Ground blind vs leaning against a tree

Yea I like hammock seat. I use a foam pad in the bottom of mine. I would like to use a folding chair but not many flat places around here to use one. I also like to be as low to the ground as possible so I can use my knee for a rest. If I hear something behind me coming ill turn around and use the tree for a rest.

I would go with the blind. so you can pick your nose an pee when you have to.

I vote for sitting against the tree, but I do it using a Millennium tree seat. I have a small pop up blind but only use it when I take my little boy. A big blind has to be either set up way ahead of time to give the deer time to get used to it (not viable on a WMA or NF) or has to be hidden/ brushed in real well. I regularly see the deer spooked by it. Unfortunately a spot with with enough natural cover doesn't usually correspond with room to place the blind, and a place with room usually don't have the cover unless you cut stuff (not legal on nf/wma) or drag up downed trees/brush (very very noisy and very disturbing). I've had great luck with the tree seat. Normally it's not to hard to find a suitable tree with some cover, strap it on, and sit in comfort. I picked up a hammock seat last year, but haven't really got to use it much yet to have an opinion yet. I think the seat is ~7lbs and can be strapped to my back pack easy. I also have a bundle of camo netting to use I carry but haven't had to use it yet.

I hunt in pop up blinds(heater on cold mornings or afternoons plus you can move around more) and Mother Nature blinds(brush and limbs stacked in front/around me sitting in chair or bucket) I do both!!!!

Hunted many times by finding a big tree to sit beside. Before you sit down, scrape the leaves out in about a 2' (or wider, depending on your size) area so your movements won't rustle leaves. Push the leaves out so you can stretch your legs if you want, too. The natural fresh earth smell will help with scent. I also use a Millennium seat like mentioned above and like it a bit... pretty comfortable. Other times, I use a canvas fold up like pictured above. I still scrape the leaves and stuff out from around it so I make less noise.

I take my quota every year from WMA's. I'm a ground hunter. I like having the ability to move positions quickly and quietly.

Depending on which WMA and if I have kid(s) with me or not, I generally opt for a fat boy cushion and a shooting stick if hunting rifle. I also use a folding chair and some cheap camo material; using bungees to secure the camo to surrounding trees.

If you have some specific areas that you plan on hunting, now would be the time to make some natural blinds. It is legal to cut anything that is dead and already fallen on WMA lands.

On national forest land here in the mountains, I usually use a small armless folding chair or one of those cushions that hangs off your back belt loop, get a big tree behind me, a bush or tree in front of me, and rake the leaves away so you can move without making noise. Killed quite a few that way.

Ground Blind Set up--Easy & Cheap!!!!

I am a warehouse manager and was sitting in a Dick's Sporting goods chair on the edge of a food plot backed up in the edge of couple trees and was saying man I need a gun rest to shoot across this 150-200yd field. I saying I am about 4ft off the ground to rest rifle on so what can I use. Bammm! a 4ftx4ft pallet in fact I used 3 of them to enclose me an dput some broke pine limbs all in the cracks of the pallets and there you have it a pine scented ground blind with a stable gun rest. Worked perfect, killed 3 nice deer in that food plot. I think I spent 15 dollars on the camo cloth but other than that nothing. Had deer within 10 ft of me and could not smell me with the pine limbs all around me. Pretty cool

Blind with new hunters or small kids. Against a tree for me with a rifle . Slipright in and out . No noise of pputting up or taking down blind. Hunting out of a blind is just odd to me

I hate a roof over my head in the woods but I love sitting on the ground. I carry a pair of small pruners with me and cut natural stuff around where I want to sit for some quick and easy cover.

shdw633 said:

The blind I use is called a ghost blind, so yes I do remove it everyday; however, before that I had an ameristep chair blind that I also removed every time as well. I have never utilized one of those big pop up blinds because I don't think they blend that well even if you do brush them in and I never like to leave anything on public land because they seem to disappear. I also like for find an area before the season starts and see if I cannot find fallen trees/big branch's and build a natural blind that I can just come in and sit behind. If done well most hunters....and game, will walk right by them and not even notice they are there, especially works well in clear cut areas.

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It seems to me the big pop-up blinds would be great if you aren't on public land and can set them up well before the season opens. But regardless, what if that spot turns out to be not so good? Set it up in a different spot where it won't be seen as natural?
Another thing about pop-up blinds is they look like a shape. They look like something that might be given a good once-over by a smart or curious deer. I'd rather not have deer looking my spot over. A bunch of branches and bushes looks like nothing - "negative space" versus positive space.
That's why a blow-down or other very simple blind (just to break up your outline and hide your sillouette) can't be beat. And if your spot turns out to be unproductive, or the wind shifts, no big loss. Find or build another spot.

oldfella1962 said:

It seems to me the big pop-up blinds would be great if you aren't on public land and can set them up well before the season opens. But regardless, what if that spot turns out to be not so good? Set it up in a different spot where it won't be seen as natural?
Another thing about pop-up blinds is they look like a shape. They look like something that might be given a good once-over by a smart or curious deer. I'd rather not have deer looking my spot over. A bunch of branches and bushes looks like nothing - "negative space" versus positive space.
That's why a blow-down or other very simple blind (just to break up your outline and hide your sillouette) can't be beat. And if your spot turns out to be unproductive, or the wind shifts, no big loss. Find or build another spot.

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This

And if you get busted you can just come in the next morning and move a few yards away and find the deer looking for you in the original spot.

Unless it has been raining or I have fallen asleep, I know when the deer is coming and can be prepared to take the shot or let it go. The only problem I have is when I have decided to let the deer go I get relaxed and I get busted moving.

ShawnL said:

I take my quota every year from WMA's. I'm a ground hunter. I like having the ability to move positions quickly and quietly.

Depending on which WMA and if I have kid(s) with me or not, I generally opt for a fat boy cushion and a shooting stick if hunting rifle. I also use a folding chair and some cheap camo material; using bungees to secure the camo to surrounding trees.

If you have some specific areas that you plan on hunting, now would be the time to make some natural blinds. It is legal to cut anything that is dead and already fallen on WMA lands.

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Using dead things is better anyway. Cut something alive (and green) and it turns brown and it sticks out like a sore thumb.
Dead is always dead looking - it never looks out of place to a deer year round. I love me some dead limbs and branches. Sometimes I can't even find my own blind and I just built it!