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5 Reasons To Use A Ground Blind When Deer Hunting

5 Reasons To Use A Ground Blind When Deer Hunting

By: Heath Wood

For deer hunters, ground blinds have become more prevalent in the last twenty years than any other product on the market. They are easy to put up and take down; they keep you, the hunter, hidden better than ever before, and let’s admit it, you can hunt more comfortably when there is room to move without being busted by a nearby deer.

Even though the popularity of ground blinds has increased over the years, there are still some who haven’t experienced for themselves how practical a ground blind can be. When used in certain situations, a ground blind can be the answer to keeping you out in the field long enough for that big trophy buck to show himself finally.

If you’re not entirely sold on the idea of using a blind, below are five reasons to use a ground blind that will make you a better deer hunter.

Muddy G

  1. Youth Hunting 

As hunters, we must pass on the tradition of hunting to the next generation. If one has ever hunted with kids, they know that the time leading up to the harvest is critical when making a good impression on a first-time hunter. Children can get bored quickly; they want to move, they often can get cold, which cuts the hunt short. To make a more enjoyable experience for a first-time hunter, a ground blind can be the answer.

Using a blind such as the Muddy Prevue 3 blind is a great way to hunt with kids or first-time hunters. The Prevue 3 is a three-person blind, measuring 58” X 58” with a 66” standing height. The large area of the Prevue 3 allows youth to take a chair with them to sit comfortably and allow them to move their legs and body throughout the hunt without being seen by wildlife. Being comfortable is essential when wanting to spend more time outdoors hunting.

On colder days when staying warm is a factor, I have had kids bring along a blanket and even a small heater to help stay warm. If they are comfortable, they have more fun.

I also suggest bringing along a good pair of binoculars for youth to use while hunting. Using a set of optics keeps them involved in the hunt, gives them something to do, and makes the entire experience more enjoyable. The Prevue 3 blind features one-way see-through mesh, allowing them to see more of the action from the inside without being seen by wildlife looking in from the outside.

5 Reasons To Use A Ground Blind When Deer Hunting

 

  1. Rainy Days

There is a famous saying; “you can’t kill them from the couch.” Hunters do not like sitting in a stand getting soaked on rainy days. Some hunters even elect to stay inside and wait on more ideal conditions before hunting. The more serious hunters refuse to allow anything to keep them from their pursuit of a trophy whitetail. Especially during the rut when you never know when the big buck will appear, even in the pouring down rain.

Many hunters will keep a ground blind in place to ensure no missed opportunity, saving it for a rainy day. When a blind is in place near an open area such as a food plot or crop field, hunters can sit inside a dry ground blind, watching these open areas for deer movement.

Staying dry keeps the hunter warmer, more comfortable, and like hunting with a child, keeps the hunting time going longer.

  1. No Place For A Tree Stand

One of the best tips for finding the top stand location or blind set up is not looking for a place or a tree that looks good but finding a place where deer travel. I am guilty of finding an area with a large number of deer signs, then starting to find a good tree for my stand. The problem is that sometimes that best-looking tree may pull me from the specific area where deer travel. When there is no tree in the exact spot to be a good treestand set, I elect to use a ground blind instead.

When using a ground blind, hunters can place it where the deer sign is prominent. Better blind placement will provide more shot opportunities when deer travel through the area, especially when bowhunting. Unavailable trees for hanging a stand can also occur when hunting near a crop field; white-tailed deer often feed and travel along the edges of the crops. To ensure that you are in the right place to provide a shot opportunity, you must be set up near the edge where there are no trees. A ground blind tucked up next to standing crops allows excellent concealment to get close to the deer.

Another great location to use a ground blind is when hunting an area that has been logged or features a lot of brushy areas. I have hunted areas that have been logged and found that deer movement is still good, yet there are often no trees big enough to hang a treestand. When no trees are available, I find where deer are traveling, then set up my ground blind instead.

Muddy ground blinds

  1. Cold Weather

It is common for temperatures to start falling below freezing in the mornings and evenings during the late season. Late-season hunters usually sit on food sources to catch deer storing up on food to stay warm and prepare for the winter ahead. Long sits in broad open areas such as crop fields, or food plots can become challenging to sit for an extended time.

To catch mature bucks up on their feet during the late season, one may have to sit until the very last light of the day. To sit all day and stay warm, a ground blind can make the hunt more enjoyable. Inside a blind, the hunter can keep out of the bone-chilling wind, plus one can use a small heater or dress heavily in insulated late-season gear. When sitting in colder temperatures while in a ground blind, I take my Yeti tumbler with hot coffee to help keep my body warm. If in a treestand, I could not get by with the movement, compared to sitting inside a concealed blind.

