I’m sure many of you know how to properly brush a blind, but I figured I would take a little time to share my process. Being that I have spent a lot of time hunting from a blind, mainly because my son has been hunting with me and I am not too comfortable with climbing a tree with him yet, I have come up with some foolproof ways to stay concealed in a blind while hunting. I am in no way reinventing the wheel here, but here are some techniques I have used this far.
Get It Out Early
If you are going to hunt out of a blind, especially for deer, it is best to get it set up well in advance of your hunt. I have found that the deer really start getting used to it after about a week. If you go this route, you also don’t have to brush it as well, and can really leave it out in plain sight. You will still want to put it up against some type of backdrop, though. A tree line is a really good place for a blind as you have a good, solid backdrop of trees behind you. If you hunt a property regularly, mainly private land, you can almost pick anywhere to set this baby up and see deer when it comes time to hunt. After all, as long as you dress dark and reduce movement inside the blind, deer really do not pay much attention to the blind if they have already seen it a time or two.
Dress Dark
This may go without saying, but do NOT wear camo inside of a blind. It does not help at all. Also, be sure to lose any hunter orange or any other patterns you may have on while inside. Wear black, and if you don’t have anything black, go get some. Personally, I wear a black long-sleeve shirt, a black hat, and a black neck gator to cover my face as deer begin moving in. All black is especially crucial if you are going to be hunting with the shooting mesh down, as there will be a wide open hole in the front of the blind with your upper body exposed. The black will help you blend in with the black interior of the blind.
Also, keep the windows behind you (the ones not being used) closed. If you open every window, it does not matter what you are wearing at all, as the deer will then see every move you make. If you have shoot-through mesh on your windows, you will reduce the chances of being spotted even more. However, in my experience, it can be hard to really see through these and make a good, clean shot past 40-50 yards, especially as the sun starts to come up or down. So, in my unprofessional opinion, I’d say dress in black, cover your face, and lose these mesh covers. I’ve had plenty of deer look straight at my blind and continue as if I were not there. Just be sure to stay still. Also, treat your movements the same as if you were hunting in the open (don’t draw your bow while the animal is looking at you, don’t make sudden movements, etc.).
Setting Up The Blind The Day Of The Hunt?
Brush, brush, and brush some more. Deer know their environment. If there is a random object sitting in the open, they will know something is up and likely not come anywhere close to you. With that being said, it is crucial to blend the blind in with the surroundings. Sticks, leaves, pinestraw, grass, etc., should all be used to make the blind seem invisible. This is the case most of the time when blind hunting on public lands, as you should be bringing your blind in and out with each hunt. Why, because most public lands require it, and even if they didn’t, you wouldn’t want your $100 plus blind stolen. Yes, there are plenty of “those” guys on public land.
You will need to brush and rebrush over and over again throughout the season, each time you set up. The quickest way to do this is to pick a treeline, thicket, tall grass, etc., to set up against. Then, take a good bit of fallen or loose material (branches, leaves, pinstraw, grass, etc.) and spread it all over. Try to find freshly fallen limbs that still have green leaves on them, early in the season, as there will still be plenty of green in your backdrop. The goal is to try to match the backdrop behind you to the best of your ability. This will reduce spooking potential game animals and will help to conceal you when you are not able to set up your blind days in advance.
* Average Joe Tip: When you scout your spot on public land, go ahead and make yourself a brush pile near where you plan to set up. By doing this, you are not searching for materials in the dark or wasting a lot of time before your evening hunt brushing your blind.
Reuse Brush
One good thing about hunting the same area with a blind, especially public land where you have to move the blind in and out, is reusing brush. If you plan to come back to the same area, leave your pile of brush in a place you can remember when packing up to head out. The next time you visit that particular area, your pile should be in the same place. Key word should! It always amazes me at some of the things that happen on public land! If you do this at each location you set up your blind, you should collect a pretty good stockpile of materials at various hunting locations.
Concealment is key. This is the same blind (above) from a little ways back. It blends in seamlessly with the treeline behind by brushing it with similar leaves and branches. If you do not take the time to properly brush a blind, it will stand out like a sore thumb. Deer get used to it being there, but it has to be there for a while. If you are going to hunt on the go with a blind, you absolutely have to blend into your surroundings.
Conclusion
Get your blind out early if possible. This is easy to do on private lands that you will hunt multiple times, but rarely the case for public lands. This will allow the deer to become used to the blind, and you won’t have to spend as much time brushing. You should still try to position the blind right next to a good backdrop.
Always wear black or very dark colors inside a blind. Do not wear camouflage, as it will stand out big time against the blind’s black interior walls. This is also crucial if you will be hunting with the mesh windows down as well. I feel you are at a disadvantage when using this mesh anyway, unless you are only expecting to make less than 40-50 yard shots. Even that distance can be difficult, though. As the sun comes up and down, it gets extremely hard to see clearly through this stuff. Keep the windows that you open to a bare minimum for the shots you plan to make. If you open all of them, or too many, the movement inside the blind will become very noticeable.
If you have to hunt on the go with your blind and cannot set up a few days before the hunt, you have to brush the heck out of the thing. Your goal should be to attach as many materials around you as possible to make your blind invisible to the backdrop behind it. Pick a good backdrop and find loose or fallen materials to cover your blind with. Make sure you leave room to shoot! If you plan on coming back to the area again, leave your brush pile behind to use at a later date. Just remember where you left it!
Hopefully, you can take some of these tips to enhance your hunt the next time you set up a blind. I have been doing a lot of blind hunting recently since my son has been with me every trip. I do have to say that I am sort of getting spoiled being able to use a good chair, keep the wind off of me, kick back, etc., all of which are not possible when climbing a tree. Trying to get deer in close has been a bit of a challenge with a blind, but these tips and tricks are what I have used to start getting deer in my sights and pins.
