Portable ground blind for public land deer? (To bring a kid along)

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  • AlphabetSoup

    Member
    Oct 28, 2019
    67
    Does anyone use a ground blind that they have to haul in and haul out same day on MD public land?

    My kids are begging to come with me at times, and since I hunt out of a saddle and I'm sure not buying them a tree stand to fidget in, I'm thinking about going this route.

    Is there such a thing as an actually portable blind? Any chance of success?

    I'd mostly be hunting central/southern region public in the patuxent area, if that matters...

    Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk
     

    gwchem

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Dec 18, 2014
    3,434
    SoMD
    Pop-up ground blinds are pretty portable. You can throw some in a big backpack.

    Setting it up in the right place is a little tougher, but you can find good, covered areas. I believe it needs to be marked with orange in muzzleloader and gun seasons.

    Bring a rake and clear the leaves away before you deploy it. That'll keep noise down when the kids squirm around.
     

    Devonian

    Ultimate Member
    Apr 15, 2008
    1,199
    I consider all of the pop up blinds portable. I strap mine to a backpacking bag.
    How old are your kids?
     

    jstolz

    Active Member
    Aug 28, 2018
    338
    Glen Burnie
    Bass Pro has a lot. Amazon also has a decent amount. If you are really worried about height, my buddy just uses mesh netting and hangs it between trees. Don't think it would be the best with kids, but in a pinch it could work.
     

    AlphabetSoup

    Member
    Oct 28, 2019
    67
    I'm PG, just outside of DC so I've found those areas easiest to get to.

    The kids are a range of ages, but the 12 y/o is definitely interested, and maybe some of the younger ones (but with them I'd certainly be less worried about the hunting/success factors,and more just getting out to show how it works).

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    Bisleyfan44

    Ultimate Member
    Jan 11, 2008
    1,758
    Wicomico
    Ground blinds are great and effective. Hides movement, keeps scent down. The ones with the push out hubs set up quickly, too. Dont forget a stool, at least for you to be able to see out the "windows".
     

    ohen cepel

    Ultimate Member
    Feb 2, 2011
    4,509
    Where they send me.
    Pop up could work if not going far. Not heavy but a bit bulky. Read up on how to put it away BEFORE you get out to the woods with it.

    Put it out for a while before you try to hunt with it to air out some. If all else fails the kids can use it is a playhouse in the yard :-) So, not all lost.

    Not real $$ so well worth a try.
     

    lazarus

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 23, 2015
    13,678
    Pop-up ground blinds are pretty portable. You can throw some in a big backpack.

    Setting it up in the right place is a little tougher, but you can find good, covered areas. I believe it needs to be marked with orange in muzzleloader and gun seasons.

    Bring a rake and clear the leaves away before you deploy it. That'll keep noise down when the kids squirm around.

    All that. Look up the regs, but need blaze orange within something like 10-15ft of the blind in ML and gun season.

    I’ve got a few portable blinds. Hand-me-downs. Work fine. I use them on my own property and occasionally public land. Tight fit for me and one my my kids in crossbow season, but okay.

    I prefer to still hunt or hunt from from a climber normally. So rarely use them. I use them more in early season and really late season if snowing.
     

    AlphabetSoup

    Member
    Oct 28, 2019
    67
    I prefer to still hunt or hunt from from a climber normally. So rarely use them. I use them more in early season and really late season if snowing.

    Curious why you might choose it early season, since I haven't used one - because of all the thick growth and leaves messing with shooting lanes?

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    danb

    dont be a dumbass
    Feb 24, 2013
    22,704
    google is your friend, I am not.
    Hopefully, you mean bow season. There are a lot to choose from but success from a ground blind can be pretty limited.


    If you mean gun or ML season on public lands, the orange army is filled will morons shooting every which way, i'd avoid that personally. Its much safer to be up high out of the line of fire.
     

    lazarus

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 23, 2015
    13,678
    Curious why you might choose it early season, since I haven't used one - because of all the thick growth and leaves messing with shooting lanes?

    Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk

    yup. At least in my property I have pretty limited visibility from above until the leaves start coming off the trees. Later season my hunting lanes are still a bit limited, but at least I can see the deer to setup a shot.

    I’ve got a small clearing that’s about a 40yd circle where I have a mineral lick in the center And throw out feed every other day. I just setup a ground blind at the edge of that for early season hunting. Or set it up back in the woods off to the side of the main trail through the area about 15yds from it.

    As close as the shots in the woods have to be from a stand with the leaves on an almost straight down shot feels riskier as it’s more likely to just get one lung if it doesn’t spine the deer if it’s coming down at like a 60-70 degree angle.

    Easier to get in and out the ground blind and the deer are familiar enough with my scent even 10yds away in the blind if I don’t move around they ignore me.

    Last season I shot one from about 20yds, but she had passed within 10 of me feeding around the clearing. Another one I shot over my backyard fence (I’ve since taken down the fence) from about 17yds while he was bedded down (button buck). The other two I shot from my garage window that were at the edge of the clearing. One at about 30yds, the other at about 40yds.

    The clearing runs from about 30yds to about 70yds from my garage window. So not a real ideal spot to hunt them from.

    I am planning on building a shed/shop/1.5 car garage at the edge of the clearing. Of course with some windows facing the clearing. I prefer to really hunt deer rather than harvesting them, which is what I am mostly doing. But I also like to eat venison. So there is also that.

    I’ve got more free time this year. So after the first one I’ll probably experiment some more. Try some more public land hunting. Probably try to track down a larger buck coming through my property.
     

    lazarus

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 23, 2015
    13,678
    Hopefully, you mean bow season. There are a lot to choose from but success from a ground blind can be pretty limited.


    If you mean gun or ML season on public lands, the orange army is filled will morons shooting every which way, i'd avoid that personally. Its much safer to be up high out of the line of fire.

    There is that. I wouldn’t hunt from a blind during muzzleloader or gun season unless it was my own land. Doesn’t matter how well I had it marked.

    On public land, you can always drag a few branches together to screen you a little bit to make it harder for deer to see you.
     

    rseymorejr

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Feb 28, 2011
    26,007
    Harford County
    I'm PG, just outside of DC so I've found those areas easiest to get to.

    The kids are a range of ages, but the 12 y/o is definitely interested, and maybe some of the younger ones (but with them I'd certainly be less worried about the hunting/success factors,and more just getting out to show how it works).

    Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk

    Take them squirrel hunting. They can practice walking quietly, sitting still and stalking. If they spook a squirrel, no big deal. And you can do a little pre-saeson scouting of the area
     

    GuitarmanNick

    Ultimate Member
    Jan 9, 2017
    2,221
    Laurel
    Used to make my ground blind up at least a week before opening day. Used whatever was laying around in the woods and always provided good natural cover. Opening day, get in early and clear out the leaves, and set things up for an all day affair.
    Was hunting private land and always had good success. Took my son with me when he became old enough.
     

    outrider58

    Eats Bacon Raw
    MDS Supporter
    Jul 29, 2014
    49,813
    Ameristeps are light and affordable. Given that you won't be leaving it up for any extended period of time, You can expect several years of use out of one. I've always used the "Brickhouse" model
     

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