Looking for Advice on Hunting out of Pop-Up Blinds

Looking for advice to be more successful hunting out of pop-up blinds. I know a lot of people don't like them because you're at nose/eye level with deer but for me personally they are just easier to set up.

For those that are successful hunting pop-ups, what advice do you have?

get a sturdy tripod to shoot off of (I assume you are rifle hunting) - we have used them for years - we don't even brush ours in - deer could care less - great way to hunt IMO

I have hunted for years out of a pop-up . A shooting stick is a must. A Tripod might be o.k. if you are primarily hunting out of one window. But if hunting out of multiple windows it can be difficult to move it without spooking deer if they are close. I zip the windows on three sides down only enough to see out and be able to stick the rifle out if necessary. I generally don't unzip the window to my back and like a seat that I can easily turn to face each window. The portable three leg dove seats are pretty good but tend to sit a little low. If you can, leave the blind in place and brush it in. Also air it out in the yard for a few days before putting it in place.

If it's hot out, you can count on the ground blind being about 20 degrees hotter inside. When hunting antelope the heat in there can almost be unbearable. That's a good thing if it's cold and windy, though. If you fall asleep in them, you won't hurt yourself too bad falling out of your chair. I'm a long time ground hunter and recently went to treestands. I like the visibility but I much prefer hunting out of a groundblind. The other posters mentioned don't outline yourself by opening the side or back windows. I only open one fully and the others just a crack so I can catch movement. Chairs: By all means buy a comfortable one. The three legged ones are ok if you don't mind sitting on your cojones for 3 or 4 hours at a time. I have one like that but I don't use it unless I'm going to be walking quite a ways and want something light to carry in addition to the blind. Not much more to add that the others haven't said. Safety can kind of be a wash. Treestand falls can kill you but if you're in an area that has lots of hunters, I would much rather be in a treestand (up in the air and shooting into the ground). If you're hunting public, I would always put something orange on the blind to be sure other hunters will hopefully know you are there.

Yes, get a good, swivel-type chair made specifically for hunting that has at least one adjustable leg since the ground where you want to put the blind may not be level. I've noticed Walmart is now selling these chairs for about $20 less than what you'll find at other places.

Agreed, it can get warm to hot inside with direct sunlight hitting them.

While a propane heater works great inside them, it will cause condensation to form on the inner ceiling and walls, which can create an annoying drip on your rifle and yourself.

The only negative, and I'm not so sure it's a negative, is any health concerns from using a ThermaCell inside them with the windows opened just a few inches. While I've never read that it's not safe to breathe the vapor from a ThermaCell, it can be noticeable when you use one inside a ground blind.

Almost forgot. Wear black or black camo (unless your state requires orange) on your body and face. Regular camo sticks out like regular clothes in that black atmosphere. Flat black is fine. The black camo is just to sell more product. Take a lunch. You can sit in these all day. I can only last 3 or 4 hours in a treestand. LikeDan said, you might want to do some research on Thermacell in a confined space and/or some of these ozone generators. Better safe than sorry. PS - you still need to play the wind.

When I broke my foot few weeks back. I was going to rig up a ground blind. I changed my mind and bought an electric bike and will just ride to my stands.

The ground blind that walmart had in Jaspter, Tx looked pretty good for the money. I think it was 100 buck or so and as good or better than some I looked at. I found a good swivel chair at Academy. Also found a chair on Amazon as I recall that had a fold down gun rest. I decided against a ground blind but I have a spot next year I may rig one up if I hunt the same.

Wearing black is extremely important. I also brush mine in expecialy if the sun hits the blind.

I bow hunt out of them. I only open one window that I shoot out of. Leave the rest closed.

They offer a ton of room for forgiveness and movement that I couldn’t get away with in a tree stand/tripod.

Set up should be northwest of feeder as prevailing wind is out of the southeast 80% of the time. This is very important.

