Tips for Bow Hunting in a Ground Blind

Selection

When deciding on which ground blind to acquire, the first place to start is with the available ground blind options. The most popular type of ground blind is usually a hub-style blind. This type of blind is the most portable and lightweight. You can throw them in a bag, bring them with you to a variety of locations, and they're usually very quick to setup. You'll want to ask yourself what size do you want? How many people do you need in there? What kind of window style do you want? A blind with a slide-down window is a good option for bow hunting. V-style windows, by contrast, are a bit more limiting.

Another option is a hay bale-style blind. It's still a ground blind, but it's a little bit heavier and bulkier than a hub-style blind. It's also not as mobile as a hub-style blind, but it can provide more effective cover in locations where the typical hub-style blind doesn't perform as well. What is my farm's cover? What is the properties layout? The choice between hay bale blind and hub-style blind depends on the answer to that question. If you have a pop-up blind, you're probably going to need some sort of cover - something that you can tuck it into, brush it in. Maybe that's a deadfall. Maybe that's cut branches that you add manually. In any case, you don't want to just go pop it up, leave it, hunt it, and expect that the deer are going to accept it from day one of your hunting season. A hay bale blind, on the other hand, though not as mobile works better for areas with very little tree cover, such as with the field in the image below.

Placement

Once you've decided on what type of blind, you then need to decide where to place it. Something to take into consideration is what time of day you plan to use it. If you're hunting in the mornings, you don't want your blind facing the east because you don't want that sunrise to come up and light you up inside of your blind, taking away your ability to get away with any movement. If you're hunting in the afternoon, you want the west on your back instead so when the sun goes down, you'll be in the shadowy side of your blind and have much better cover for your movement.

Preparation

If this is your first time shooting out of a blind, definitely do not make it the first time that you're out hunting that you take a shot. Pop up your blind in your yard and take shots out of it. The type of window your blind has can make a difference in how you need to set up your shot. Is there enough room to get back at full draw? Is your arrow going to go out the front? You want to make sure your rest clears the bottom of those windows, so your hunting story isn't another one of those "Man, I had 'em right there but the arrow went through the blind" stories because you didn't settle in at that anchor point high enough.

On a different note, as simple as it might sound, don't overlook the importance of which hunting chair you're taking with you into your blind. Make sure you use one that's adjustable. Especially with archery, you want to get above that window, get comfortable, and be level. Often when you're placing a blind, it's not on flat ground.

Access

As with any sort of hunt, consider your access. Of course, it's always important to be able to get in, but how easily can you get out? Where the door is in relation to where you expect the deer to appear? If you're able to place your exit point on the opposite side of your blind from where you expect the deer to be, you will have a much easier time sneaking in and out of it so you have a better chance of hunting that blind multiple times.

If you're considering bow hunting from a blind, there are a lot of different options - and you can find great brands right here at MidwayUSA.com. Best of luck!

--Midwest Whitetail