Ground Blind Hunting
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Seth from IN asks:When u say to brush a blind in really good. What does that mean?Winke Responds:Seth, Cover it with brush, cut holes for the windows but make the thing look like a pile of brush. Good luck. (4-20-12)
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John from MN asks:Hey Bill, Congrats on the win...your awesome productions, your truthful depictions of your stories, and your willingness to teach are the reasons I voted for your show. One question... I thought I remember you writing in the early 2000's about making blinds in the middle of fields and you used saran wrap over the windows to make them scent proof, and you could shoot through them. Is this correct? Would it work for your blind? Thank you for your devotion to us fans...Winke Responds:John, Yes, I have done that. I am not sure why Jason and I didn't go that route this time, but it is an interesting possibility. I will likely do it that way next year. I can still use the Plexiglass to make the blinds weather proof during the rest of the year and then have more windows open in the deer moves unexpetedly. Good point. (1-23-12)
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Jeff from MO asks:Bill, there seems to be lots of talk about the blinds and suggestions so I thought I would give you one more... I have used a Double Bull blind a lot on the edge of foodplots to help contain scent and hide movement from the deer when they seem to come from all directions. I have always hated the limited visibility as well and so what I have done is open the front of the blind all the way across and then use brush to cover parts to create my shooting holes. What this does is allow me to watch the deer move through the brushed area (as long as it is not too brushed) and then shoot through the hole. That is as close to hunting out of a stand with shooting lanes as I can make it. The disadvantage is the more it is open, the more scent is released. My only other thought would be add more viewing windows that do not open (small horizontal windows)that allow you to watch the deer between shooting windows. You have probably already considered these options, but thought I would share anyWinke Responds:Jeff, It is good input. I would be reluctant to have so much open window space because it seems there are always deer downwind. When we open a second window in that blind, for example, we see the downwind deer start to get goosey. I think the viewing windows are a great idea. That is something I should employ. Blinds are imperfect. In fact, I have never found a perfect way to hunt a feeding area - except possibly to hunt staging areas nearby where the deer flow past and then are gone into the larger feeding area at dark. Blinds are a necessary evil in some situations, however. With a gun they are deadly, with the a bow they can be frustrating at times. I will keep thinking about it. Thanks. (1-23-12)
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Chris from OH asks:Bill, While watching the last episode about the G4 buck you explained that he always seemed to circle the blind. I know that you hate to hunt out of the blind, so I thought you could use it in another fashion. Do you think you could position the blind in the field to alter how the buck enters or moves through the field so that his path would cross a treestand setup? It sounds risky, but when all else fails what do you have to lose. Thanks, ChrisWinke Responds:Chris, In hindsight that probably would have worked. I never thought of that, but since you mention it, I am thinking about it now. Thanks for the idea. That is pretty creative thinking! (1-20-12)
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Robert from WI asks:Bill, I was just curious if you think mature bucks are more skittish around box blinds/tower stands? I have been watching your blog and it seems you see plenty of deer from the box blind. I have been thinking about putting a few up on my land to make hunting more comfortable for my kids. We use brushed in pop ups now with decent luck. But I would think the box blinds would be nicer since they could be left out year round.Winke Responds:Robert, If they are permanent or there well before you hunt them and you are careful not to let the deer know you are there (including how you get out at the end of the hunt) they seem to tolerate them pretty well. Good luck. (1-5-12)
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milo from AL asks:Hey Bill- I have really been impressed by the "hulk"- the name I have given to your new ground blind! I noticed in the video of the G4 buck it sounds a bit noisy inside the blind. Have you thought about sound proofing by tacking up dark colored soft foam or other similar material. Might help insulate as well?! I enjoy how you think outside the box- keep it up and happy NY! MiloWinke Responds:Milo, I think it is only noisy on the inside. It has 3 1/2 inches of insulation in all the walls and the ceiling to soundproof it. I believe it is pretty good except for things that scrape along the bottom, like a boot something. I need to put more rugs on the floor. Good luck. Happy New Year. (12-30-11)
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Jim from MO asks:Bill, I have talked with you several months back,I really like all your articles . I have been hunting with bow now for 52 hrs this season and I have learned enough to know that you are right on with all your advice! Bill I am 75 hrs old, and I had a bad heart attack 2 month ago and the doc wants me to stay on the ground on blinds for awhile. By the way I was 20 ft up in a tree when it happened. Bill my question is do you use two bands on your rocket broadheads when you shoot through the netting on blinds, and is it accurate out 20 to 25 yards ? I took your advice and switcher to the rocket broadheads. Do you think I should shoot a few shoots to see for myself? Thanks Bill keep up the great articles and good luck this season Jim from the show me state.Winke Responds:Jim, I don't like the mechanicals through netting even with the two bands. I would probably go with a fixed head or get rid of the netting. For sure, to test it, shoot a few shots to see. I love the Steelheads, but any shot through netting with a mechanical head is trouble. My friends at American Hunter magazine did some testing on this and found it to be true, as well. Good luck (11-1-11)
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Dan from IL asks:Love the show. I have two giants on cam and learning there patterns. They come out of light timber and cross grass land about 50 yards wide and are headed to more light timber with no great spot for a tree stand. Would it be too late to put up a ground blind? If yes, any thoughts on where?Winke Responds:Dan, Not too late. I would really brush it in though. Keep it in the timbered area and about 20 yards from where they cross. Brush it in good and I think you will be fine. It may take a week for the deer to get used to it (or not), but what have you got to loose. short of using a tripod stand, there is no other real option. Good luck. (10-28-11)
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kris from MN asks:Doyou ever use ground blinds.I never have just got a new farm but not many trees.Winke Responds:Kris, I use them some - not very often. They are very effective, and I would certainly kill more deer if I used them more, but they are just not as much fun to hunt from. You can't see as much and takes some of the fun out of it for me. Good luck.
