Hunting is a thrilling experience, but not always an easy one. Aside from having the ability to precisely aim for your target as a hunter, you need to be undetected by your prey.
Animals have heightened senses that help them detect danger in their surroundings. Once they notice you, they can quickly escape.
Being noticed by the target can frustrate any hunter, especially if you’ve stayed still and waited for hours. Using hunting blinds is an effective way of staying concealed when hunting deers, waterfowl, turkeys, and other animals.
There are different hunting blinds you can use depending on the animal you are hunting. Some are portable and easy to take anywhere. Others are stationary. Some models are simple, while others are complex to put up.
Types of Hunting Blinds and Uses
There are three general classifications of hunting blinds – ground blinds, tower blinds, and tree stand blinds.
1. Ground Hunting Blinds
This type of hunting blind allows you the opportunity to come in close contact with your target. It is best to use in open and lightly forested areas. The type of ground blinds you should use greatly depends on the type of animal you hunt. Here are the different ground blinds.
Deer Hunting Blinds
Hunters have various options in deer hunting blinds. If you are a deer hunter, you can choose to use portable, pop up or tower/ tripod blinds.
1. Portable Blinds
As the name suggests, these types of hunting blinds are mobile. You can easily move it from one hunting ground to another, so you can set it up in the area that gives you the best shooting advantage.
Portable blinds are lightweight and easy to assemble. They also come in patterns that suit the hunting grounds so your target won’t even suspect your presence.
Most portable blinds feature shooting windows and accommodate one or more hunters who are sharing the hunt. It also provides bow hunters ample space to fully stretch a bowstring.
2. Pop Up Blinds
Pop Up blinds are a kind of portable blinds that work like an umbrella. They feature a canopy made of fabric, 180 to 360 degrees field of view depending on the window arrangement, and different camouflage patterns. A lot of pop up blind models in the market come with carrying pouches styled like backpacks.
Duck or Goose Blinds
Duck and goose blinds come in a plethora of variations that can be used around the water. These types of ground hunting blinds can be portable or stationary and can hide not only hunters but large items like boats and other equipment as well.
Most duck and goose blinds in the market are made with durable and water-resistant materials that can endure different hunting conditions, whether you are using them on big waters or shallow marshes. Some have added features like loops so you can add vegetations, padded materials for user comfort, and interior storage for your equipment.
2. Tower and Tripod Blinds
These types of hunting blinds are free-standing and elevated. Made from wood or metal, tower and tripod blinds withstand different weather and protect the hunter from the elements. Most tower and tripod blinds offer ample room, so hunters don’t feel cramped up inside.
The advantage of using tower and tripod blinds is the 360 degrees field of view from an elevated angle. With this, you could view targets from a better standpoint.
3. Tree Stand Blinds
A view from an elevated area is always more helpful when hunting for certain types of targets. Tree stand blinds help conceal your position when you need to stay on top of trees during your hunt.
These hunting blinds have practical designs that allow you to simply attach the hides to the stand. It also has ladders for ease in human access.
When choosing a tree stand blind, make sure you examine the materials it is made of. Since you’d be setting it up a tree, the materials must be lightweight but durable.
Some tree stand blinds offer very lightweight hides that flap when it becomes windy. This risks revealing your position and you don’t want this to happen, especially if you are about to go for the kill.
What are the Benefits of Using Hunting Blinds?
Most of the time, the use of hunting blinds is crucial to your game plan. This equipment offers you several benefits that contribute to the success of the hunt.
Hunting Blinds Conceal You
Traditionally hunters hide in bushes and foliage while waiting for their targets. Staying still and crouching for hours may stiffen your muscles. One wrong move and your target may spot you and escape. Concealing yourself in open areas is also very difficult.
Using a hunting blind with patterns that camouflage your hunting environment covers you better. Some animals have a powerful sense of smell. Hunting blinds can help conceal your smell, so you remain undetected. It also helps detract noise that you may accidentally make.
It Enables You to Shoot From Better Angles
Open areas may limit your range, especially if you are only hiding behind bushes. By using a blind, you get a 360 degrees field of view without worrying so much about being detected. With a more open terrain to move and adjust your angles, you’d be able to aim and shoot better.
Hunting Blinds Offer Protection from the Elements
There are many things in the hunting grounds that we can’t control. One of them is the weather during the hunt. Despite the forecasts, there are days when the weather just suddenly shifts.
Hunting blinds protect you from the sun, rain, or snow; so you won’t have to worry about the elements affecting hunting plans.
Final Thoughts
One key to successful hunting is proper concealment. Wild animals are very wary and observant of their environment. Once you get spotted, you will surely lose your game.
The benefits that hunting blinds offer can’t be argued. The only matter that remains is choosing the blind that best suits your hunting goals. This heavily depends on your hunting location and target.