Killing East Texas Bucks out of Pop-Up Blinds

Some people claim you cannot fool a deer in ETX hunting out of a pop-up. You have to be high up out of their wind or as the joke goes hunt the ETX deer at night. But the older I get I'm not comfortable hunting out of ladder stands like I used to be and have considered hunting exclusively out of pop-ups. I am curious if anyone else hunts ETX such as Harrison, Panola, Gregg, Cass counties out of pop-ups and is successful killing bucks out of pop-ups. I would love to hear some success stories and tips.

We use to hunt the national forest. I would use a climbing stand and my wife would use a popup blind.
She killed several 8 pointers from it . Just try and brush it in real good. Wind is everything.

Don't know that I'd want to bow-hunt from a popup in East Texas....but rifle sure.

Get far enough away, have a clear view, a steady rest and the wind in your favor, shouldn't be a problem.

Yes you can kill east texas bucks out of pop up blinds. Brush them in and honor the wind. If you try to force it and hunt with the wind in the deers favor, it probably won’t go well.

I wasn't specific. I was talking about bowhunting. What are your thoughts on bowhunting from a pop-up?

I would say that bowhunting out of a pop up blind anywhere is very difficult - not exclusive to East Texas.

If you were to set up the blind months in advance and let it become part of the natural habitat, it would greatly increase your odds...but, of course, that is not the typical way a pop up is used/deployed.

I’ve hunted in pop up with crossbow at the lease here ETex. I’d had my feeder at 40ish yards and was spotted every time. Well the two times I’ve seen deer. I’ve lowered one screen half way first time and was advised to leave screen on and shoot through. I was still busted by a doe.

Eugene

Pop up and crossbow will work fine. You just have to set up with the wind in mind. Some have two pop ups on the same feeder for that very reason.

Works just fine. Try to set it well before season so the deer get used to it or make sure you brush it in well. You have to make sure your downwind of deer. I have had deer come right up to the popup and were totally unconcerned.

same, should have no problem

I know it is weird, but the cows on my lease chew up the pop up blinds I have put out. I tried to put them out when I was going to hunt so the human smell would dissipate a week before hunting. I did it 2 times to come back to a heavily damaged pop up blind.

I then bought a fiberglass blind on a tower.

I guess I could have hung them in a tree to get the human smell out of them.

When I set out pop ups in etex, either I got busted, or they disappeared. Including on a family owned property.
If you can find a safe spot tucked up against a tree your just as well off! Don’t sit on the same spot consistently! Lots of elevation change in that area, use it to your advantage!

If you go to Texasbowhunter.com you will find a butt load of bowhunters that hunt out of pop up blinds. You can't do like you would hunting turkeys (set up and hunt out of same day) Like others have said set up early, brush in really good, set it up to play the prevailing winds.

Bowhunting from a pop up is probably the most effective setup to bowhunt a whitetail deer.

Remarkably effective. Not 100%, but imo the most effective route all things considered.

I’ve shot a few deer out of a pop up I’ve set up the same day. Do it right they don’t notice

I’ve probably killed at least 50 deer out of a pop up with a bow and rifle within 50 yards. Brush it in good and you can kill one the same day, I’ve done it a ton of times and it’s been the most effective blind I’ve ever used. I have no clue as to the effectiveness of one without brushing it in good but if you cover it in brush it’s a killer set up. The biggest deer I’ve ever taken which was 189”s was killed out of one the same day I set it up, matter of fact I killed it within 2 hours of it being popped up at about 40 yards. Covering it in brush is the key to making it work IMO, Cedar or pine limbs work the best and just leave a small hole to shoot out of in each window on no more than 2 sides.

I usually set my popup around Sept.1 with brush around the bottom. I then put up a black curtain that surrounds the three sides with small holes(4"x6"). I have deer within 15 yards. When the wind is in the wrong dir. some deer spook some don't. For me...the prevailing wind comes from the North.(up wind) Great blind to hunt out of.

I would say it’s better than nothing, temper your expectations and get out there and enjoy your time in the woods.

I don’t care who you are or what you do, if you don’t put the time in the woods you are not going to kill anything. But if you put in the time, every dog will have his day!

Yes sir. Does not seem like it's going to be easy but it can be done

This. ^^^ When I hunt from the ground, I like to use natural cover. Pop ups are a pain, and haven't worked well for me in the past.

I wonder how I have managed to still hunt a couple of East TX deer. How can such a mythical beast fall to simple still hunting methods? Yet I have done it.

Set mine up this year and covered that sucker in cedars including the top. Sat in truck scouting wheatfield and the second day a doe walked up and smelled around it. Figured if I fooled her I was in good shape. Left small openings in two windows and if wind was wrong I didn't go.

Stole this photo from somebody here on THF, but it gives you an ideal of hunting out of a blind.

I don’t know what you’re going to use if not a pop up blind. Everywhere I know of you have to move your blind after 30 days according to the law. But nobody follows that law, there are tree stands and platforms throughout the woods that have been there for years and years unmarked. You just can’t get away with it using a ground blind because it will be stolen or destroyed.

I had a conversation about it with a landowner, with property adjacent to my favorite piece of public ground. He and some of his relatives try, but he claims that there are groups of anti-hunters that come through and snap every fiberglass rod in every ground blind they have set out and they don’t last long. They also stole the bottom part of the ladder to their ladder stands.

So if you plan to leave it up awhile you gotta hide it from man, not deer. Easy pop ups you can take home with you are probably as good as it gets.

We have a family place in Tyler county, we use pop ups all the time. We have 4 permanent stands, and move around in the popups as needed. They work great ! I like to carve a little hole out of the yaupon scrub and stick them in the middle. We have great luck with them bow hunting.

I've killed some from pop up blinds in NE Texas. Brush them in, and pay attention to wind. One tip, I use the blinds with a floor made on them.
Got tired of those "legless lizards" taking up residence...

This is a problem I worry about.

How do you guys control your scent in a pop-up?

Watch the wind and I dig around on the ground with my boot to stir the soil up making a fresh earthy scent. You definitely have to play the game wind and scent control but if I were given an option of picking one type of blind to hunt out of it would be a pop up. I’d you can’t kill a deer out of one your either not brushing it In good enough or you smell like a dead rhino’s @$$.

Thanks. I hunt in Harrison County. My hardwoods were destroyed in 2016 by a tornado. I hunt a pipeline. I have 2 feeders with a rifle blind in the middle. My plan is to set up a pop-up in the brush 20-25 yards from each feeder to bowhunt. I worry about snakes and I know my scent will be the biggest killer.

I hear so much on here about everyrhing getting stolen in East Texas. I've hunted here my whole life and never had a problem. Maybe I've just been lucky so far.... I don't know.

I agree on the blinds with floors sewn in. I have 4 and only one has a floor. I definitely notice that I spend the most time in the one with the floor when I’m hunting antelope and it’s still warm out. Trouble is not a lot of companies make them with floors anymore. Must be a price point issue