 

  1. Scent Control 

Scent control is on the top of my priority list each time that I deer hunt. I am a true believer in using a complete scent elimination regimen. My system consists of using Scent-A-Way laundry detergent on my hunting garments, spraying down my clothes, boots, and gear with Scent-A-Way odorless spray, as well as spraying down the exterior of my Muddy Blind with Scent-A-Way. To further my scent control practices, when hunting in an area where many deer will be at one time, such as a food plot, I like sitting in a ground blind to help control my human odors.

Sitting inside an enclosed area such as a ground blind helps mask the human odor from drifting in the breeze throughout the area you are hunting. Even though I still pay attention to wind direction and the use of scent elimination products, being inside of a confined ground blind is one more step to gain an advantage against one of the best noses in the wild.

When sitting in a ground blind overlooking a food source with several deer, I determine which way the wind is blowing and then close the downwind side of the blind to help deflect human scent away from nearby deer. In doing this, I can draw deer within bow range without them ever knowing I’m in the area.

The ground blind can often mislead hunters into thinking it is only to be used for the lazy hunter who wants to sit in a chair and wait on deer to appear. Today’s ground blinds are lighter weight than ever before. They are easy to carry and set up, and as explained with the above tips, hunters have discovered that they can be used as an effective tool in a deer hunter’s arsenal to become a more successful hunter.

5 Reasons To Use A Ground Blind When Deer Hunting

Ground Blind Tips With Drury Outdoors And Keith Beam

Ground Blind Tips With Keith Beam & Drury Outdoors -100% Wild Podcast

On a recent episode of Drury Outdoors 100% Wild Podcast, host Matt Drury and Tim Kjellesvik talk with Double Bull blind co-inventor and GSM Director of Product Innovation Keith Beam. During this podcast, Keith gives insight into the development of the Double Bull blind and what’s to be expected from Muddy’s line of ground blinds in the future. The guys share some laughs along with a few proven ground blind hunting tactics.

Roosted = Roasted | 2018 Muddy Turkey Camp

2018 Muddy Turkey Camp Hunt

By: Chris Dunkin 

Our annual Team Muddy Turkey Camp took place in Southern Iowa over the past week and it was nothing short of a great time! Not only were we fortunate to wrap our tags around 24 big longbeards during the first 4 days of Iowa’s season, but we were able to spend time with our good friends who are now like family! 

The first hunt that we are airing is actually the last hunt from our camp.  Muddy team member Spencer Watts hunted hard for the first 3 days of the season but came up short.  On the Wednesday evening before the last day, Cody Bonner and I hit the gravel roads in search of birds we could set up on the next morning with Spencer. I can’t stress enough how valuable roosting birds the previous evening can be for a turkey hunter. Knowing where they are roosted and where they want to be is really the majority of the battle when it comes to filling tags.

During the course of the last hour of light, we found three different groups of birds that we had the opportunity to hunt the next morning. I gave Spencer a call and let him know that we had found some birds to hunt if he was willing to make the 2.5-hour drive back to Southern Iowa.  It didn’t take much convincing and Spencer was on his way. After Spencer arrived at my house we analyzed our options from our scouting trip and decided to head to a farm that we had just gained permission on a few days before. This particular farm seemed like a good option as we knew where the birds had roosted, and we knew that they liked to head to this particular hay field first thing in the morning.   

Our alarms went off at 4 am and a short while later we were southbound. Temps were cold, but there was no wind. After arriving at the farm we set up our Muddy VS360 ground blind and swivel-ease ground chairs in the middle of the hay field and waited for the sun to come up.  A short time later the birds were hammering and we knew we were in store for an exciting hunt.

We gave a few soft yelps and putts while the birds were still in the tree.  Shortly after fly down a big tom entered the field and was heading our direction.  When we hunt turkeys out of our Muddy ground blinds we like to put our decoys close to the blind for a few reasons. First off, if a tom hangs up there is a better chance that he’ll still be within range. The other big reason is that we really like the rush of having a fired up tom in our laps, and with the ultra-dark interior that the ground blinds provide, we know that we can get away with it.   

The big tom rushed to the setup and it wasn’t long before he was attacking our jake decoy.  I cut hard on the call to try to get him to gobble but he had fighting on his mind. Hearing gobbles at 6 steps is a rush. Spencer had finally seen enough and let his 12-gauge bark.  

The final day of the 1st season, and Spencer was tagged out on the 24th bird of our Muddy turkey camp.

We can’t thank all of the landowners enough who allow us to hunt. We know we couldn’t do this without them!  Over the course of the next several weeks, I want to encourage you to follow along on all of our Muddy outlets as we bring you short videos from our recent turkey hunts!   

