I've had a number of ground blinds over the years. I think my first was one of those wire hoop jobs that sort of pops open. Very light weight and flimsy.

There probably OK for run and gun turkey hunting, but won't stand up too long as a brushed in deer blind.

I can't say that I know of any currently made blind I'm satisfied with. I am using a Primos, but they are made out of a very light weight material that will snag/rip if drug across multi flora rose, etc. Mine is 3 years old and must have 12 or 15 tears I've tried to patch.

I've seen a double bull that had a bit thicker/heavier material, but it had no tab system for attaching material to brush it in. I think for deer hunting that's a must.

Most models seem way bigger than necessary, unless your having a card game in there.

It also seems a challenge to find nice shoot through vertical windows. I find nothing useful about the triangular or horizontal windows. You can't shoot at a moving deer through shoot through mesh anyway.

I can't see the point of putting those zip open panels in the roofs. Who uses them for duck hunting? Just another place to leak.

I've been told Double Bull is coming out with a couple of new smaller models next spring. We'll see.

The only one I ever bought I havn't even used. Can't shoot any of my traditional bows out of it. Probably be OK for gun hunting ....which I don't do.

Hidden Hunter blinds, American made and the best on the market

I have a Double Bull that I bought when I blew my ACL and couldn't climb, although unknown to me at the time it was the beginning of me giving up the trees. It hasn't been out of the bag in years but the few times I used it I was satisfied with it, although I felt very removed from the hunt. I did have an old mule headed doe spot it and limbo around it to the front where she poked her head inside for a look around, until I laughed at her and then all hell broke loose as she fell over backwards re-gathering herself for departure. It was a good thing that it was staked and tied down.

I've looked at those Ron, just a bit leery of the rods on the ground inside.

Ron I looked at those at Northwoods Outfitters, when I get over to the east... Randy showed those to me..... they seemed kind of heavy to me,,,,, what are the advantages of them, I respect your opinion......

When my heart is 100 percent, I have a bow, over there waiting for me,,, that guy sure is nice.....

SB I had an original DB it was the BS-5, really the first 360 window design that Keith beam came up with,,,, it was stolen off of private land,,,, it could take the snow and wind etc, and I could shoot my stick out of it.....

Bought a T2 this summer an original at a Trad shoot,,,,,

Biggest problem with a good pop up is keeping it. They really need to be brushed for best success which means you need to leave them out. Private property means nothing and many are more than comfortable trespassing and stealing your blind and anything else that they can get their hands on.

The way technology is going won't be long and we'll be able to "chip" our property and if it's stolen track it down. I do agree that theft is a big problem, even on private lands.

The hidden hunter line Ron, do they have any kind of system to attach "stuff" to them for brushing them in?

I put one up in gun season for when it's raining. I got the dog house cheapie. If it gets real wet I put a cheap tarp over it. I don't think I could shoot a bow out of it. It's supposed to rain, snow most of the first week gun season so I'll put it up Wednesday.

The biggest advantage to the Hidden hunter blinds are they're the quickest to set up and take down, sling over your shoulder and walk away. Yes the do have loops on the sides for sticking limbs to brush them in.

I owned 5 Ameristep Penthouses and Doghouses...until a month ago. I had a dumpster rented for a remodel and decided to throw em all in. They were in various stages of disrepair and I'd had enough of their flimsy construction. Out they went and I don't feel bad about it.

Going to buy decent blinds now, of the hub variety.

Take Ron's advice. Hidden Hunters blinds are probably the best choice for traditional bowhunting. Gene Wensel believes the dome roof spooks whitetails less than the common slanted or flat roofs found on most blinds.

I'm unhappy with all of them. All need improvement. For starters the manufacturers always try to put in too man windows. You really on need 180 visibility/shootability at most. All the side and back windows even when closed typically allow air flow through and out the blind. If they were sealed up except in the front, scent control would be significantly enhanced.

Secondly, why no abundant loops around and atop the blind to help in brushing the blind in? Why only a few, typically?

Thirdly, why not better front window control. I saw a Cabelas blind recently that had a great system even better than the Primos Double Bull blinds, but alas, the rest of the blind wasn't that great.

Lastly, better fabrics would help. Promos does a pretty good job, but small 3D leaflets that don't dance around in the wind would be ideal.

I like the Baronette blinds, but they seem to have the same problem as the Hidden Hunter. The windows don't go low enough. I had to shoot a turkey standing, because he was too close. A good problem to have.

Bowmania

The Hidden Hunter blinds are pretty expensive and you would have to shoot a short bow to clear the roof. I also prefer the Barronette blinds as they are much cheaper and plenty of room to shoot your bow. I still prefer a brush blind with a Ghilly suit. Joel

Seems that if these mfgs. would ask us what we wanted we'd buy more than the way it is now.

I had a Hidden Hunter and liked it for the most part. plenty of room to shoot my 66" LB, stand up and stretch etc. the worse part was toting the thing. i'm 5ft 11 and no matter how I threw it on my shoulder it would bump my leg and trip me up. it got damaged when some tornado storms came through the area and a set of straight line winds flatten it.

My 66 inch longbow did not fit well with it on the ground-so i raised it up with some logs, much better now. Still at the end of CHRISTmas season all this disgarded trees and garland make a nreally nice blind-and if someone steal it-who cares. You can spend a lot more that free and not get much better

Can't help woner, why do *all* of them have a roof? Are we afraid of being detected from above?

Would like one with no roof at all. Failing that I'll get buy with a section of duck blind netting and some zip ties.

