooked by it at all...so why bother. I think it is going to come down to sitting it on the right night with the right wind and it will work. If it doesn't maybe we will just sell lemonade out of it.

Also have 3 more traditional hub blinds at different waters sources as well... those seem to work well for us, but they are pretty good ones with lots of room for one person.
 

Attachments

  • 55424.jpeg
    55424.jpeg
    191.7 KB · Views: 12
  • Screenshot_20190816-153717_Gallery.jpg
    Screenshot_20190816-153717_Gallery.jpg
    949.4 KB · Views: 14
I got an insurance check a few years back from a hail storm and got to replace my deck. I kept all the wood, and this summer we built this permanent blind and placed it at a waterhole on a friends ranch. I bolted a trail cam right to the front of it and two others pointing to each end of the water. The night we put the blind in place there were elk sticking their heads right into it and a pretty steady stream of critters since then. Gonna give it a try this weekend and see if we can get it done. Since these pics were taken we got a bunch of black curtains hung all the way around where we can adjust the shooting lanes as needed. Thought about painting it camo, or brushing it in, but the elk don't seem to be spooked by it at all...so why bother. I think it is going to come down to sitting it on the right night with the right wind and it will work. If it doesn't maybe we will just sell lemonade out of it.

Also have 3 more traditional hub blinds at different waters sources as well... those seem to work well for us, but they are pretty good ones with lots of room for one person.

Permanent blinds are not allowed where I hunt unfortunately. For my needs, they have to go up and take down fairly fast. One place, I can leave them up for about 72 hours. On base, I have to take them down each day. My plan is to set up before dawn and take down at dusk each day to give antelope a chance to adjust and park my pickup some distance from it.
 

You are headed in the right direction with that ameristep bone collector blind, I’ve owned a couple of those and have had great results. Plan your shots to be in the elongated vertical corner windows and you won’t ever have a problem with your elbow hitting the back corner when you draw. Even shooting from the squared side you’re fine, but predraw your arrow will be poking out the front which usually isn’t a problem if you’re slick about it! I keep all the windows blacked out at least on the back 180 degrees, if I’m where I can I close off up to 240 degrees. The more black out you have the more you can get away with. Get a comfortable swivel chair if at all possible, it’s worth the extra money. You mentioned shoot through screens, I’ve shot through the screens before with great success but that is only foolproof with fixed blade heads. Don’t ask me how I know... 😬 Practice out of it a little bit before and you’ll be fine.

Another blind to look at is the Muddy Infinitely 2.
 
And while we’re talking blinds there is another great trick to really make your movement inside the blind invisible. Find you some old camo material, burlap or something like that, a 4x6 foot piece is about right. Attach one edge to the front top of the blind over the shooting windows and the other two corners to a couple of posts or something like that it in front where it creates an awning in front over the windows. This adds a huge deepening affect to the shadows. My friends in west Texas are the only ones I’ve seen do this and it made a world of difference when you had 10 sets of whitetail eyeballs in front of you all under 30 yards. I’m sure it would be money on antelope too. The only downside to that is it’s better suited to doing on a blind you can leave in one spot all season not one you’re planning to move around a lot.
 
And while we’re talking blinds there is another great trick to really make your movement inside the blind invisible. Find you some old camo material, burlap or something like that, a 4x6 foot piece is about right. Attach one edge to the front top of the blind over the shooting windows and the other two corners to a couple of posts or something like that it in front where it creates an awning in front over the windows. This adds a huge deepening affect to the shadows. My friends in west Texas are the only ones I’ve seen do this and it made a world of difference when you had 10 sets of whitetail eyeballs in front of you all under 30 yards. I’m sure it would be money on antelope too. The only downside to that is it’s better suited to doing on a blind you can leave in one spot all season not one you’re planning to move around a lot.

I was thinking of buying some surplus military camo netting and draping that over the blind or something similar. But after my experience last weekend with the tiny el cheapo blind, not sure I need it. I had antelope close enough to just about reach out and touch. One thing I did notice, is those blinds seem to hide my scent. They didn't spook until I tried to go to full draw and I hit one of those flex rods in the seam of the blind. Then the whole herds (two different ones) took off at full run. The hay bale blind as they call it is supposed to be 53" wide at the door which is on the sides. It looks to be more like 48". I think the sales specs differ from reality so needless to say, I gave them a poor review.
 
If I were to buy a blind today it'd prob be the new Surround View ones. Not sure how it's work in direct sun for a goat hunt but being able to see through would be so nice. The price is pretty steep.

Too steep. In Wyoming, during rifle season where I will be using it on deer antelope if I don't tag out on archery before October, we get wind. I anticipate losing a blind once every couple years to the wind. I am not too worried about cattle where I hunt for deer and antelope.
 
I doubt the color would work for what you want, but I have this one. It was the right price for me considering I don't plan on using it a lot lol. With one guy there is pretty decent room to draw, especially if I'm on my knees so I can lean a little as I draw.
 

Latest posts

Forum statistics

Threads
110,816
Messages
1,935,410
Members
34,888
Latest member
Jack the bear
Back
Top