Ghillie Suit vs Pop Up Blind
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Ghillie Suit vs Pop Up Blind
Could use some help from those of you who have used both ghillie and pop up blinds. Did some scouting this weekend and located two places where bucks are bedding and managed to get a couple of them on camera. Won't be able to hunt tree stands where I'm going to be at. I have a pop up blind, but one of the areas (on public land) has a little marshy area in a bowl with three sloping sides. I checked and the wind does swirl some, but the buck I'm after is hanging in the thick stuff. It's oval shaped and about 300 yards long and 100 yards wide. The other area is more open, but also in a bowlish shape with two slopes and a funnel area where they move through to get water. Problem is I do get some swirling in both locations. My first thought was to buy a ghillie poncho and try to sneak in to some brush just on the outside of the bedding where they can't see me if the wind is right. However, with light winds I will get that swirling effect which concerns me. My second thought was to set up my blind and shoot through the mesh if I get the chance. Thought the blind might help with my scent if I do get some swirling winds. My concern is I've heard ghillie suits and ponchos can be a hassle to shoot with when using a compound and are easier to get busted by the deer. However, with the blind I'm really concerned about getting close enough to set up without spooking the deer as I have nothing but open field to my back and though the blind is pretty quiet, I think it will make some noise in setting it up. I'm going to be about 100 yards from where the deer are bedding. The best I can do is get up there a day early to try and set up and brush it in, but not sure if I wouldn't be better off risking the wind and running with the ghillie suit.
Any help and comments on your experience with a ghillie vs the blind in this situation would be greatly appreciated!
Any help and comments on your experience with a ghillie vs the blind in this situation would be greatly appreciated!
- Bonecrusher101
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Re: Ghillie Suit vs Pop Up Blind
I think I'd go with the ghille suit. Practice shooting in it and use zip ties, rubber bands or trim it accordingly to where it's no prob drawing or shooting and stalking in and hunting with it on.
I don't have or wear a ghille to hunt but I do wear my leafy top and I made a ghille hat out of a camo boonie hat just to help break up my head and shoulder area. I think I would be most comfortable with ghille. The ground blind is the last option for me in most cases.
I don't have or wear a ghille to hunt but I do wear my leafy top and I made a ghille hat out of a camo boonie hat just to help break up my head and shoulder area. I think I would be most comfortable with ghille. The ground blind is the last option for me in most cases.
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- Boogieman1
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Re: Ghillie Suit vs Pop Up Blind
I have used both, and my findings are if you are setting a perm stand or taking a kiddo the pop up is the way to go. Also in farm country those hay bale blinds mixed in with real round bales are plumb deadly.
For mobility and constantly hunting new spots, the ghillie is best. Doesn't give u the ease of drawing on game like a pop up but is still a very good option. The problems I had with it, is often deer are on you quick with your limited visibility and getting off a shot is sometimes tuff with a bow and arrow. Suggest having your bow stood up at all times so u just have to ease the string back. Also, if wearing on public I wouldn't be walking around in the thing. One of those numb nutz is liable to mistake u for the legend of Boggy Creek.
For mobility and constantly hunting new spots, the ghillie is best. Doesn't give u the ease of drawing on game like a pop up but is still a very good option. The problems I had with it, is often deer are on you quick with your limited visibility and getting off a shot is sometimes tuff with a bow and arrow. Suggest having your bow stood up at all times so u just have to ease the string back. Also, if wearing on public I wouldn't be walking around in the thing. One of those numb nutz is liable to mistake u for the legend of Boggy Creek.
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Re: Ghillie Suit vs Pop Up Blind
That would be just my luck. You'd see me coming hobbling out of there real quick with an arrow stuck in my fat tuckus. Good advice guys and thanks for the quick response!
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Re: Ghillie Suit vs Pop Up Blind
I would not do pop up on public. Not mobile and you attract attention of others. Old deer on public would not expose themselves to a pop-up blind.