Get a real stand

Pop ups tend to add a bit of flexibility to your hunt, especially if you are hunting with a rifle when you are a longer distance away. For those of us who bow hunt, brushing in or airing out of the pop up blind is necessary as we are usually MUCH closer to our feeder. I have found that when put out at bow range, the deer tend to be skittish around the area for the next week or two. I recently bought one, the brand being Rusk that was tall enough for me to stand up in as many of the pop ups that i have seen I have to shoot out of while seated. Staying sort of on the original posters question about pop ups, is there a brand or variety that is preferred for yall for rifle and for bow? Do yall use the same one or are there aspects that are considered differently when choosing one for rifle and one for bow? Or do you simply buy whatever you find?

I like using popups when testing a new area. If it proves to be a good location, I may add a permanent blind later. Currently working one and so far, so good. On opening day of bow I had 14 deer within 40 yards on one sit, and 12 on another. One shooter buck, but I passed waiting on big brother.

I only fully open to main windows, and just crack the others so I can see. I have a nice swivel chair that I move to back corner, use a shooting stick, and wear dark colors, but don't worry about camo. Also don't worry about brushing in and just build into brushy area. Give it a week or two to become part of the landscape.

Side question for those who bow hunt from a pop up. How much faith/trust do you put in the camo mesh that most of these blinds have as an outside layer for the windows? Usually they have an inner layer that fully blocks sight in and out and a mesh layer on the outside. Do you put much trust in it? Also, do you assume that it is shoot through or do you lower that mesh before you shoot?

I've tried to shoot through the mesh, but have a hard time seeing through it. I just pull it down when I arrive cuz the velcro makes too much noise when you unfasten. Funny, but several years ago I shot a rifle through the mesh. Maybe just the brand of popup I was using, but the mesh burns...

I've shot through the mesh and it had no ill effect on my arrow flight on a handful of deer and a couple of turkeys.
You have to make sure the mesh is tight and not flopping around, and I used fixed blade broadheads. I never tried mechanical heads but I think they would work as well if the mesh is stretched tight.
Downside of the mesh is the setting or rising sun when the angle hits the mesh rising or setting, it can completely obliterate your view through the screen.
Once the blind has been established in a spot for a while the deer become accustomed to it and you really don't need to shoot through the mesh, and also make sure the inside of the blind is dark, and why I like to set up my popups in the shade with overhanging limbs to block the outline and shade the inside.

Anyone have a strong opinion on whether or not deer can recognize if the windows have been opened more or less than usual?

Deer not so much!....Turkeys yes!

Popup blinds are great! I bow hunt from them and have taken several deer over the years. Find a trail then out which direction the wind blows from the majority of the time. Set up as far as you can shoot and if possible find a wind break to get in front of. I put my stand out 2 weeks before a hunt and spray it with coleman camp dry, this helps lock odors in. Use the quietest clothing you can find. I have a cotton mask and a cotton jacket i use on cold days. Scent control is important but not as important as not moving. I've been winded and deer just get skittish and sometime walk up to the blind trying to get you to move. Even with a mask they can see your eyes so don't blink. Wear gloves so they don't see skin reflection. I've had then at 5 yards stomping the ground. They leave and come back if you don't move, a lot of times. In the picture the white cover is about 27 yards away, he tree is 7 yards, the feeder is 22 yards to the funnel and the edge of the trap is 17 yards. Find land marks to help you with distance so you can just lift your bow and shoot.

I love hunting out of pop ups, I brush them in extremely good leaving only a couple holes to shoot out of and the deer never pay much attention to them. My only concern with them is the critters that like to take up residence in them. I scrape the ground under them to bare dirt and every time I get in one I rough up the ground to release some fresh dirt smell. I’m not sure if it actually helps but I feel it gives a little cover scent when you can smell the moist fresh earth scent plus it allows me to move inside without any sound at all being bare ground.
The key IMO is to heavily brush them in and break up the outlines of the blind. I’ve killed a ton of deer out of them and it’s pretty cool being face to face with them verses peering down from a tree. My only negative comment on them is the lack of visibility most of the time but you get accustomed to that after a while.

Thank you guys. How do you control your scent, especially your breath?

The way you control scent is to NEVER hunt it when you are not downwind of the deer...........especially if you are trying to get close and bow hunt......

