A proper blind for Wister & SJ
- Thread starter Sergio
- Start date
Some may disagree but here's my take on portable blinds.
I wouldn't use them without brushing them up, otherwise you look like a weird dark box with a black hole in the top. Think about what birds are seeing. They help to reduce the amount of additional cover needed, but you still have to carry them out as well. Like all decisions made at 3:30 am, it depends on how many people are in your party, how many decoys to bring, how much room you have to haul out cover (arroweed in the case of Wister), & wether there is already cover where you're going to hunt. They have their place. Just not as they are.
Oh, and when it comes to finding arroweed, you'll want to keep those locations tight to your chest just like good hunting spots. Open your mouth & there may not be any there the next time you go to get some.
I wouldn't use them without brushing them up, otherwise you look like a weird dark box with a black hole in the top. Think about what birds are seeing. They help to reduce the amount of additional cover needed, but you still have to carry them out as well. Like all decisions made at 3:30 am, it depends on how many people are in your party, how many decoys to bring, how much room you have to haul out cover (arroweed in the case of Wister), & wether there is already cover where you're going to hunt. They have their place. Just not as they are.
Oh, and when it comes to finding arroweed, you'll want to keep those locations tight to your chest just like good hunting spots. Open your mouth & there may not be any there the next time you go to get some.
I use Tanglefree panel blinds a lot in Canada and Montana, but I don't think I've ever used them at Wister or San J...Like Matt mentioned, using natural cover is always best...With arrow weed being the most popular at Wister...San J has 95% permanent blinds at each site...There may be some use for them for the Mystic Lake sites......
ps...Don't be the guys in the 2nd pic....
ps...Don't be the guys in the 2nd pic....
Snake Charmer
Happiness is a warm gut pile
The thing you should also know is that refuge hunting is highly competitive (not for me anymore) so don't depend on the replies or people you meet here or anywhere else to steer you properly (they might). You gotta do the work yourself. Lots of good folks here but I have seen folks sent the wrong direction many times when asking for advice.. good blind work is absolutley critical to success when hunting the south end of the migration.
Sergio,
Hunting our two wildlife areas is competitive, but the answers to your question from Matt and I were honest and true...Obviously, you will have to work some things out yourself...The pictures I posted are what your blind should look like and what a good hide should NOT look like...The one part of the statement above that is good is, the blind is critical to success when hunting waterfowl.
Invest in good loppers and carry them with you at all times...A machete with a saw on one side is good to have as well...Having a decoy cart with sled helps carry these items and more.
Hunting our two wildlife areas is competitive, but the answers to your question from Matt and I were honest and true...Obviously, you will have to work some things out yourself...The pictures I posted are what your blind should look like and what a good hide should NOT look like...The one part of the statement above that is good is, the blind is critical to success when hunting waterfowl.
Invest in good loppers and carry them with you at all times...A machete with a saw on one side is good to have as well...Having a decoy cart with sled helps carry these items and more.
Sorry @ilovesprig some people just can’t help themselves ….
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DHWWI use Tanglefree panel blinds a lot in Canada and Montana, but I don't think I've ever used them at Wister or San J...Like Matt mentioned, using natural cover is always best...With arrow weed being the most popular at Wister...San J has 95% permanent blinds at each site...There may be some use for them for the Mystic Lake sites......
ps...Don't be the guys in the 2nd pic....
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Cart and sled worth their weight in gold for sure. Wister you will find some hollowed out spots in the brush from previous hunters you can tuck into if you look carefully. I have some portable panel blinds that have worked for me at Wister when using natural cover as a back stop, I have also used them at San J when the permanent blind was filled with 8” of water. I just extended off the permanent blind, made me start looking at mud seats which i think would work well also.
Snake Charmer
Happiness is a warm gut pile
Yep, I
Yep good stuff, keep it as natural as possible. Arrow weed works very well and lasts for awhile also consider woven grass panels to use behind the natural cover you collect near by to add another layer of cover and make it a bit easier and quicker to build your blind as time is short on the morning you hunt to get ready ( you will need to use stakes to keep it upright.) If you use arrow weed a buddy of mine used to carry a metal spike and hammer to pound holes into the dike to set the arrow weed stems in the ground so they would stay upright. Wheeled carts are also a good consideration to haul gear and large diameter wheels roll better on uneven ground than small ones. Camouflage and use camo tarps to hide them and put them away from your blind to keep your intrusion as visually as small as possible. By the time the waterfowl get down here they have been shot at by everyone down the flyway so everything you can do to erase your presence will help, Good luck...
Yep good stuff, keep it as natural as possible. Arrow weed works very well and lasts for awhile also consider woven grass panels to use behind the natural cover you collect near by to add another layer of cover and make it a bit easier and quicker to build your blind as time is short on the morning you hunt to get ready ( you will need to use stakes to keep it upright.) If you use arrow weed a buddy of mine used to carry a metal spike and hammer to pound holes into the dike to set the arrow weed stems in the ground so they would stay upright. Wheeled carts are also a good consideration to haul gear and large diameter wheels roll better on uneven ground than small ones. Camouflage and use camo tarps to hide them and put them away from your blind to keep your intrusion as visually as small as possible. By the time the waterfowl get down here they have been shot at by everyone down the flyway so everything you can do to erase your presence will help, Good luck...
Snake Charmer
Happiness is a warm gut pile
what guys in the 2nd picture? All I see is.....OH! there they are.I use Tanglefree panel blinds a lot in Canada and Montana, but I don't think I've ever used them at Wister or San J...Like Matt mentioned, using natural cover is always best...With arrow weed being the most popular at Wister...San J has 95% permanent blinds at each site...There may be some use for them for the Mystic Lake sites......
ps...Don't be the guys in the 2nd pic....
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Thanks for taking the time to give me direction.
Alright - Thanks for the replies guys. I followed up & bought a game cart, and some panel blinds that I'll dress up with local vegetation.
Much appreciated!
Much appreciated!