With hunting season over I'm thinking about a ground Blind for next year. I don't want to spend $400.00 on a blind. The Ameristep Dog House has been suggested to me by a friend, but he shoots a Wheelie. I know they are 60" square X 68" Tall. I'm 6'-3" & like my Hill 22" longbow.
Who has experience with this blind? Is it a good one? Thanks Frank
I just bought the Ameristep G-20 blind that has the same dimensions.
I have not hunted out of it, just got it last week. I have set it up though in the house and drew my 58" shrew back a few times on a little tripod chair.
There was plenty of room to move a little and have a buddy with a camera next to me.
For the price I was very pleased with the construction and function. I did only pay $40 for it off E*** .
I would recommend it, but like I said, have not tried shooting yet.
jake
I have a carbon venture I bought and have never used, is 91" hub to hub and am thinking like 7' tall..bought it to hunt with my 64" LB and we lost our hunting rights and had to hunt public lands. Didnt want to constantly be setting it up and brushing it in every weekend so Im going to sell it. I can let you have it for $150 + s&h which is about $25. Its not on the carbon venture website as I think it was exclusive to Sams Wholesale
i used one this year and if you use the mesh windows they are real tight realy hard to shoot a trad bow out of i was shooting my super kodiac which is a short bow and it was still to small for me bow almoost hits the front and your elbow hits the back if i was you id try to go bigger you wont be sorry my 2 cent coon crazy
I'd agree with cooncrazy....the bigger the blind, the easier it is to hunt out of. I had the same problem of the limbtips hitting the roof of the blind when I was standing up to shoot, in the heat of the moment I forgot to pay attention to where the tips were. Fortunately, it didn't cost me a deer....this time anyway.
Next year, I plan to set the blind up so I can shoot from a stool.
yea bare trak i used a 5 galon bucket with a swivel top it worked nice could care all kinds of stuff like extra clotes food scent ect in bucket worked real nice
I have a Dog House blind, and it's not large on the inside at all. It's actually easier to shoot my 56" Check Mate out of it than my 32" compound, and this is why.... Since the compound has a "let off", when I was trying to draw it back in that confined space, when it hit the "let off" spot, my elbow hit the back of the blind and I inadvertently jerked and released the string, sending a broadhead tipped arrow through the blind - not where I intended to put it through either. Glad I was not near anything that I could have hurt, but that spooked me so bad, I never tried it again. My recurve, however, canted and drawn smoothly, produced much better results and gave me a bit more confidence in it. But... even with a short bow like that 56", I still brushed the top and sides with the limb tips. In the end, I decided to use the Dog House only for turkey hunting with a shotgun. I'm going to get a Double Bull for shooting my bows from. They may be expensive, but I think they may be worth it - I don't own one yet, but I will before next season.
BTW... of note - I left the Dog House blind set up this season. A strong wind snapped the criss-cross fiberglass roof poles and ripped the top of the blind. I sewed the material back together, and I'm trying to contact Ameristep to get replacement poles before Spring Turkey season gets here. If they won't sell me replacement poles at a decent price, I'll just throw the Dog House away. I bought mine from E-*** too because it was cheap, so I don't want to spend much money repairing it.
Another "By the Way".... the material on the Dog House is a bit "shiny" for my taste. I could see it from a distance when walking through the woods. If I can see it...
All the best,
Glenn
I've used several ground blinds. I started with the cheap ones and worked my way up. If I would have bought the DB first it would have cost me about the same. Some of the cheaper blinds the material shines. I've mudded them and brush them in but when the sun hits them just right they shine like a new pair of shoes. Other cheap ones the material flaps. Here in Kansas we have wind and if the material isn't stretched tite it will flap and it does spook deer or turkeys. I shoot a Pronghorn 62" LB and I have to cant the bow more than normal to shoot it out of the blind. With a lot of practice it can be done. Glenn
I agree with selfbowyer I bought several of the cheaper blind and now that I have a double bull I would have come out money ahead if I would have just bought it first. This is an investment that will last a long time instead of 1 or 2 seasons mine is 8 years old and as good as the day I bought it.
I agree with the other guys, don't waste your time and money with the cheaper blinds. And if you buy the double bull make sure you buy the one made for traditional bows. It's called the recurve option.
