Master the Pop-Up Blinds

Master the Pop-Up Blinds

By David Holder

As soon as the buck walked out of sight, I hit the antlers. Two minutes later, he was standing on the edge of the food plot looking for the fight he just heard. My cameraman and myself were sitting in a ground blind right smack dab in the middle of the food plot in a blind that I had put up weeks prior. The buck paid no attention to the blind as he closed the distance closer and closer. He came until finally, he was within bow range. Today, he graces the wall of my office, all because of a ground blind strategically placed where a stand couldn’t possibly have gone. That’s only one of several successful blind hunts I could share with you.

This may sound crazy but I’m here to tell you it’s true, there’s an art to hunting from a pop-up (hub style) blind. Like anything else there are pros and cons. Sometimes the pros outweigh the cons and hunting from a pop-up blind is definitely one of those instances. So, let’s see if we can help you master that art!

Advantages of a Pop-Up Blind
ThYour first question might be why a pop-up style blind over any of the other styles. There are multiple reasons I like the pop-up over other style blinds. How many other blinds can give you the protection from the elements, allow you to hunt almost anywhere, and yet allow you to pick up and move in a matter of seconds? The answer is none. You see, all the other blinds may be great in the right situation, but you will have to give up something for them to be effective.

With that being said, there are times when you will catch me in another style blind and that’s a hard sided blind. A hard sided blind is awesome in the right situation, and the right situation is late season hunting when weather conditions can be brutal. The hard sided blind definitely gives you an added protection from the elements and can be placed in a multitude of locations, but try moving one to a new location in a matter of seconds or even minutes, it’s not happening.

Now that we have decided on the style, what do we look for in features to help us select the exact blind we need? It’s honestly rather simple. I want the best blind I can find for the money.

Cheaper blinds mean cheaper materials and labor which corresponds to a blind that may work great for a season. However, I know it won’t last, especially if I want to leave it up in the elements. I look for a blind with solid fiberglass rods and hub designs that are built to withstand thousands of openings and closings. I look for a heavy-duty fabric. Yes, I know this will add to the weight of my blind, but I would rather carry a little extra weight and know my blind will last for several years rather than have a blind that’s easier to carry but falls apart before the first season is even complete.

Next, I want a blind that affords some visibility with ample shooting opportunity in its window designs. I am not a fan of the old-style portal windows to shoot through. I am much happier with the horizontal sliding style windows. These windows afford me the ability to shoot a much larger range left to right and they allow me to close the windows up making it much more difficult for animals to spot me.

Use You Blind to its Full Potential
Do you know how to use it to its fullest potential? Let’s look at a few things we need to know about our newfound high end hunting tool.

The first thing you must do to get your money out of your blind, is use it. I don’t know how many hunters I talk to that have a blind but have never deployed it. The natural next step is to understand some of the intricacies that are going to make us more effective when using it.

When you deploy the blind, point the corner of the blind that centers the window opening exactly where you plan to shoot. This will give you the best opportunity for cleanly letting an arrow fly. If you become proficient at setting up a ground blind specific for a shot, you will become better overall at predicting your shot locations, which will help in any and all scenarios. In my mind, this will make you a better hunter.

Camouflaging Your Blind
Next, we have a decision to make: do I brush in my blind or not?

When it comes to brushing in a blind or leaving it unbrushed, I do both, just depends on the situation. If I am chasing turkeys, or deer for that matter, and I plan to leave the blind in an agriculture field for several weeks, I don’t bother adding brush to camouflage the blind. I simply allow the animals to get used to it in the field. I wish there was a set amount of time I could tell you that it takes for animals to get used to a new blind in the field but I think it just depends on how quickly and how many animals get to experience it. As a rule of thumb, I would give them at least a week.

Now, if I want to take that same blind and put it in the timber to hunt a big buck I just discovered traveling through my area, I’m going to brush it in. Keep in mind when I say brush it in, I mean brush it in so well that you could climb in it when you are done and know that nothing could pick you off. I can tell you on more than one occasion while hunting whitetails I have brushed in a blind and hunted it that same day with great success. The key to making a blind disappear is getting rid of the outline, primarily the roof outline. Here is where another added blind feature can be tremendously helpful. The feature is the sewn in materials on the outside of the blind that are designed to hold limbs and brush. Don’t get me wrong you can brush in a blind without the feature but having the material will save not only time but the amount of brush it takes to make your blind disappear. Always stand back and look and see what the deer will see when they come by. If you see any chinks in you armor, fix them. One flaw and all your work is for nothing, so take your time and do it right the first time. When you walk away, you should have a blind that is brushed in so well that you could climb in it now and know nothing will detect you.

We are now ready to hunt. There are a few things you must remember when hunting out of a ground blind. First, it’s vitally important that you understand you are on eye level with your quarry. Don’t take any chances, wear all black from the waist up. This includes gloves and a face covering or black paint. Black is going to allow you to blend in to the shadows your blind creates making you almost invisible, as long as you stay towards the back of the blind and out of the windows.

Practice Like You’re Hunting
The last two tips are simple but crucial for success. You’re going to have to choose whether you shoot from your chair, or if you are going to get out of your chair and shoot from your knees. I personally, I have done both, but I prefer to shoot from my knees. Notice I say knees and not knee, shooting from one knee is not stable and if done incorrectly can lead to disastrous results and even injuries. Whichever way you choose to shoot, make sure you practice doing it before going into the field. Take the time to set the blind up on the range and shoot a few arrows. Make sure you practice the same way you plan to hunt. This kind of practice will pay off, I promise.

Last but not least every time you set up your blind, draw your bow as if you’re going to shoot and check for clearance from both your cams. More importantly, check your arrow is not contacting the blind at the bottom of the window. I can count on both hands how many folks I have seen shoot the bottom of their blind without their arrow making it to the animals.

Always check and then check again just to be sure.

So, there you have it, a guide to a positive experience in a pop-up ground blind. Just remember ground blinds can be great tools when used correctly, but they can be true game changers when they are mastered. Pay attention to the little details, and before you know it you too will be tagging animals from a pop-up ground blind. God Bless and Good Hunting!