New to ground blinds

[bds9]

Ok guys, I need help. I also wanna say that I have a new found respect for ground blind hunters. The first thing I found out, Deer hate them!!! at least they hate mine anyways! I set up my new blind my wife bought me for my birthday last weekend, sprayed it down with everything I had (I actually bought the three pack spray bottles of HS fresh earth spray) which I thought would help with the scent. I also thought that a week of this blind being set up would give the deer some time to get used to it. Boy was I wrong! I had deer blowing for an hour at me! The wind direction was perfect for where I was hunting, but I assume the deer saw my blind (which I thought I brushed in very well) and then circled downwind. So needles to say my setup was a disaster and I'm a little frustrated with it. Also, what in the world do you guys sit on!? I bought two little blind stools that they sell at Wal-Mart for ten bucks, they are the most uncomfortable thing ever!! My blind was on a slight slope so I kinda had to hold myself up the entire time I sat with one leg. Well I woke up this morning and that leg is sore as shit!! I can barely walk on it. Now I'm not extremely out of shape and not that old, I'm 28, 6'2" and 205lbs. I can climb any hill, sit in my treestand all day, drag deer, hang stands, drive deer all week or whatever and I NEVER get sore like I am today! So what Kind of seat do I need to buy to keep this from happening? And what else can I do to cover the scent of my blind? I wish I had taken a pic of it cuz I still believe it's brushed in pretty well and am kinda shocked they even seen it.

[bds9]

Oh, and also, I had a small buck come through right at last light and he didn't care at all that I was there. He stopped broadside at 15 yards and I just drew back on him for practice, When I drew back I noticed that I could barely see my pins on my sight. Is there any tricks other than using a flashlight to illuminate my pins?

[hortontoter]

Welcome to the challenge of hunting treeless. My first advice would have been to have your blind up by at least Sept. 1, preferably earlier. I build permanant box stands at my place. They stay in place all the time and the deer get used to them. Pop ups need to be in place a while so the deer find them not to be a threat. I'd say the deer were blowing at the change in their environment, not because they knew you were in that new brushpile that appeared recently. Give it sometime and they will act like the little buck did.

Can't give you any advice on seeing your pins. My scope on my crossbow gathers light which is a big help that last few minutes of daylight.

[Big_Holla]

A lot of sights have ways to add some sort of light. Check the website for the brand you have and see if anything is available. There are additional lights that can be added as well. As far as the blind goes it's hard to say. Sometimes you can put one up and they don't notice a thing, other times they do what they did to you. Perhaps they saw you move inside though. Never put your face up to the window to look out as they can spot you easily that way. Wear the darkest clothing you have inside, some even wear just black. As far as your seat goes you need to find something comfortable, even if it's an old kitchen chair. Needs to be comfortable first and foremost if you plan to sit long, secondly it needs to be quiet. If the ground under the seat is uneven you need to take a shovel or something to level it out. I use a camouflage folding stool with a back on it. Often it gets uncomfortable so I take extra jackets to put on seat or back to help make it comfy.

[ajupsman]

This is my fourth season using ground blinds and I have had some success using them. The deer and other animals will get used to them with time. I set mine up around Labor Day weekend which is two weeks before our season starts in NH. I've never had a deer run the other way but I have had them blow before like you said. I've also had deer not care less that it was there even when I had just set it up an hour before. I once had a young doe come within 5 feet of my window. I could have poked her in the nose with an arrow if I wanted to. They are great for hiding movement but as Big Holla said don't put your bare face right in the window. It will stand out. I put a sight on my bow this year that has a light on it to light up the pins when I need it. It works great. Also the best blind chair I've found by far is the Primo Double Bull QS3 Magnum Tri-Stool. I've done all day sits in these chairs without a problem. I still hunt out of tree stands but I have found blinds are handy to have when there are no good trees around.

[BIGHUNTOH]

I use a fold up lounger chair in my blind, I can sit all day comfortably in it. I also use a propane heater in the winter months and never had problems. Good luck

[Bushman]

This is my first year using them as well and im finding theres a learning curve involved lol.

[buckeyehuntr]

i have used a ground blind(s) exclusively for five years now and alot of the wisdom from earlier posts are correct. I get all my blinds, feeders etc out on sept 1st, labor day weekend. brushing them in is fine but having them there for a time is way more important. the other thing ive really noticed is if you close up the windows when not hunting they really notice them when they are open when you are hunting, try to leave them as close to hunting situations as possible. Watch the sun, if your blind is situated so the sun shines in on you they will notice you. I sit right against the back of my blinds and i wear a large black shirt over everything. A few deer seem to never notice me and each year i have a few does normally who spook every time they see the blind, bad experience maybe! i have had to dig the ground to level plenty of times also. I use a fold up camo chair from wally world but to make it really comfy i sit on a camo hot seat and i use a boat cushion for my back. I typically sit from an half hour before daylight until 1-130pm so i need to be comfy. Hope this helps and good luck

[Stonegod]

Like hortontotor said...."welcome to the challenge of hunting deer treeless".....it's not easy but alot of fun!! I use a camo folding type director's chair in most of my blinds and a squeakless swivel stool in my blind that has more than one prime/main shooting direction/window. As for set up time I usually get mine up no later than labor day. I also like tucking them up alongside a deadfall or near a large standing tree so the don't stick out like a sore thumb!lol I camo them from the branches I clear from my shooting lanes.

