Went out this past weekend to help Marc (PitchforkPredator) finish up a couple ground blinds at his lease. He already had the ground leveled out and hog panels in place so all we had to do is add another hog panel on top, put on the tarp, brush it in and get the pop up setup inside. The reason Marc chose this method is simple. Keep the cows from destroying the blind and keep Mother Nature from destroying the blind. The tarp alone should add atleast a year or two to the popup just by keeping the sun off of it all day long and it actually made it much cooler inside the popup blind. The hog panels served multiple purposes one being keeping cows away from the blind the other it made brushing in the blind very easy bc we just either zip tied brush to the panels or wove it through. After getting the blind in place we covered the bottom flaps with dirt to keep animals out (mostly rattle snakes) All in all it turned out prob better than we expected and the wildlife didn't seem to pay the new addition to their areas any attention. By the time bow season is upon us I don't think the deer will even give it a second glance. These pictures don't do the blinds justice, when Marc was in the blind I couldn't see him moving at all bc it was so dark inside the blind thanks in part to the tarp and good placement up against brush and a dark background.

I've got 4 places I'd like that type set up built in. Nothing like waiting until 100 temp days for bowseason prep which I'll be headed to do next week too.

That's a darn good idea.

It really wasn't too bad. We did most of the work early morning late evening and its really not that hard to do with two guys.

Thanks for all your help Scott!

A few more details...

I wired 2 hog panels together in a circle and then drove the posts. Used two panels for the roof. Cut down some of the section in the back where the door is and in front where my shooting windows are. I used the Cabelas XL ground blinds (179.99 each). I had about $250.00 total cost in each one.

Also recommend you use dead cedar trees if possible to brush it in so the color stays the same and the amount of cover as well. Cut the branches off as long and whole as possible and stand them up like trees wired or zip tied to the hog panels.

Might have to give that a try this year.

Good idea I might steal from. Have lost more than one pop-up ground blind to cows in years past. How are you getting into it? Climbing over the hog panel? Or cut some sort of door?

I did basically the same thing 15-20 years ago. I used regular 40 gage rolled wire. Made it big enough to hold two people. Surrounded the wire with camo tarps and brush as you did. But I did put blue tarp on the ground, you'll still get critters in there. These were excellent blinds and they'll last you far longer than you believe. This is in east Texas with a lot of shade, but they held up extremly well, and killed a lot of deer from them. I think you'll love it!! Good luck. One more thing-mine were cool in the heat during Oct-Nov, but they are miserable in the cold!!

I cut down a few rows on the section of the panel in the back where the door is.

Nice setup.

Got a couple similar to that. I put a pop up inside one and first hunt I had a black widow and a brown recluse in it. Needless to say I never hunted that pop up again

always a good idea to big bomb them before season starts

I wrestle mountain lion on my way to the blind I don't worry about itsy bitsy spiders

^^^^^

ceder dies and turns brown

yep but if you use already dead cedar it stays that way yr round. It doesn't start off green and then die and turn brown a month later, which is why we used already dead cedar.

That and you did it early enough where it won't matter come hunting season.

We have had those on camera as well but I don't play with those itsy spiders

That looks too much like a snakes den. Closed up like that mice will use it as a home, and snakes will being looking for a meal.

I agree with dogcatcher

Nice looking set up, looks like it will last a while.

Been hunting out here ten years, haven't had a snake in my pop up ever. But I'm not stupid enough to not check for them before entering. Snakes have better places to den up in our terrain. Mice have a bait station inside the wire panels that I'm happy to feed them if their hungry, lol.

Thanks for the info, I never would of guessed!

SNAKES WILL LOVE IT