Good Luck
I have never tried a ground blind commercially made. What are the advantages or positive things that guys like about them? I had always made blinds with sticks and such. The fact that my feet touch the ground and I cannot fall 20 plus feet is a positive. But with my feet on the ground, I always had the irresistible urge to get up and walk to the next "hot spot". Maybe an enclosed blind will cause me to stay put.
We use a combination of commercial blinds, and natural blinds. We have used them to great success over the past two and one half seasons. We use what works, so stalking(perfered),treestands, still hunting, and ground blinds, which have the greatest flexibility.
We have decided that 400.00 is way to much to spend. We currently have two, getting ready to purchase a third Eastman's blinds.
The super large size boast of 91 inches of ceiling height, and 71 inches hub to hub. That is larger, and more roomy than anything being produced by DoubleBull or any one else. It has enough room for my girlfriend and I to hunt side by side while both shooting longbows. Shoot through netting, camera ports, and easy to brush in, if required.
I have purchase two on E-bay,brand new in the box, with the last one costing me about 170.00 out the door, the first one I purchased I got for 190.00 out the door, still a steal.
They come in two sizes, so look for the one that has the 91 inch center height. I can honestly stand, and shoot in this blind.
(http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc14/blackwidowbowman/Picture009.jpg)
I agree with everyone else. Spend the money on the Double Bull, its well built,sturdy and has plenty of room to shoot.It is very sturdy for windy conditions and has tie downs for really windy days.At first i thought it was too big but after setting up and using it,its just right.One of the owners(?)/staff shooters for double bull uses the recurve in many hunts and has no issues with the size of his bow,but it is a bit smaller then most recurves. I had 3 different types before i purchased the DB and i wont buy anything else.jm2cents.
I've used the DB and personally wouldn't pay half of the asking price-bulky, heavy, hard to pack, etc. I would look at the groudnmax escape deluxe.
DB(Standard size not the Recurve option) is too small for big guys. I'm 6'5" 260# and shoot a 60" recurve. I don't have enough room for myself let alone a camera and tripod or a hunting buddy. I do think it's the best design and longest lasting blind made right now. I've got several of the Ameristep Clubhouse TSC blinds and they have plenty of room but are noisy and the color fades really bad. I really don't think they could have made a noisier zipper and velcro....what kinda numskull came up with that. I like how quiet the DBs are. They are a lot quicker than most of the blinds out there. They just need to be bigger. IMO.....DAVE
Save your money. Go Natural.
(http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f196/jjeffer/BFblind.jpg)
Ameristep just took care of my issues. Looks like I will be hunting out of my Dog House this spring for Turkey.
All the best,
Glenn
Jerry great pic :thumbsup:
kool spot Jerry....
All I see are sticks and limbs :saywhat:
Blind????? Who needs a blind????? Just sit still..... ;)
Honestly, I usualy hunt without any type of a blind,but if you feel you need one,you can build a natural blind while your doing your pre-season scouting.The price is right too!!!!! :thumbsup:
Look at luckys blinds out of michigan. I think they work really well. Rich
Thanks everyone, seems as though the opinion is the DB in a blind. I didn't want to spend that kind of money on one, but if the others don't work it's money wasted. Frank
Love my double bull, and if you take your time you could find a good deal. At the UBM banquet this weekend a vendor had one for $200. I probably should have bought it as a back up, but didn't. Mark
If you want a double bull, (I have the Matrix and love it) go to a Cabellas and look in their bargain cave. I got mine there last year after Christmas for $289. This year I was there the day after Christmas and I bet they had 10 or 15 of them in a pile for that price.
People certainly abuse the return policy of that store. I've started to call the bargain cave the "rental return" department....
Do some checking around. I have had my DB for several years, and I love it. Best thing I ever bought. Cabelas had it as a floor model and one of the fiberglass rods was broken. Some of the store employees had also used it hunting. I got it for way less than new price. I called DB and they replaced the rod for free. Remember you get what you pay for. DB has a life time guarantee on the hubs and rods. They also gave me extra netting and an extra bag for free. Good customer service. By the way mine is the taller recurve model which is good. I have shot out of the standard models and my bow tip always whacks the top.