Keys To Our Hunt  

  1. Roosting the birds the evening before:  If the birds aren’t there, you can’t kill them.   
  2. Setting up our MuddyVS360 ground blind in a location that we knew the birds wanted to be from prior scouting. Once we knew they roosted on the farm, we knew exactly where to place our ground blind for the morning hunt.   
  3. Persistence- Spencer hunted hard and finally on the 4th day found success.   

Check out more content and our product line at www.gomuddy.com. 

How to set up a youth turkey hunt with ground blind | Muddy Outdoors

Ground Blinds | How to Set Up a Turkey Hunt for Youth Hunters

How to Set Up a Youth Turkey Hunt with Ground Blinds

Turkey hunting is a passion that is instilled in nearly every hunter come spring. Part of our responsibility as passionate hunters and conservationist should be bringing up the ranks with youth hunters. While taking youth hunters out hunting is nothing new to your ears, some tips may be useful. Here are some tips on how to set up a turkey hunt for youth hunters using ground blinds.

Taking youth hunting can be somewhat difficult, especially if you are feeling the pressure to make an incredibly good impression on them to make it stick. Commonly deer hunting is not where you want to start this process as it can be long, boring at times, and cold. Small game hunting is often the first hunt a youth can experience with minimal time spent and a lot of success. Turkey hunting is another great start for youth hunters. A normally quick hunt, in the comfort of a ground blind, and a unique heart thumping moment with a large bird gobbling his head off can be unforgettable for a youth hunter.

Youth Turkey Hunting Success
(Video)- Join Trophy Pursuit for some action packed youth turkey hunts in Iowa and Missouri. Shotguns, big ground blinds, turkey decoys, cameras, dead turkeys and some happy youth hunters make for an incredible episode.

Scouting

Like any turkey hunt scouting before you take a youth hunter out is critical. Scouting before the youth turkey season opens and making sure you find birds to hunt is the first step you should take. Find out where the gobblers roost, where the hens will feed, and which direction and pattern the birds work through routinely. Using trail cameras to scout for gobblers is also a technique that should be in use before a youth hunt. Gathering all this information will give you the perfect ambush spot to set a ground blind for the crew going out opening morning.

Ground Blind and Turkey Decoy Set Up

When it comes to youth hunter’s movement and focus is a very real struggle. Movement doesn’t work with turkeys so hunting from a ground blind is a must. While any ground blind might work for you when you solo hunt turkeys, ground blinds have requirements for turkey hunting with youth for the best experience.

  • Inconspicuous-A good hunting blind will be able to blend into the setting it is placed. Besides the obvious camo pattern, ground blinds have recently shift in the thought and ideal. The normal square ground blinds are now joined by popularity growing Bale Blinds. The bale blinds that are now available, create a perfect solution for certain turkey hunting situations, especially youth hunting.
  • Space-When it comes to turkey hunting with youth hunters, more space is better in a ground blind. Ground blinds with enough space for multiple hunters, will result in a fun and successful turkey hunt. A blind with ample room, a width around 64+ inches, is ideal. Youth hunters need space, an early morning nap, enough room for two or three chairs, and room for gear. The bigger the better.
  • Windows-This one’s obvious, the more windows, the more shooting angle and opportunities the youth hunter gets. A ground blind with multiple windows that allows a youth hunter to witness the hunt out of more than a tiny square window is ideal.
  • Dark Interior-Staying hidden inside the blind is a must for turkey hunting, especially with a squirming youth hunter inside. A flat black interior on a bind creates the ability to be invisible inside it when hunters also wear black.

How to set up a youth turkey hunt with ground blind | Muddy Outdoors

When setting up a turkey hunt for youth, place the ground blind, keep only the front window facing the decoys open, closing up the surrounding windows will restrict the light that’s coming into the blind, and get rid of any silhouettes. When hunting out of a blind, do not wear your normal camo pattern. Wear a black top, black hat, and apply face paint to darken your face, this will virtually eliminate any chance the birds see movement in the blind. Face paint also is fun for youth hunters so it’s not a bad idea that is purposeful. Set the turkey decoys up about 10 -20 yards away from the blind. Close birds are not desired, 20-30 yards is perfect for a youth hunter with a shotgun.

Other Considerations

The obvious considerations when taking youth hunting is safety first. This should go without saying that practicing firearm safety and being observant to potential other hunters is a must. Also be sure t make it fun. This turkey hunting trip won’t stick if it’s not fun. Being too serious, or too hard on a missed shot opportunity can spoil it fast. Get a spacious ground blind, bring some snacks, break out the face paint, take pictures, grab a video camera, and have fun every minute of the hunt.

Taking a youth hunter out turkey hunting should be on all of our list this spring. Study up on how to set up a youth turkey hunt and get a set of spurs in a young kids hands.