[bds9]

I did a few of the things mentioned above, I didn't have to cut any shooting lanes, but I did have to cut a few smaller saplings to help with my brush in. The blind is directly under a big ol cedar tree and I'm pretty sure digging to level it out is gonna be harder than it sounds but I'll try. I'm pretty sure I'm gonna hit some roots! But I did leave both of my windows open that I would normally need open for shooting. And I woulda had the blind out earlier, if I had owned it earlier! I literally just got it last saturday as my birthday just passed! So I did set it up sunday, I guess I'm just kinda shocked that after a week they were still treating it like that. And Thanks for the input on the seat, I'm gonna try something new, just not sure which one yet! I'm still hobbling around like an old man!! I don't think the deer seen me, I'm pretty sure they only saw the blind or smelled it one. I was pretty still the entire time and could hear the deer coming before they got to me and blew their heads off. Also, I'm kinda leary about this shoot through mesh. I assume it must work, but I'm just sitting there thinking the whole time that a giant buck is gonna come along and I'm gonna miss him or wound him becuase the mesh affected my arrow flight!(cuz I know there is no chance of buck fever or anything) I'd also like to hear some input on the mesh to ease my concern.

[Big_Holla]

Can't shoot a mechanical through the mesh if you have them. I feel they block my vision too much and I still am not comfortable shooting even a fixed blade through it. If the roots are a problem then maybe you can build something up instead. Dirt and a comfortable pad may work. May even find an old chair and cut the back legs off to get it level.

[radicalxl]

I will add just a few things. The first year I started using a blind was about 6 years ago. I have an Ameristep penthouse blind and it has now been up for the 4th year without it being taken down ever, it is still in good shape. The first year I had no deer around it at all. Now that it has been a permanent fixture, I've killed deer out of it every year for the last 4 seasons. And as far as the mesh, I shot so many arrows through mine before it was ever in the woods, I had to replace it before I used it for real. I shot fixed blade then and never had a problem shooting through it. It amazed me because I was really sceptical. As far as the chair, I have never found one for me to be comfortable and quiet enough to suit me. I am soon gonna be 58 and have had 8 knee surgeries. This is why I am not bowhunting much this year and maybe alot less in the future. I spent 2 hrs in it opening day and have been sore since then. It will work for you, just leave it out if you can and they will get used to it. Good luck.

[Stonegod]

Can't shoot a mechanical through the mesh if you have them. I feel they block my vision too much and I still am not comfortable shooting even a fixed blade through it. If the roots are a problem then maybe you can build something up instead. Dirt and a comfortable pad may work. May even find an old chair and cut the back legs off to get it level.

I'm with big_holla on shooting through the mesh, I'm just not comfortable trying it.....I keep the mesh on all my windows except the primary shooting window. If something comes across one of the mesh windows I'll take a shot if it feels right. Trouble is that last season I had numerous chances to shot through the mesh windows but it was always during last light and the view through the mesh in the dim light always had me second guessing myself and holding my shot.

[Newbowhunter32]

As far as the stool goes, I bought this stool last year for hunting from the ground.

http://www.amazon.com/Ameristep-829-Tripod-Swivel-Stool/dp/B001BA46EO/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1349828007&sr=8-2&keywords=hunting+stool

It has no back, which may be an issue, but it is great to use on ground that is not level because each leg telescopes in and out easily so you can adjust to unlevel terrain without much trouble...maybe you could find a stool that has a backrest as well as telescoping legs.

[Greybeard11]

I agree with the tips above. I usually have to dig to get my chair level. I prefer a fold up camp chair,but they can be very noisy especially in

[Greybeard11]

Sorry...especially in cold weather. The best one I ever found is made of soft mesh. It is very quiet even in cold weather. Problem is I cannot find more of them anywhere. Also I prefer no arms on my chair, they seem to get in the way. Practice shooting from whatever you sit in. I have found that I have to set my chair angled to my target. I once tried to draw and my drawing arm hit the back of the chair....that didn't turn out well!!!! Good luck.

[bds9]

Thanks for all of the input guys! I'm undecided on what to do about the mesh. I guess I'm gonna have to take a target down there and try it out.

[hortontoter]

In your one post you said you were surprised that it still bothered the deer after a week. Some deer in your area may not amble by your blind until it has been up for a month or more. So to those deer they will see it as somthing new in the landscape. Until each individual deer in your area gets used to its presence your going to have a few that never saw it before.

I've never shot through mesh so can't help you there. All my permant stands have wooden floors. One has a swivel bar stool, one has a fold up metal stool with a back and the last one I just sit Indian style on the floor. The one I sit on the floor in was made to be as low profile as possible due to the area it is set up in.