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Todd from MI asks:Bill, I recently severed the tendon in my thumb helping a youth hunter skin his first deer. Needless to say, i wont be shooting my Hoyt anytime soon or climbing trees. I am fortunate to have access to a crossbow and some popup blinds. Are there any ideal setups for this type of hunting? Ive hunted from tree stands for 20 years, and I'm clueless to ground blind setups.Winke Responds:Todd, Very sorry to hear about the thumb. That stinks. My advice, get them in early and brush them in. Deer will accept them much faster if you break up the outline of the blind with brush. Then have someone come and run them off so you can get out of the blind at last light (if you are hunting a food plot). Also, consider ways to affix plastic wrap (Reynolds works best) to the windows so that your scent stays bottled up inside. I have done this a number of ways, but it takes too long to describe in the Ask Winke. You will have to use your own creativity on this one. Trust me, it can be done. Good luck.
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Amos from WI asks:I have already put one stand up for the upcoming season for a NW wind. I would like to put my blind up on the edge of a food plot for a SW wind, but the only place it looks like I can put it up with good cover is on top of one the three trails they look to be using. Any ideas on how to hunt this spot still?Winke Responds:Amos, The blind doesn't have to be in good cover. Just brush it in good and you can put it anywhere. They will get used to it. Good luck.
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jeremie from ME asks:Hey bill got a question, i hunt about 300 acres of crp grass with some real thick draws in it.. i have stands set up in most of the draws and last year i saw a buck that was on my hit list use on corner of the grass that buts up to a open grass field where the grass is only about shin high and a crop field on the other side.. tho only thing i can i do is pt a ground blind out in the grass to get a shot at him.. do you think this will work? this year i have glassed him using the bean field about 7 diff nights.. what do u think will work bestWinke Responds:Jeremie, I would not place the blind near his bedding area. I think that would be too tough to hunt. However, if you place it in the beans (right on the edge or actually in the field) and brush it in good, you can likely make that work. However, once the beans start to turn yellow he may stop using them in favor of browse or mast (acorns). I would try the blind and if he stays on that pattern you are good, if not you haven't put yourself out much. My guess is that you need to know where the best secondary food source is located and focus on setting up there so that you are ready when/if he changes his patterns. Good luck.
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Should I steer away from using treated wood posts to support my blinds so the deer don't smell them?Greg from IL asks:Bill, I plan to get 2 or 3 permanent box blinds for bowhunting that are scent-free and want them elevated. I believe the most structurally sound way to elevate them is to use treated 8" x 8" wood sunk in below the frost line. Questions: Should I be concerned about the odor from the treated wood? Do you know a better way to elevate the blinds (steel structures that lie on the ground and secured by guy wires, etc. make me nervous!). Thank you! GregWinke Responds:Greg, I would not worry about that odor. The deer will get used to it very quickly. Soon it will become a natural part of their environment. Go for the wood, but get the blind up as early as possible so the deer are used to it by hunting season. Good luck.
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Mitcehll from MN asks:I'm looking for a new blind. What do you think of the style of the Doulbe Bull Darkhorse from primos, and the traditional 12 window ones. And have you ever tried a snake eyes by barronett? Any input on that if you have would be appreciated.Winke Responds:Mitchell, Personally, I like the 12 vertical window blinds for bowhunting. Also, I feel like I can hold me scent in better with those smaller vertical windows. I only open the one I need to open for the shot. The Barronett has the same design as most of the others. Like I said, I still prefer the idea of more small windows so I can scentproof the the blind and keep the amount of outside light to a minimum so the game can't see in. My favorites are the old Double Bull models. Good luck.
