As a kid, everyone hunted deer out of a tree stand. As time progressed tri-pods and box blinds were created. Now Browning is making a cool line of pop-up blinds. I own one of their Phantom models.
Out west, though, not as many people hunt out of a blind as they do down south. That's because game is more heavily congregated down south. Why set in the middle of nowhere if nothing is going to come by? I may cover 1,000 acres before I see a deer whereas in some parts of Texas they may have a deer every few acres it seems.
Secondly, a lot of the land in the West is public and it is restricted as to what kind of blinds we can build. Plus, why spend money building a blind if someone else may use it?
So, you can see that permanent blinds are great if you're in an area that has a high concentration of game.
But still, there are times out West where blinds are a must. Such as: baiting for bears
You've discovered a draw or passageway that a buck is using. (One year I found a huge buck that right at daylight was traveling up a draw after feeding down lower all night).
One of these days I want to talk about pop-up blinds, but for today let's talk about constructing a ground blind out of local materials.
I bear hunt a lot out of these. They're simple to construct. Just find a big rock or a tree to use as a base. Lay two logs off each side of the tree about 2 ½-feet high, angling down to the ground on the other end. This will be your rest when shooting. Lay smaller logs below it to fill in the gaps.
To further fill the gaps, use large pieces of bark and sticks. Grab a clump of long grass and cut it off at the base and stick it in between the logs. Cut brush and weave them in the logs. Lay the logs in a V shape and you'll be concealed on 66 percent of the sides.
Then go downhill 50 yards and look up. Your blind will look like part of the natural surroundings. It will blend in with the scenery since it is made out of local debris. It didn't cost a penny, you don't have to pack it out and it took less than 30 minutes to construct.
Sometimes I'll pack in a foldup chair to my ground blind. If I'm on public land I may lay an orange pack behind me so if some gunsel sneaks up he doesn't blast me.
Many times when deer hunting in Nebraska I'd carry a 5-gallon bucket and a tree saw. If I found a likely spot I'd set up a blind. There's always a few limbs that need whacked off. That's where the tree saw came in. Then you could use the cut limbs to help construct your blind. I'd then use the bucket to sit on. If you get bored easily, carry a book or some magazines.
I've built ground blinds at water holes for antelope, for hunting deer trails and at my bait stations for bears. You may want to build two at your bait stations. That way, if the wind is in the wrong direction just sit in blind No. 2. It doesn't cost anymore to build two than it does one.
If you're on a sagebrush covered hillside, I've had to scrounge around and use rocks for spacers between a couple of logs and fill in with brush. A lot of times when I'm hunting in open sagebrush country I'll carry a piece of camo canvas and lay it across two sagebushes and hide behind that. Be creative with whatever you have available.
[[In-content Ad]]