+1 on some type of shooting stick. Nothing but anecdotal evidence but I think deer recognize whether the windows are open or not, so I leave mine open all the time and brush the blind in somewhat. Also get one of the bigger ones with an internal frame, I've used the cheaper ones without and they aren't fun in heavy winds with the sides collapsing

Your comment brings to mind another key point concerning pop-up blinds. Once you buy a new one with a design that's new to you, spend some time to familiarize yourself with the correct steps to put it up and take it down. I have one that I finally gave up trying to put up by following the instructions and instead found a YouTube video that explained it. While the smaller and more simple ones with flexible poles are quite easy to set up, the larger ones with a more sturdy, heavy steel frame may require a lot more effort to understand the steps to both put them up and take them down. They can be one of those things where it takes you 45-minutes the first time you do it, and 5 minutes once you've learned how.

Also, even my smaller blinds require a certain "knack" to get them to collapse to a point where they can easily stored away. In order to make them last longer, and because it's so easy to remove them, I always take my blinds down and store them once the season closes.

Well there is no real good way to cover all your scent but traditionally my grandmother taught us to cut down on meat in our diet for about 4 days before the hunt. Fish and veggies for a week isn't bad. It seems to work. I saw Texas Dan mention the type of blind and he brings up a good point. I use the hub style double blinds so you can back further into the dark spaces for less visibility from the outside.

We use them with a great deal of success. I back them up into the surrounding brush so the deer can't circle around directly behind me and I only open up the front window...keeping the back windows closed. I leave enough room to peek out the sides and make sure that the velcro is barely attached in case I need to pull down.

We like them so much that we are going to start building 10 ft tall flat platforms and just put pop-ups on them rather than building a whole stand.

I'm guessing Dan is talking about those spring steel blinds like the Ameristep. I too use a You Tube Video to figure out how to get them to fold. I just got back from antelope hunting and had two of those blinds. Took me about 10 of those videos to finally decide on how to do it. Once I figured it out, my Ameristeps were as easy as my hub blind. Maybe even easier. Now, next year I'll have to re-educate myself

Yes, those are the ones that most warranted my post. There's usually a key step in the setup process that must be done in a specific order and manner to get the blind to open correctly. Otherwise, you might find yourself wanting to toss it as far as you can throw it. Best try it first in your back yard when you have plenty of time and do your best to remember exactly what you did once you're in the woods.

I agree with everything said about the importance of brushing it in and wearing black inside. Regarding shoot-thru windows, the mesh must indeed be very tight. I have had success shooting through them, except when shooting at an angle. When shooting at an angle, the side of the broad head can snag a bit which affects accuracy. With all that said, I typically do not use the mesh anymore because you lose too much daylight. So, I keep the windows partially open and wear black.
Anyway, here is a pic of a recent set up:

Pee Jug!

I can't say my experience has been that deer soon accept them as part of their natural surroundings. I hunted a new tract last year and put one up at the edge of a pasture about two months before the start of the general season. I cut and area out of the brush so it didn't stick out so much and brushed it in as best I could. It still wasn't enough to keep deer from stopping to look directly at it from the other side of the pasture, a distance I would estimate to be at least 300 yards.

I've had much better experience with ladder stands and tripods when it comes to deer eventually paying them no attention at much closer distances. I have no data to support such a conclusion but it's always seemed to me that deer are much more wary of what they see on the ground as opposed to what's above them.

Have used them with success and great failure. Our deer are not readily accepting of them. If they have been there all year or you brush them in very well, maybe it will be ok, 99% chance nothing older/wiser than 1-2 years is getting within bow/xbow range of it.

That’s interesting.

I try to brush them in but sometime I don’t brush them in at all hardly and have no issues getting deer to get within 20 yards of them. I do tuck them next to a cedar or under a mesquite tree

I’ve killed mature bucks the day after I’ve put the blinds up and killed does the same day.


I would always advocate brushing them in well, however

This is interesting. I have heard different sides to this. I have heard take a pee bottle in and carry it out. I have also heard some say they just pee inside the blind. They say the ground soaks it up. Seems like the inside of the blind would start to smell.