Ground Blinds

[Yotey]

Do you own a ground blind? If so give us your review.

Is it quiet?
Is it easy to set-up?
Is it easy to pack in?
Is it big enough?
Is it to big?

You get the idea:D

David

[palmettoswamp]

David,

I will give you a truthful firsthand personal blind experiences. I currently use a Amersistep Brickhouse blind and have been very happy with it all the time. I can get it set-up in less than 3 minutes by myself, but I usually set it out prior to the season and never move it until I take it down. They are too heavy to run-gun im my opinion. I mainly got it for my Father so he could have a nice dry and warm place to hunt from in the spring during gobbler season. I have a portable buddy heater that we use in the blind and it rocks in the cold morning (not too often in florida). The brickhouse has never broke a rod nor has any of the fabric split or tore.

About 2 years ago I bought a Double Matrix blind because they looked awsome and the 360 degree window was impressive. Used the blind for about 2-3 weeks and one of the rods in the hub broke. No problem, called DB and they shipped 3 new rods at no cost to me. Now I know why they sent 3 rods, because the blind broke three more rods within 2 weeks. Called DB and they wanted $$ to ship new rods and also wanted me to ship the blind back on my dime so they can inspect the tolerances ect....Well I put it on eBay and sold it for what I paid. I will never buy another DB blind during this life--way overpriced and not to durable from my experience. I'm not trashing DB, just stating my honest experiences.

Here is a picture of the brickhouse brushed in from the 2008 gobbler season and the gobbler my buddy popped on opening day.

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j61/palmettoswamp/Gobbler_3-15-08_009_2.jpg

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j61/palmettoswamp/Gobbler_3-15-08_012.jpg

[Yotey]

Palmetto,

Great information. Thanks.

David

[shaman]

I have a Hunter's View Wigwam. It's been in the arsenal for 6 years. I got it so the little ones could follow me out to hunt. It did a great job in that regard. I have used it on and off since. The big plus was that my sons could sit there and fidget all they wanted without spooking game.

It's a bit more cumbersome that stringing a piece of string around some trees and putting up a burlap blind. However, it affords a lot of benefits that burlap or die-cut blinds don't.

For one, it has a roof. The wigwam is not waterproof, but it sheds a goodly amount of rain. If I'm deploying it rain, I make sure to bring along a small tarp and some string and let the rain drip into the blind, get caught by the tarp and then roll off onto the ground

It is great in extreme cold in that it keeps the wind off and keeps body heat in.

When it was me and a kid, I found it plenty large. We used folding chairs, and a dad and a kid can fit in it easily and still have some room to get around. I think the interior space is something like 4X4' . If it were just me, in a lawn chair, it'd be just fine.

I've debated with myself over the years over the best way to deploy it-- put it up on the day of the hunt and surprise the game or have it in place a while and let them get used to it. I've tried both, and I can say that I have not seen a huge difference. Deer and turkey don't seem to mind it. Deer will bust you if they catch your scent, but if you can play the wind they will not notice it.

One word of warning: If you're hunting a season that requires Hunter Orange, please put something big, and noticeable , and orange up outside your blind. I had a neighbor who nearly shot someone who snuck onto the property line and put up a camo pop-up and then hid in it. Luckily my neighbor spotted the blind just before he pulled the trigger and let the deer walk a ways further before popping the cap. The dim bulb in the blind had gone to the fence and erected the blind facing back towards his own property. Needless to say, barbed wire fences are not bullet-proof. As my neighbor retrieved his deer he said something to the guy in the blind who was really shook up, having a gun discharge so close . He told the neighbor that, since he was wearing an orange vest and hat, my neighbor had nothing to complain about.