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John from MO asks:A friend of mine has a deer blind thats fully insulated and full of mice! My question is how do i get rid of and repel them, other than poison?Winke Responds:John, I have killed a lot of mice with traps in my life. Place a bunch of traps in there - at least six. They seem susceptible to peanut butter. Plus it is fun trapping them! Good luck.
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Ross from MI asks:I see a lot of people on the show using ground blinds. This never seems to work for me in Michigan. I try to wear dark clothes but the deer still see me inside. For some reason turkeys never do. What is the most effective way to camofladge these blinds. Do you need branches or sticks in front to create 3D deception or do you totally have to try and hide your blind. Maybe its just Michigan but every time they see my blind they are obsessed with it and wont stop looking inside. Thanks, Ross KruithofWinke Responds:Ross, You definitely need to brush them in. Deer are much more sensitive to ground blinds than turkeys are. If you have a solid blind (wood or plastic) that you leave out all year, it is not as important, but if you move a ground blind into place, you need to hide it as best you can with brush, cornstalks, etc. whatever is native to the area where you place the blind. They also don't like the open windows. If you set the blind out with the windows closed and then open them to hunt, the deer will notice this. It is best to keep the windows as best you can until the time to shoot and then lower it slowly when the deer is looking away. Good luck.
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Ted from LA asks:I have 40 acres in Missouri. Deer come from all directions. I have several stand locations for different winds. But it seems that even when the wind is blowing in my face, there are probably deer coming in to food plots from downwind. Any suggestions?Winke Responds:Ted, The only true solution I have found for that situation is to hunt from a ground blind that you have made scentproof. We have placed sandwich wrap (Reynolds works best as it is clearest) across the windows and held it in place using a wide variety of methods. You can shoot right through that without concern for arrow flight. Dig the edges of the blind in slightly so that air can't get in under the edges and you will be amazed at what you can get away with. Good luck.
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Aaron from MO asks:Whats the best spot to look for and how early should I get my blind out this is new to me my 2nd year to hunt.Rifle season.Winke Responds:Aaron, In MO, I would be looking for escape routes and sanctuary cover. Where are the deer likely to go when they are pressured on neighboring farms? That is the question you should be trying to answer. Think of thick cover or areas where they aren't hunted. Look for low profile routes into those areas, that is where the bucks will be sneaking - draws, brushy fence lines, saddles, low spots crossing fields, etc. I would either hang a tree stand be ready by at least a week before you start hunting or I would put the blind out at least two weeks ahead of time to give the deer time to get used to it.
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Dalton from KS asks:I have heard that a ground blind will pretty much keep your sent in it no matter the wind. What do you think? I have a ground blind on the edge of a cornfield and on the edge of a thick cedar bedding area. If the wind is in my face but with the back windows closed will my sent scare off the deer coming from the bedding area.Winke Responds:Dalton, If it is done right, it will. You need to put something across the windows to keep the wind from blowing through. I have used sandwich wrap. It is still a good idea to play the wind, but yes, in theory the blind will contain your scent if you close up every possible opening. The windows will fog up inside though on cool days and that can be annoying. To really work, you need to keep the wind from coming in the blind at all - that means all windows need to be sealed.
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Jordan from IN asks:hey bill i got a small spike this saturday hunting the setup i asked you about earlier. My question this time is i bought a ground blind recently and i have to sit up right at the window in order to draw back the right way or else my arm hits the back of the blind. Do you have any tips on how to set up so this doesnt happen?Winke Responds:Jordan, Congratulations! That is a great deer. You may need a bigger blind. Otherwise, I don't know of anything you can do differently. Continued good luck.
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Matthew from MN asks:Bill I love the show! It must take a lot of hard work but it is very helpful to us bowhunters. My question is that I hunt a piece of property with mostly just a few tree lines and corn fields. There is a pond on the property to the north as well but it is full of thick cat tails and hard to access. I hunt the corners of the fields where to the east it is crp fields and a long tree line to the west. Is this a good spot to be hunting? What else should I be looking for?Winke Responds:Matthew, It sounds like a tough stop to hunt given much of it doesn't have trees for stands. Consider a ground blind near the pond. The tree lines can be good travel routes during the rut, but at this time of the year they are not that useful other than to provide a tree for hunting deer heading from the CRP into the corn. If the corn is still standing, you might consider actually hunting in the corn. I have tried this but not often enough to make it work. Start at the downwind end of the field and cut across rows the entire width of the field, looking upwind in each row before stepping forward into it. Do this as you work your way back and forth toward the upwind end of the field. When you spot a deer bedded, slip back three rows and sneak up silently toward the deer until you can get a shot. It is a long shot, but it would be a lot of fun to hunt that way. Many people have made this approach work over the years. I didn't invent it. I have met people who do it successfully.
