Question: I am at a lose with regard to what I need to do for a deer hunting blind this deer season. I don’t know if I want to build a ground blind or just buy a pop-up blind. If I decide to go with a pop-up blind, do I need to leave it up or can I put it up the night before I am going to hunt and leave it for the weekend?
I just got on a whitetail deer lease and do not know if I will stay on it, so I do not know if I want to worry about building and setting it up to take it down. Also what are the benefits of a pop up and how far from my feeder should I set it up? I will be rifle hunting for deer and hogs.
Answer: There are a lot of choices when trying to select a hunting blind for whitetail hunting and it can be a little overwhelming. For your situation I would suggest getting yourself a good sturdy pop-up that is big enough to move around in and find a good looking spot and set it up. This will also allow animals in the area to become familiar with your blind.
Hunters can leave a pop up blind up all season if they take the necessary precautions. Those precautions would include making sure you have the pop-up anchored down and tied off to trees or nearby brush. Those blue northers will destroy a blind that is not anchored down and may even blow it into the next county–which happened to me once in North Texas.
To help conceal it you can also cover it with a cheap camo tarp or camo material. Just drape it over and tie it off.This will really help to protect your portable blind from the sun and elements. I’ve left them out all season and sometimes only for just a few weeks. Last year I left my pop-up deer stand out from a week before bow season until the end of bow season and then hunted from permanent stands for gun hunting.
Place the pop-up on either the east or west side of your deer feeder. The predominant wind direction throughout much of Texas is either from the north or the south, and putting your blind to the east or west will help prevent your scent from blowing towards the feeder. Most big bucks are not shot at feeders, but you don’t want to scare the other deer off.
Lastly, if you have cattle it’s best to place your portable stand inside some brush or trees to discourage the cattle from stepping on your blind. Trust me, it helps and keeps them from stepping or rubbing on your blind. You don’t want to show up one morning to a cratered blind, especially after you just bought it.
Which ever you choose–a permanent or pop-up blind–it will beat sitting under a tree on a cold, wet morning with water running down your backside. When it comes to whitetail hunting, there is no best deer hunting blind for every situation. But for your situation, go portable with a pop-up. Good luck!