We all know the advantages of a ladder stand or climbing stand, but sometimes that is not an option when there are no trees with sufficient size, or the terrain is not conducive. A shooting house or tripod stand offers some opportunities but takes some effort to build or construct and usually some help from a friend. Enter the good old ground or pop up blind. Ground Blinds are economical, set up quick, offer protection from the elements, usually have sufficient room to take a kid with you and best of all, are very effective for concealment.

There are a few tips in deploying and using a ground blind that can make their use more enjoyable and successful.

Choose the right blind!  There are a myriad of styles and sizes available from a single covered shooting chair size to a blind big enough for a small family to live in. Choose a blind that best suits your style of hunting.  Consider if you are bowhunting or gun hunting. How much room do you need? Are you planning on having another person with you? Is the blind going to be set up for the season or moved frequently? Some of the smaller spring steel blinds open and set up with a simple flip of the wrists and are run and gun but usually one-man use. The larger hub style blinds take a while to set up but are much more sturdy and can off much larger sizes.

Choose the best location. Once you choose your blind, consider the setup location that gives you the best vantage for seeing and preparing for the target as it approaches. Finding the most level spot as possible will increase the comfort for a long hunt. Clear the ground from limbs and leaves to keep the ground under your feet as quiet as possible. No matter how good the camo pattern is on your blind take the time to brush it in with branches and weeds to break the silhouette from the blind if possible. Keep in mind a travel route to your blind is important in location as to not spook any game on entry or exit.

Have a comfortable chair that you can easily pivot around in quietly to check all viewing ports. While a ground blind offers some limited protection on scent control and movement detection use the same cautions you’d use on an elevated stand for optimum results.

In conclusion, ground blinds can be a very effective way to hunt when used correctly. Remember that unlike fixed stands if anything changes during the hunt, pick up and move as needed. Properly maintained and stored correctly they should last many years.