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chapman from OH asks:first off thanks for the site. i love it. my question is, is there any way we can see the way the pro-staff sets up their stands for hunting and filming, and the kinds of trees used, etc, also ground blinds too. how you guys camo them and all. thanksWinke Responds:Chapman, Thanks for your support. I will definitely pass the request along to the pro staff so that they might film their setups more often and show more detail on how they brush in blinds. I think most viewers appreciate this kind of detail, so we will be sure to provide more of it.
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DAVE from MI asks:I HAVE A NICE BUCK HITTING AN APPLE TREE IN A FENCE ROW I DON'T BELIEVE HE IS TRAVELING ALONG THE FENCE ROW TO GET THERE. HE IS CUTTING THROUGH THE CRP FIELD. THERE IS NO GOOD SPOT FOR A TREE STAND. IT IS SEPT 2ND. IS IT TOO LATE TO PUT UP A GROUND BLIND IN THE FENCE ROW FOR OCT 1ST OPENER IN MICHIGAN. IT SEEMS LIKE MATURE BUCKS NOTICE GROUND BLINDS AND AVOID THEM HERE IN SOUTHERN MICHIGAN. ANY SUGGESTIONS?Winke Responds:Dave, I think you can still get away with it. The other option is to assume his patterns will change between now and then (they almost surely will) and set up farther along the fence line where you do have a tree big enough for a stand. By October 1, he may not be feeding there any more, but by late October he may be traveling along the fence line as cruises through the area looking for does. It is a tough call at this point. His patterns will almost certainly change by then. I guess if you aren't worried about having the blind out there for a month, it can't hurt anything. You can always take it down later if he stops using the apple tree.
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Eric from NC asks:Great show, can't imagine how much work it involves. On some of your Iowa hunts I saw use of box blinds but appeared to be on the ground. I'm considering constructing some blinds this summer. Was curious why yours weren't elevated, trying to get some insight before I make mine. The shorter ones would be easier to make and placement of mine will be on hills already elevated so don't have to height. Guess benefit of height would be scent control but didn't seem like they smelled your hunters at all. Thanks!Winke Responds:Eric, Portability is the number one reason for keeping them on the ground. The guys that use those a lot will literally drag them arond the field with an ATV or truck. I know the ones Zach is using are built on skids that permit easy towing. Once the deer get used to the blinds in a field, they don't seem too concerned when you move them around a short ways to better position the blind for shots at feeding deer. Most of the guys use some kind of window system to keep the scent bottled up inside. In some cases that means putting plastic wrap across the windows using various fixtures including metal strips and magnets, etc. That is another story in itself. Also, if you use a heater in the blind, most of the heated air escaping through a window will rise for some distance before it cools, taking the human scent with it. At least that is what seems to be happening - we don't get scented much. The only real advantage, as I see it, of the elevated boxes is the greater field of fire. We are hunting with bows and muzzleloaders and aren't really looking for long shot opportunities. Blinds on the ground work just fine for that situation. Good luck.
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Gabe from IA asks:I just found about 10 giant scrapes fairly close together, with nowhere to hang a treestand. We set up a trail camera in the area, and got photos of 3 giant bucks. I am wondering if it is too late in the season to set up a double-bull in the area if we don't hunt it for a few days. I was hoping this would give the deer a chance to get used to it. Any thoughts on the best way to approach this?Winke Responds:Gabe, Is there anywhere else nearby that you can hunt these deer effectively? They have to be coming from somewhere and going toward somewhere. I think my first priority would be try to figure that out. What direction are they approaching from? If that doesn't reveal a good stand option, then the next best choice is to place the blind but set it up as far back as you can realistically shoot and clear as little brush around the scrapes as possible. Then go in the opposite direction and cut a bunch of branches and brush and hide the blind. My gut feeling is that it won't work. They will stop using the scrapes. I could be wrong, so if that is your only option, it is at least worth a try.
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Brandon from WI asks:Hi Bill, just wanted to say that the new state shows are great and keep up the good work. I have a question on ground blinds. Are there any tips or techniques you may have to get rid of my body outline? I've brushed the blind in, and I wear black clothes and black facepaint because I only open half the blind with the other half butting up against some pines, but I still feel like my outline is still pretty visible. I'm thinking about changing it up and using a camo backdrop in the blind and wearing camo, but since I've never used a ground blind before, I'm a little clueless. Any help would be appreciated.Winke Responds:Brandon, I think you will be shocked at what you can get away with as long as you where black, hunt from a fully-enclosed blind and keep all but the single window you need for the shot closed. That will keep it nearly black inside and make it very hard for deer to see you in there. Give them a couple of weeks to get used to the blind and you should be fine. Also, stay back from the window so the light doesn't hit you when it does shine in. Good luck.
