A couple of weeks ago I hunted a trail a little ways up the hill in the woods. This is a good spot with the convergence of several trails together. Well about an hour or so before dark the deer show up, only they are about 70 yards down the hill and they cross through an open gate in the fence. This happened 3 different times that afternoon. After dark I climbed down and returned with my pop up blind. I set it up against the fence that is covered in vines and such and brushed it.
Well this past weekend I hunted out of it. This time as it usually happens when bowhunting, the deer passed through up the hill where I was at the previous time.
The next afternoon I went back up the hill with my stand. Before dark I watched a doe come down the trail that goes through the gate and past my blind. I thought well I should have sat there today. But then something happened that was interesting. When she passed through the gate to where she could see the blind she imediatly did a 180 and ran about 10 yards back the way she came. She then stopped turned around and very slowly aproached the gate until she got to the point where she could see the blind. Then she kicked it into high gear and ran past the blind until she got about 40 yards past it. She looked back at the blind for a minute and then went on her way.
I would not have been able to get a shot with my bow after all. After this experience I will not try to set up a blind during the season. Has anyone else seen this?
Unless they're brushed in real well, deer tend to notice them and shy away from them. They will eventually get used to them if the stands are left out long enough.
That has been my experience with pop-up blinds for whitetails. Two years ago I set one up in an area loaded with sign where the deer were feeding on acorns and they completely avoided the area after that. I left the blind in place for two months and the deer never returned. I only use the ghostblind or natural blinds for deer now and save the pop-up for turkeys.
I hunt a lot of urban areas and have not had issues with the deer shying aay from my blind. The first day or two they keep an eye on it but after a couple days they just alk on by and pay no attention. I may just be that the urban deer are just used to walking aorund buildings and such. I do not even brush mine in. I do keep the mesh down though.
We call em double blow blinds down here for a reason, the blow twice and bail out no matter how well u brush them in. Only way to get away with it is have it there for a couple months minimum.
Deer are tough to fool with a popup unless you make it invisible. I've brushed them into a juniper tree where you couldn't tell it was there. Then close the windows when not in the blind and use the mesh only on shot windows when sitting it. Then they don't seem to mind.
I do the same for pigs and have killed a bunch with the blind.
Turkeys require no brush and no window covers.
Mike
With trail cam pics confirming it, deer hate pop up blinds. Especially a mature deer. Always best to use the brushy fence only in that scenario.
Several years ago I had killed out but set a double bull up at the edge of a picked bean field for turkey. About 8:30 a doe & yearling came by from the north going south.
At 30 yards she started stomping her foot and blowing. 5 minutes later she finally walked by at about 20 yards. She kept stopping and stomping her foot. Then she disappeared into the woods. 10 minutes later she came from the timber.
She would take 5 or 6 steps closer then stop and stamp her foot. She continued to do this until she got to about 15 yards then started the head bobbing thing. She stayed about 5 minutes then snorted an took off. I had a hard time not laughing out loud. It was like she was mad and letting me know.
i killed my first deer out of a popup blind Saturday before last. i put it out way back in September and left it alone for a couple of months. didn't hunt out of it until it had been there all that time.
it is about half brushed in.
conversely, a buddy of mine put one out two weeks ago and hunted it same day. the deer busted out of there right away. deer don't like new stuff in their territories.
I also had this happen. For 3 afternoons I watched a huge buck cross the 100 yard patch of timber about 80 yards behind me right at 2:00 Pm.
So I went in the next morning with rubber boots and rubber gloves. I put up a 16 ft. ladder stand and cut several finger sized trees down for a shooting lane. I drug the small trees a hundred yards off.
For some reason that afternoon I hunted the stand I had seen him from. 2:00 PM along came the buck same trail as before . As he gets 30 yards from the ladder treestand he slams on the brakes. He then looks over at the ladder stand and comes running past me.
I don't think he smelled any scent I had left but noticed the ladder stand right off. Never saw him on the trail again.
Yeah, it's either got to be brushed in increadibly well. Or you've got to leave it out for months. The last I left out for months on end did produce meat, but even after it had been left out the deer were still very leary of it. My trail cams showed that they wouldnt come near it in the day time for weeks and even after they would come past it they always cast a unsure glance at the blind. So yeah, brush them in good.
I always brush them in, but I have killed deer out of them same day as set up.
I agree on mature deer reacting differently. Best brushed in well before season. I have had luck with Bucks passing through funnels during the Rut (oblivious).
I use pop ups differently than most. I use them as a break house. Porta potty, extra water, rain shelter ect. Really helps on an all day hunt.
"We call em double blow blinds down here for a reason, the blow twice and bail out no matter how well u brush them in. Only way to get away with it is have it there for a couple months minimum." :laughing:
Hahaha! That's great. I've had good luck with turkey from them, no luck with deer.
Yep just as johnnyk71 said, I sat my blind same day just to see how they'd react... Double blow is bout right. Incidentally I coulda got a shot out of my lock on at at least one as she stood stone starring at the blind, stomping her foot haha.
Evidence is now they are warming to its presence even after just a week, as the corn is gone at my feeder near it. I brushed the crap outa mine too. A person could miss it I they weren't looking but not that old nanny lol. Ill kill out of it soon, just gotta keep sittin it.
Dave
Don't get me wrong. I have killed a couple of deer from pop up blinds but they were set up at least a month before the season and brushed in really well. However, both of the deer that I shot looked at me several times before I was able to draw. They still knew that something wasn't right about it. Both of them were young deer and probably didn't know any better.
Most often we use our pop up blinds (Double Bull) when we need blockers to funnel the deer close to our tree stands. The double blow is a fitting description.
Blow blinds love it!!!! That's my experience as well
Had a pop up brushed in and out well before season but someone liked it more than the deer did. On private land no less-only experience with a pop up, will stick with natural blinds that nobody will walk off with.
Whitetails= double BLOW
Muledeer= I am invisible