Looking for advice on a ground blind to shoot my 62" longbow out of. Any suggestions here?
1. Invest in a HECS Suit. They work. 2. Don't skimp on cover BEHIND you as well as in front of you. 3. If your ambush spot is on a uphill slope remember that as evening falls the thermals will carry your scent right to the deer.
The best I've used for fitting longer recurves/longbows ( I shoot 64"-66") are the Barronette Big Mike, and the 3-4 person Tidwe's.
What are you hunting from it?
I second the Baronett Big Mike. Great blind, good price, plenty of space.
I third Big Mike blind I shoot a 64" Longbow easy have two hunters with no issues,
I'll fourth the Barronett Big Mike. I have two Barronett blinds, and I've shot lots of turkeys with a 70" longbow out of my Big Mike. I do cant my bow slightly when I shoot though. If I was buying a new Barronett blind I think I would buy the Insight 350. Same height but has the see-through panels for a better view.
I have tried a few blinds over my time hunting, the Tidewe is nice with the screen to see everything, but cann't see in. But, what I found is just go into the hunting area and just set up with what is around. Do not have to carry anything extra and quick and easy, works for turkey should work for everything.
In my opinion it's to difficult to find a blind that compares with the orignal Double Bull, in regards to quality, shootability, and roomy. With that said, I purchased this blind (link below) last April for turkey hunting. I don't particularly care for the poly material that most ground blinds are made of these days, however I do like the Blackout blind for shootability, roomy and shoot-through screens.
https://www.cabelas.com/p/blackout-x300-ground-blind-with-dual-strap-case
Quote from: TI_Bowmen on July 14, 2026, 08:57:22 PMQuote from: LookMomNoSights on July 14, 2026, 09:06:45 AMWhat are you hunting from it?
Whitetail
Ok......So this is why I ask. Not sure what your experience is with ground blinds/ground hunting, but if I can save you some hassle, I'd be happy to. And if you already know about this ..... that's good too.
From the totality of my experiences and info gain from others over the years, if you are hunting whitetails from one of these pop up blinds like the Big Mike (which I own, GREAT BLIND!), you CANNOT just go set this thing up off some hot runs or funnels and expect the deer to not make a big deal out of it. You would need to set that blind up, brush it in somewhat, and do this all WAY ahead of time and hope that the deer eventually get used to it by the time hunting season arrives.....you'd need to condition them to it.....especially for a mature whitetail buck. Turkeys, totally different. For whatever reason, they don't give a hoot. They act as if it belongs there. Total opposite for deer. Spontaneous set up with those kinds of blinds would be sketchy as best if hunting with a rifle. Bow hunting, the odds are stacked against you big time. Now I have had great success with having whitetails practically in your lap, when constructing impromptu ground blinds with natural materials, on the fly. Often making use of blown downs, and beefing up the back drop a bit. Even mature bucks don't seem to be bothered here (take care when gathering materials/cutting/disturbing surroundings). They will take note of it, will often seem to look right through you if you made your back drop good enough....and if conditions are in your favor, wont spook. A pop up ground blind, no way! Just some food for though and my 2 cents to take or leave. If I had no choice but to use one of those for bowhunting whitetail, I would set it up in MARCH, in preparation to be used come that Oct.
Quote from: LookMomNoSights on July 15, 2026, 07:53:37 AMQuote from: TI_Bowmen on July 14, 2026, 08:57:22 PMQuote from: LookMomNoSights on July 14, 2026, 09:06:45 AMWhat are you hunting from it?
Whitetail
Ok......So this is why I ask. Not sure what your experience is with ground blinds/ground hunting, but if I can save you some hassle, I'd be happy to. And if you already know about this ..... that's good too.
From the totality of my experiences and info gain from others over the years, if you are hunting whitetails from one of these pop up blinds like the Big Mike (which I own, GREAT BLIND!), you CANNOT just go set this thing up off some hot runs or funnels and expect the deer to not make a big deal out of it. You would need to set that blind up, brush it in somewhat, and do this all WAY ahead of time and hope that the deer eventually get used to it by the time hunting season arrives.....you'd need to condition them to it.....especially for a mature whitetail buck. Turkeys, totally different. For whatever reason, they don't give a hoot. They act as if it belongs there. Total opposite for deer. Spontaneous set up with those kinds of blinds would be sketchy as best if hunting with a rifle. Bow hunting, the odds are stacked against you big time. Now I have had great success with having whitetails practically in your lap, when constructing impromptu ground blinds with natural materials, on the fly. Often making use of blown downs, and beefing up the back drop a bit. Even mature bucks don't seem to be bothered here (take care when gathering materials/cutting/disturbing surroundings). They will take note of it, will often seem to look right through you if you made your back drop good enough....and if conditions are in your favor, wont spook. A pop up ground blind, no way! Just some food for though and my 2 cents to take or leave. If I had no choice but to use one of those for bowhunting whitetail, I would set it up in MARCH, in preparation to be used come that Oct.
Hopefully in the next week or two isn't too late. Just picked up this piece of ground last week. Wanted to put something in like in the next week or two.
I tried a pop up brushed in fairly well for my girls last october..the deer traffic changed..and only a few yearlings got any where remotely in bow range.. This year while snow was still on the ground we began constructing a very large natural blind. Buckthorn and saplings harvested from the surrounding area..and a large carpenters spade drill to drill holes in the icy ground got the perimeter structure started..the next trips we carried in supplies to weave more into the blind walls and loose roof structure..Over the past 6 months we've ventured in and added to it several trips out carrying boughs and vines. Ill try and post some photos I have from the beginning..it would probably allow three hunters inside using long bows to cover the area around the blind. Its has become quite the wigwam!
Ehh well I tried..no surprise sometimes I can't upload photos 😕
I set my blind up around the first week in august. It's on the edge of a corn field set back slightly into a tree line.
I'll selectively cut some goldenrod around the area and use it to further break up the outline of the blind. So far I've had good success with this setup. Setting it up well ahead of season allows the deer to assimilate if they notice a difference to that particular spot.