Ground Blinds Great For Young Hunters

Ground blinds are great for new hunters, giving them to chance to move around a little more.

Just like that, summer turned a page and became fall, bringing with it thousands of bowhunters set on arrowing a whitetail. If you’re like me, you swipe through the many photos on social media, including our GON Facebook page to get a glimpse of some of the early successes. Let me tell you, there have been some good ones taken! I always enjoy seeing some of those early bucks still in velvet. But I really enjoy seeing loads of kids in those photos with their first deer. 

I remember sitting for hours and hours with my own in a ground blind. I rotated the three of them, one at a time, so they could get some early season experience. I also remember my boys’ frustration at slinging an arrow from their compound bows, when the shaft fell short, hit a tree or just simply missed. This was before the advent of modern and more readily available crossbows. Shooting a compound or a crossbow takes practice, but I probably would have started them out with a crossbow. Their success when I’d take them to local 3D tournaments was quite good, so I felt they were worthy. However, that adrenaline surge they felt as a buck would stroll leisurely toward our blind, unknowing the danger that lurked close by, surely set the hook in them to become bowhunters. Proudly each one has harvested a deer with their bows and two of the three still bowhunt with me today. 

The ground blind is a great option to introduce a youth (or first-time adult) to deer hunting. The stillness that is required in a climber, lock on or ladder stand is minimized in a blind. Chairs for comfort, reading material for the slow times, combined with snacks and hot chocolate or cold soft drinks make it fairly enjoyable for that newbie. They (and you) will be able to have a longer time in the field, and it will probably be more enjoyable. It may be that you don’t see a deer, much less one that comes within shooting range, but it could be that you see an owl, hawk, bobcat, fox, raccoon and more that will make it a tremendous experience. I can almost guarantee that you’ll see and hear squirrels. Those critters have made more than one hunter’s heart jump with their pesky scooting around searching for acorns or simply playing around with another one. Rest assured, the small-game season began on Aug. 15 and runs through Feb. 28. You won’t be the first hunter who contemplates some future squirrel stew. Have fun this season and stay safe!