Ground hunting blinds are a great resource for hunters who don't like hunting from hunting tree stands or who hunt in areas where there are no suitable trees for stands. Here are five steps that will up your odds of success with your ground hunting blind.
Step One: Position the Ground Hunting Blind
First, don't stick out like a sore thumb. Use the lay of the land to position the ground hunting blind in an inconspicuous spot. Don't horizon the ground hunting blind. Try to have some background behind the ground hunting blind that will enable it to blend in better than if it were placed at the top of a hill. Consider placing the blind in a small depression or at the base of a slope or hillside. A few trees or scrub provide a good screen for a ground hunting blind. You might want to consider placing the ground hunting blind on an inside corner of your hunting area. Walk the trails as if you were a deer, and periodically stop and look back. Look for those areas you didn't notice when walking but were obvious when you looked back.
Step Two: Camouflage Your Ground Hunting Blind
Second, after you've chosen where to place your ground hunting blind, you have to camouflage it with natural foliage. Manufactured blinds normally feature loops for hanging natural camouflage, so use them. Cut some limbs and pull some weeds from nearby to make your blind as invisible as possible. Do this at your hunting location so everything can look as natural as possible.
Step Three: Camouflage Yourself
Third, remember to wear dark clothing when hunting. Most hunters would just as soon leave their bows at home as leave their camo, but a flat black shirt and head covering may be better in the blind than some of the lighter-colored camouflage. By the same token, stay well back from the windows, especially when looking at game. Your face may be lit like a spotlight on a stage if placed right up to the window.
Step Four: Keep Quiet and Still
Fourth, stay still and quiet. Sure, the ground hunting blind covers a lot of those little movements and associated noises, but it doesn't eliminate them. Continue to practice effective hunting techniques even when in the ground hunting blind.
Step Five: Bring Someone Along
Fifth, take a youngster or nonhunter. You're not going to get that nonhunting co-worker to sit in a hunting tree stand with you, but the idea of sitting in a blind is completely different. Suddenly, it's more like bird watching. Blinds also are perfect for children and teens whose movements would keep deer at a distance. For kids, coloring books or other games can be brought along to fill the time between game sightings.