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- The Silence
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Re: Ghillie Suit vs Pop Up Blind
I wear my ghillie suit in whenever I go to a pre-hung stand. The beauty of using them is that you can change exactly where you set up at based on the wind that is present when you get there or if sign/water supplies etc. have changed since you were there several months ago. I have saved several hunts when the stand wasn't just right for the circumstances at hand. Another dandy "tool" that I found a couple years ago is called a "First Strike Blind". It's not a typical ground blind at all. It's something that's super easy to carry in and you use the vegetation around you to disappear. It works like a dream.
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Re: Ghillie Suit vs Pop Up Blind
Hey Silence, I tried the First Strike Blind and google kept taking me back to Fast Strike Blinds. Is this the one you were referring too?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBbe6GG7asI
It looks pretty good and makes sense. After reading what everyone wrote I was thinking of picking up a ghillie top with a camo face mask and then using Primo's Up N Down stake down blind. I thought 36 inches would give me some pretty good cover but the Fast Strike Blind could be the better option as your using natural vegetation. My only concern would be trying to set up that close to the bedding area as I would have to try and cut some of the vegetation around me and since I'm on public land I'm not sure if Arizona allows it. However, my concern with the stake down blind is that a mature buck might be spooked by it where if I could get in with that blind and the vegetation "in place" before trying to get close to the bedding area I wouldn't make as much noise and it shouldn't spook the deer. I agree that in this situation the pop up blind wouldn't be ideal since I couldn't set it up far enough in advance and it isn't something the deer would see alot where I would be hunting at 9000 feet. I hadn't thought about it spooking them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBbe6GG7asI
It looks pretty good and makes sense. After reading what everyone wrote I was thinking of picking up a ghillie top with a camo face mask and then using Primo's Up N Down stake down blind. I thought 36 inches would give me some pretty good cover but the Fast Strike Blind could be the better option as your using natural vegetation. My only concern would be trying to set up that close to the bedding area as I would have to try and cut some of the vegetation around me and since I'm on public land I'm not sure if Arizona allows it. However, my concern with the stake down blind is that a mature buck might be spooked by it where if I could get in with that blind and the vegetation "in place" before trying to get close to the bedding area I wouldn't make as much noise and it shouldn't spook the deer. I agree that in this situation the pop up blind wouldn't be ideal since I couldn't set it up far enough in advance and it isn't something the deer would see alot where I would be hunting at 9000 feet. I hadn't thought about it spooking them.
- The Silence
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Re: Ghillie Suit vs Pop Up Blind
Here's the URL to their site. https://www.faststrikeblinds.com/ A couple other things to take into consideration. How far do you have to hike in? It's pretty light but a little awkward. I've never tried to haul it through really thick stuff, might be a pain. You definitely can "pre-load" the vegetation and carry it in. I've also just used natural blinds such as dead falls, brush piles or CRP. I use a ghillie suit top and then a piece of that camo burlap and drape it over my legs. I've had bucks and does within 5 yards of me without a clue.
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Re: Ghillie Suit vs Pop Up Blind
Ghillie. If you condition it well it will also help conceal your scent. If in a Marsh or swamp do a swamp drag with it. I've had many deer just feet away, downwind and comfortable. Nothing is a sure bet but it helps when you have to set up in the swirl.
- DaveT1963
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Re: Ghillie Suit vs Pop Up Blind
Greyhunter wrote:Hey Silence, I tried the First Strike Blind and google kept taking me back to Fast Strike Blinds. Is this the one you were referring too?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBbe6GG7asI
It looks pretty good and makes sense. After reading what everyone wrote I was thinking of picking up a ghillie top with a camo face mask and then using Primo's Up N Down stake down blind. I thought 36 inches would give me some pretty good cover but the Fast Strike Blind could be the better option as your using natural vegetation. My only concern would be trying to set up that close to the bedding area as I would have to try and cut some of the vegetation around me and since I'm on public land I'm not sure if Arizona allows it. However, my concern with the stake down blind is that a mature buck might be spooked by it where if I could get in with that blind and the vegetation "in place" before trying to get close to the bedding area I wouldn't make as much noise and it shouldn't spook the deer. I agree that in this situation the pop up blind wouldn't be ideal since I couldn't set it up far enough in advance and it isn't something the deer would see alot where I would be hunting at 9000 feet. I hadn't thought about it spooking them.
