Ground Blind

Watch out for zippered windows ...

I have hunted out of a ground blind for several years and really enjoyed it. This year I didn't get a deer but it was no fault of the blind.

I am on my second blind and although I won't recommend the company because of some problems with my blind it did teach me one thing. The blind I have now has a button type window fasteners. They are much quieter and allow for much more adjust of the window size than zippers.

Beware the "shoot through mesh" claim as it does NOT apply to firearms. They are shoot through for fixed blade broadheads only. You don't learn this until you purchase one.

P.S. I do NOT recommend Ameristep..... There customer service is an absolute joke!
 
DEER GENOCIDE LOL. WOW my wife just said she bets the deer are glad Im getting old. cause I aint as fast as I used to be.Blind hunting has been good to me I let alot of deer walk but the ones that check out the blind not so lucky dont want them to tell theyre buddys. had pretty good luck with ground blinds on hog also with a little more prep. time:D:D
 
My experience in a blind mirrors most of the other guys....

Turkeys, squirrels.... everything but deer seem completely oblivious.


Deer, well, deer are unpredictable. MOSTLY they get spooky and don't come within 75-80 yards. I have had a couple of occasions where they were within 20 yards of my blind though. They were nervous, really spooky, but they milled around for a good half hour. These were "normal" deer, with lots of hunting pressure too.

Oddly, the deer I've seen that were most bothered, they REALLY hated my blind, were deer that I would consider to be practically tame. They live on a golf course and never seem scared by anything. In a tree stand once, I had one watch me draw my bow, the arrow fell off the rest, I let down, fixed the arrow, drew again and shot her... from about 15 feet away. Yet, these deer in the same general area act like my blind is made of deer repellent and has flashing lights and sirens on it.

Go figure.
 
Hey Alden, I've been hunting Green Swamp for a few weeks now and have great spot for deer that I'm working. I want to hunt pigs during small game. Any thoughts on good areas to check out? (Not looking for spots, just general areas)
Thanks
 
Hey Vince, you can only hunt the west side and only on weekends-- it called the Compressco Unit -- look at the map and you will see it. Hogs are all over out there. Best thing to do it walk the open areas and look for sign, you know, big torn up areas, then set up nearby and wait. Wet areas are best, near ponds or cypress.

Do you have a ground blind or climbing stand? Hogs can smell you a half a mile away, and they can hear good too. Blinds really contain your scent well and they can't see them.

Good luck! What area did you find a lot of deer in?
 
Vince you should hunt Baird, north of Green Swamp during small game season too. We shot a hog there last year.
 
I have both a ground blind and a climber. I was talking to the guy at the 471 check station and he told me that this year you can hunt the WHOLE management area for hogs not just cumpressco. They are even going to allow a dog hunt weekend. If you want to check out some good deer spots try looking between Levee and Tanic north of Three Run. I have had missed opportunities with two bucks and am working an area with at least 5 does that have got to be coming into heat soon;). I am going try getting a deer my best shot until the end of the season and after that focus on pigs. I have hunted Green Swamp off and on since i was a kid. Up until now I always thought the place was cursed since I have never seen any game there. I am soooo close to breaking the curse:) I can barely stand it. Do you have any idea of when the rut starts in this crazy place?
 
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I was looking at the $40 blind in cabella's.
1 man.
I can't imagine it holding up in the wind.

I got busted this season, sitting on a rock.
So I was heavily considering a ground blind.
 
We did very well out of ground blinds this season. We set up three of them a month before gun season in Southeast Ohio, and took deer from each. They ignored the blinds -- I made so much noise getting into mine at dawn that I was sure I'd have to sit until noon. I looked out at three deer 50 yards away and was done by 8 AM.
 
Vince that's the area we hunted the day after Xmas and saw two fresh rubs. I know what you mean about the curse, but they are there. We got off a shot at a sow that day, but the boys were too excited and missed the shot.

You know that area is where they come to escape the dogs up in Richloam, so they seem to just stay in that area for a while.

We're going back to that spot this Saturday afternoon/eve to try one last time before the season ends.

I believe the rut is on now, based on the rubs we saw, but there is no one defined rut in any Florida area because of our hot weather, in my opinion, they are probably breeding at just about any given time year round.

Thanks for the heads up about hog hunting during small game. I still like Baird though, I have seen more game up there every time I go, but it's only open to general admittance during small game season. During Gen Gun and Spring Turkey you need a quota permit.
 
Hey Vince, we'll be out there tomorrow in that same area. Look for me and Jerry. I'll be carrying a short barreled lever action rifle. I'm a big guy, 6'3" and about 265 lbs. Jerry's shorter than me, about 5'10" but same weight as me. Blue Toyota Highlander.

We'll be getting there around 2 o'clock in the afternoon.
 
I have two Ameristep ground blinds. I have killed deer from both of them. I set them up before the season and leave them. Although I occasionally move them during the season depending on when and where the deer are moving. If they have been in place for a while, the deer ignore them.

Just a week ago I spotted three does before I got to my blind. I eased up to it using what little cover there was between me and the deer. I got in the blind and watched the deer. They were about 80 yards from the blind. The biggest doe must have detected something because she stood rock still for about 20 minutes. The other two continued feeding. After about half an hour, all three deer started moving closer to the blind. One got within 25 yards of the blind before they fed on into the adjacent woods.

Last season I had a doe standing just eight feet from me in my blind. I spotted it out the side window of the blind as it was walking up the hill toward me. It actually followed the same path I used to get to the blind for about the last ten yards. (I had washed myself and my clothes in scent free soap and sprayed my boots with scent eliminator.) It got right in front of the blind and stopped broad side to me. It stood there about a minute and then ambled on up the hill.

The tree and leaf pattern on those blinds must look real to animals. Last season I was hunting in that same blind when a squirrel jumped from a tree just behind the blind onto the blind. I wonder what he thought when he slid down the side of the blind to the ground? I am probably fortunate that he didn't dig his claws in to the material and rip it as he slid down. I have had birds land on them. I have had birds start to fly in the window until they come face to beak with me.

The best story I have heard concerning blinds happened to my niece. She has a blind set up in her back yard. She was in it and a buck actually stuck his nose in the window!
 
North East corner of Green Swamp WMA.

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A short and very exciting video!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwEkL2CCv3g

On the way out we got to see this.

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Hey Alden, sorry I didn't see your post until now I got sick with the flu and was out of all week end. Maybe I can hook up with you guys some time during the small game season. I have never hunted hogs but I really want to learn how.
Thanks and good hunting!
 
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