I bought a Double Bull Matrix 360 the first year they were available. After a few years the fabric was so weak that your fingers poked through so easy that you couldn't hardly handle it. I bought two Barronette blinds, a Big Mike and a Grounder 350. The biggest trouble I have is the rods like to pop out of there pockets and the loops around the bottom rip off real easy. Big Mike's windows are too high and have to sit on a higher stool and can't shoot from my knees. Using it this year with my 68" longbow and know there are only certain positions for shooting from, so hope if I get a chance, I will remember how to position the bow so I don't hear the awful sound of one of the limbs hitting "fabric"!!

Don't do it !!!

I've had so many store-bought blinds, and then I went with double bull , and Now since the P*****S bought them out, their Chinese junk.

I purchased a Hidden Hunter, don't hesitate, they're Well worth it they set up fast, they come down fast, they blend in, they're functional, warm on the inside, the black stuff on the inside will definitely not peel. They're closer two looking like the environment you're putting them in, less horizontal and vertical lines.

I don't know why I waited so long

Get one, RON KNOW WHAT HE IS TALKING ABOUT !!!!

DS

I can't help with the blinds, the only thing I use is a really large umbrella in camo. You can open it and put it on it's side, and it will conceal a whole hunter, but works best with some thin cover to use in conjunction with the umbrella. You can also sneak forward holding one.

I'm a bit of an umbrella fan since Ray Jardine, the first man to climb 5.13 some say, promoted them. Ray has done everything from rowing across the Atlantic, sailing around the world, to thousands of free falls, an his unmatched climbing and long distance hiking record. He walked the Appalacian trail twice one year, and many other things. When a guy like that talks about umbrellas, it is worth listening. Mainly he uses them for protection from sun and rain, where they have unique advantages for ultralite hikers.

They have other advantages such as protection from wildlife. Some animals that will attack a man, break away the moment an umbrella comes out. So effective on dogs, some departments mandate it for at risk employees like mailmen. The fierce cassowary is another convert.

Traditionally there was a whole martial art built around them, and they are also useful as monopods, and as tent poles.

Ruck Duggan got be interested in the blind use when he mentioned he was using one for rain, it just seemed natural to get a camo one

I prefer natural blinds but have to buy one of those hidden hunter blinds for the wife. She has a DB but wants to be able to shoot standing up and hates horizontal windows. After almost 50 years of marriage I finally got her bowhunting. She has trapped for years but always preferred a rifle for deer.

Robert, by all means get her a HH blind. A wife that hunts and traps is a treasure...keep her happy. :)

Rhino Blinds may be the best out there now. If they would only not make the rear and side windows and add a few more loops to the top...

OK, then use the front lateral slide window that Cabela has in one of their blinds and also offer a 3D small leafy finish, and increase the size of the bottom ground flaps (even more scent control) you would then have a nearly perfect blind for bowhunting.

BTW, I sent my suggestions to Primos and of course no reply.

I've had several over the past years and none are perfect! The one I've had the longest is a Yukon(now barronet). It's held up very well and works good for mentoring youth. My favorites when hunting alone are my Primos Predators Den and a Covert(don't know what model) both have held up well in the wind when Antelope hunting.

Many of you miss a key value to the blind, weather protection. One of the main reasons I have a blind is to be able to sit the whole morning or evening in adverse weather, wind, rain, snow.

Nothing against a thrown together brush blind, and I've used them with success but they don't protect as well as conceal.

I have a Groundpounder 350 (reasonably priced). Easy to set up. Brushes in OK. Had a 6 pt buck less than 5 yards from it this year with two hyper 5th graders inside during the youth hunt. Later that day one of the boys shot a 7 pt at less than 15 yards, with a second buck there at the same time. The deer through out the season didn't seem worried about the blind. This was on public land. I do feel the deer scent I used had a positive effect on how the deer reacted around the blind.

Many will disagree with me, but I believe the best hidden hunter is one outside of a blind. You don't need that blind for scent control or concealment. It's just more crap to deal with. My average shot distance now stands at around 9 yards, and I don't use any of that crap. Natural ground cover is far better.

Joe

barronett-supertough-big-mike-hunting-ground-blind

I guess you should start a thread on that topic then Frisky.

I've looked at the Barronett blinds, and they're not bad, just huge. Not sure why that is the latest market trend but most blinds are nearly twice as big as necessary. Part of that "take someone along" thing I guess.

Bruce, it is nice to be able to move around once in awhile and with the Baronett you can do that undetected. You also have room to move to create a better shot angle.

I have the baronett grounder 250. Its a great blind. I'm 5.6 and stand up to shoot if need be. (Have yet to shoot a deer yet or anything out of it. But practicing if im sitting on a campfire chair i can easily shoot out of the windows sitting down.

Question who has been able to have deer close when first set up?

And what kind was it.

Ive had success brushing them in and leaving them out, but never had success when newly set up. To the point of putting guile netting on them...

Can you set the Hidden blind up and have deer close off the bat?

This was my blind set up this fall in the U P.

I had plenty of room to shoot my 66" Miller bow

The first evening this big doe walked in at 12 yards, the blind didn't bother her a bit. Pictures a little blurry because the camera was focusing on the bottom of the blind window.

Almost seems like cheating, but not quite.

Hidden Hunter no doubt, have a couple Love them

I like Baronnett ground blinds,there not real pricy,and they also sell replacement parts and patch material for them.

I agree with Frisky, kind of like fishing in a dock. Tents make a good place to sleep. Good luck.

Wow you guys are lucky. Our WV deer won't come near em unless you brush em in and that defeats the purpose as far as I'm concerned.might as well make a brush blind. And if you leave em out they get stolen.

Yep, anything you leave out is free for the taking, and if you don't think people are roving through just put a camera up and see, provided that doesn't get stolen too.

It's amazing how well the Hidden Hunter blinds blend in. If I were to get one it would either be a Hidden Hunter or Luckys blind.

This is a blind that I have been building.

Another one

Here is one brushed in.

Dang talk about blending in.

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