Ground Blinds

Looking at different options for ground blinds. I have never used one. Always had either box blinds or tree stands. I have found at cabelas they have the Ameristep Backcountry on sale. Also I had heard good things about Killzone. Just wondering if anyone had any advice for me.

Also is this something that I would pack in with me and set up or leave up for a while in the field? Would it get tore up?

I have some blinds and use them for turkey. Turkey don't mind a blind put up same day. Deer will shy away from them for a week or two. I have used mainly Ameristep and have been happy. They all will fade and get torn up if left out. Mice, squirrels will eat holes in them so I am reluctant to spend a couple hundred on a blind. They do serve a purpose and for deer you will want to brush in for best results. I don't like them for early fall because they are so hot especially on afternoon hunts. I like natural blinds better. Use a wire base and add brush each year. They are cooler during the day and deer don't pay any attention to them.

I have to disagree. The experience I had with mine, the deer did just the opposite. They came from over a hundred yards away to 35 yds to just "check it out". I don't know how close they would have got, cause that's when my boy pulled the trigger. Another thing I don't do is brush it in. I do however, like to back it up to thick stuff, like cedar, yaupon, or a plum thicket. The one time I did brush it in, the deer did shy away from it. I use mine mainly in Kansas and I have seen shooter bucks walk right by it at 15 yds and never pay no mind to it. Only bad thing about that, I was bow huntin in a lock-on 100 yards away, and could only watch!!

i love pop ups, for bowhunting i would get one with the long and skinny corner windows. i havent seen deer shy away from them at all either. i put one up around lunch on the last sunday of the season last year, not brushed in at all, didnt see anything that night but one of the best bucks on the place was standing 15 yards in front of it the next morning till 8am eating corn....one day too late!

also, FWIW, it is a $100 ameristep, brickhouse i think, its been out in a huge creek bottom since that sunday in january, its been through 3ft floods and is still in place and still in good shape.

I used the ameristep dog house blind and I was happy with the results. it can withstand a moderate amount of abuse, but for the money I felt it was a good value.


I put it up on two occasions on two separate properties and had deer within range eating at the feeder the first day.


one I brushed in pretty well, the other not so well. I was hesitant to use one but once I bought it, I can never go back. they just offer so much more concealment than being in a tripod

I put mine up 2 weeks ago, in a clump of brush. Cleared a spot in the middle. Enough brush no cows bother, the deer seem to be use to it, no prob with hogs.
Last year had a hard rain and hail, the top was penetrated, had to spray some of that rubber spray to seal the holes. I was in it at the time.

My experience in West Texas has been deer will avoid a new pop-up blind for a few weeks.

Last year I was hunting a blind that I moved a week earlier, when I saw a buck pop out of the tree line (~100 yards). He took one look in the direction of the blind, turned around and left.

I couldn't get a clear shot, and I never saw him again

Great info. I think I will go ahead and get one and leave it up through bow hunting season. Seems like it will make it for a while especially if I pick it up after that. I can get back in my box blind after bow season. Thanks for all of the help.

This was my pop up last year. I never got one in range but never got winded either HAHA!!! The cows and wind made very short work of three blinds last year.

Can you shoot through the screen on a pop up blind with a mechanical broadhead? Will it make the broadhead open and cause the arrow to fly differently?

Some companies claim that you can, but the best thing to do is shoot at your target thru the mesh and see how it works. My spitfires didn't work good thru my mesh.

I wouldn't use mechanicals through the mesh.

I have tried 5 different pop ups and like the double bull the best. It is expensive but I found the durability and windows were better than the others. My next purchase will be the rhino. I have heard great things and seem to be extremely similar to the double bull for much less. Couple of the guys on here have provided reviews for them and had great things to say.