hunting with a blind........

[jemidawes]

Are blinds the key to successful turkey hunts?
What type blind do you use? I have the umbrella type, and have considered the tent type. I would like to hear your opinion......to have a blind, or not to have a blind.
personal experience using one to not using one would be appreciated.
It's getting close to opening day, and I'm getting fired up!
thanks for any response. your fellow turkey hunter, Mike

[Wildcat]

I've only used the umbrella a few times when I've set up in a spot known to have turkeys come in. I'm deaf so when I'm by myself I have to hunt different for the rest of you and need to scout hard to learn the spots and times they come in. I got one of those Doghoues blinds last year for deer hunting and might use it this spring with my Grandnephew. When I hunt with others we like to run and gun so the blinds out.

[HardinCountyHunter]

My hunting partner and I have used a pop-top blind and a dog house blind for hunting field edges the last couple of season and have had good success. We have killed 2 jakes (Our first birds) and 1 long beard out of the pop-top and 1 2-year old long beard out of the new doghouse. I always use a jake/hen decoy set up with the blind and we try to get the blind into the field edge cover enough to give it some cover. You need to break off some cedar or other type of brush and place it around the blind to help hide the blind. If you have problems staying still, the blind is the way to go. We were not able to get an older tom with the blind set up. My partner got one of the older long beards last year and he was not in the blind when he got him. Jakes, 2year olds, and hens seem to pay no attention to it but I can tell you the older birds seem to know something is wrong. We have a good strut field that they use and the older birds seem to stay out of gun range on our set-ups. I have had no success using the blind in the woods. Hope my experience helps you make your decision.

[Ky Headhunter]

I'll concur with much of what Hardin- said. No matter what all the magazines say, birds will occasionally spook when a blind is in the wide open. Not often, but sometimes. I use an Underbrush blind sometimes, and you do get to see things you might not otherwise. A buddy & I watched not one but two hens go into STRUT moments before a brief fight. The year before, I got into a shouting match with an angry hen at LBL. We both called as loud & belligerent as we could for an honest 30 min. from a distance of 10-30 yards. She was flapping her wings up & slapping the ground with them for good measure. Don't think I could've got away with it that long without a blind.

When I'm hunting the steep country in SE Ky, the blind is out. Need to go light as possible to cover ground. Turkeys rarely on the same mountainside two days in a row.

[deadaim]

I killed a 23 lb gobbler with a 101/2inch beard out of a outhouse blind last spring set up on a feild edge i also added some limbs and used 3 hens and a jake decoys also used the same setup in the woods in the fall to kill a nice hen.i purchased a doghouse blind this year im gonna give it a try they work great if you have done your homework and know where the birds are you can always leave the blind and run and gun if need be but they sure are nice .

[schuyler olt]

A friend of mine uses a popup blind with pretty good success. Usually he puts it inside the treeline along a field edge. If I'm confident that I don't have other hunters around, I like to take advantage of deadfalls and thick stuff like honeysuckles as a natural blind. But if the woods are crowded, I like that big tree to my back for safety.

[P. Beyer]

I just bought the Doghouse by Ameristep for both Deer & Turkey hunting. This will be my first venture w/ one. I know there were several occasions this year that I would have liked to have been in one.

"It makes no difference whether I got anything; it has to do with how the day was spent"

Fred Bear

[jemidawes]

How much does a doghouse blind typically run? Where is the best place to buy one? I appreciate any and all responses! Mike

[thunderstorm]

There are many keys to sucessful turkey hunts. None involve a blind.
Know your territory, be patient and persistant, know what your gun can do, make sure you STAY STILL, and lastly...enjoy. A good quality pad for your rear end is 100% more important than a blind.[;)]

After saying all that, I have used blinds while deer hunting with kids and fall turkey hunting with kids and beginners. The turkeys seem to not pay attention to the blinds at all.

[.300Savage]

Mike,
Here is the link for the doghouse blind: http://www.discountturkeysupplies.com/detail.asp?PRODUCT_ID=89814

I believe that it is around $159 or so.

Rocco