I can do the same thing with 4 to 5 PVC sticks, cut to 15 inches, sharpened on one end into a 45 degree angle and painted. Shove them into the ground, cut a few local branches/grasses and shove into the open end. Cheaper, more packable and just as effective. I use a Allpredatorrcalls.com Kill Suit any my modified hammock seat for this ground setup. The entire system including the suit and hammock seat can easily be packed into a small pack and weighs next to nothing. The only issue I have had is that in far north the ground can be frozen and thus makes shoving the sticks into the ground difficult - not a problem where I hunt.
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- Country
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Re: Ghillie Suit vs Pop Up Blind
Ghille suit. If you haven't yet, check out The Hunting Public. They've got some awesome ghille suit hunts.
https://youtu.be/kp3ncZM6N-c
This is a really good one.
https://youtu.be/kp3ncZM6N-c
This is a really good one.
- bowfreak8
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Re: Ghillie Suit vs Pop Up Blind
I'm really interested in trying out a Ghillie suit. Anyone have any recommendations on which one to buy?
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Re: Ghillie Suit vs Pop Up Blind
That Allpredators looks pretty good that DaveT mentioned above. If you plug this into Google: Allpredatorrcalls.com Kill Suit it will take you there. Pretty inexpensive too. I also like Dave's idea of using the painted pvc tubes with the local vegetation. I'm wondering if I would even need a ghillie doing that or if I could just get by with my camo?
It's funny you mentioned that episode of the hunting public Country as that is what really got me thinking more along the lines of ghillie. What they were hunting in is similar to what I'll be in, only with a few ponderosa pines, nasty lava rock to climb over and then I'm in the swale. Luckily it's only about a half mile with a gentle slope up hill for most of it.
Hey Groundpounder, how do you condition your ghillie so that it helps conceal your scent? For me that would be great where the wind swirls. Out west in our area the wind swirling in those huge canyons and then mixing with the thermals is a pain. It's why so many people try and spot and stalk in the desert after they glass a buck bedding down. It at least helps you with the wind for a short period. I know a couple of guys who have had great success with ozonics in a blind but I have to be honest, I like the idea of being more open in a ghillie on the ground than in a blind. Although the first time I tried it had 20 doe walk within 10 to 30 feet and not spook. And I'd only set it up the day before so who knows?
It's funny you mentioned that episode of the hunting public Country as that is what really got me thinking more along the lines of ghillie. What they were hunting in is similar to what I'll be in, only with a few ponderosa pines, nasty lava rock to climb over and then I'm in the swale. Luckily it's only about a half mile with a gentle slope up hill for most of it.
Hey Groundpounder, how do you condition your ghillie so that it helps conceal your scent? For me that would be great where the wind swirls. Out west in our area the wind swirling in those huge canyons and then mixing with the thermals is a pain. It's why so many people try and spot and stalk in the desert after they glass a buck bedding down. It at least helps you with the wind for a short period. I know a couple of guys who have had great success with ozonics in a blind but I have to be honest, I like the idea of being more open in a ghillie on the ground than in a blind. Although the first time I tried it had 20 doe walk within 10 to 30 feet and not spook. And I'd only set it up the day before so who knows?
- The Silence
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Re: Ghillie Suit vs Pop Up Blind
Greyhunter, I use a product called Carbon Synergy. It's basically activated carbon powder. I'm sure you can find a video on this. All I basically do is dump a certain amount of the power in a 5 gallon bucket of water. Stir it up good. Then dunk your ghillie suit up and down in the bucket a number of times. Wring out the suit and then hang it outside and let it drip dry. You're basically reloading the garment with activated carbon. The carbon itself is messy outside of the water but I have never had it rub off all over me once I've dipped the ghillie suit. I know that guys also use this stuff as a "dry wash" on more remote type hunting. It may discolor the suit slightly, but from my experience, very little.
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