Double Bull question

[Daver]

I am a big fan of DB blinds, I have an older T2 and different friends of mine have newer models that I have sat in or borrowed, etc, so I think I have some experience in them, etc.

Although DB's are the cat's meow I must confess that I am interested each year when I read the posts where the birds come by the blind at 3 feet, etc. I can think of many times where birds have spooked, but just slightly, when they are about 16-20 yards out. They slick down and start to walk away fast, sometimes starting to putt and so forth. At NO TIME have they ever stayed inside of 20-25 yards of the blind and remained content. Many times I have hunted without a blind or in a natural blind and had birds milling around me for up to an hour or longer, but never while in my DB. Now I have shot several birds out of it, but generally they are getting a little fidgety when the lights go out, if you know what I mean.

A friend of mine has had similar experiences and in talking about it recently, we think we may have stumbled onto something... he knows he treated his blind with waterproof spray and I think I might have treated mine about 6 or 7 years ago.

Also, in several of these experiences I am completely confident that movement, either inside the blind or the blind itself, is not the issue. A couple of times I suspected my son either making some noise at an inopportune time or moving around too much to be the cause, but it has happened way too many times where that wasn't possible. I have hunted field edges, inside the timber, I have brushed the blind partially, I have left the blind unbrushed, etc. The only constant I can identify is the 20 yard-ish invisible barrier.

I would welcome other thoughts and suggestions. I have shot toms with a bow, but not out of my DB and my confidence is not high that I could get one in close that was calm.

 

[Crockett]

I have noticed with mine that Jakes for some reason act a little more spooky around it. Mine is a older model in the Skyline- Apparition camo, a pattern that I have always thought was a great pattern. Almost always jakes have came thru in groups of 3 or 4. May have something to do with too many eyes, or the fact that they act like they are always on a good Cocaine buzz!!

 

[msalow]

I have two DB blinds a T-5 & matrix both are the predator camo. This year first season I used the matrix had birds feeding next to the blind one hen had to walk into the stake down string she was so close. In the past I have had toms as close to the T-5. I have setups in the timber and in the center of a field I seem to have my best luck in the center of a pasture or picked bean field I usually set out a few decoys when in the field a couple of feeding hens and a couple of standing hens & usually in the late season I set out a strutting jake with them that seams to really bring in the boss when he sees that jake in strut w/ the hens. I haven't sprayed weterproofing on either blind I guess I don't know why that would make a diff. I am wondering if they are seeing movement inside the blind ? Do you have the mesh in? you have to make sure that you have the opp. side of the blind shut from the way they are comming from or they WILL see our movement.
Good luck
Mike

 

[Blaster]

This is my first year hunting out of a blind,and i would have to tell you i am real impressed with blind hunting. On two different hunts i had 12 or more birds within 5 feet of the blind. We have shot 4 birds out of it. We did have a big tom that would not come in, and he looked like he was a little nervose around the blind. I just think some birds are spookier then others. I just bought a Pretty Boy to help get those big Toms in closer!

 

[Daver]

A couple more details in response...

I have had birds spook with every window closed, with essentially no light coming in the blind other than what would come in via the front screen. A couple of times I suspect movement inside the blind may have caused a bird to react, but plenty of other times I am totally confident that there was no movement.

I think mine is the predator camo pattern, it was one of the first models offered. The main window screen is intact, except for a slit to poke a barrel through and a small chunk to film through.

I have had probably 50 birds come into me while in this blind and none have ever not alerted, albeit sometimes only mildly, at about the 20 yard mark. With other blind configurations over the years, both natural and manmade, I have had multiple occasions where birds have been so close I thought I might get pecked myself, etc. I have even thought about grabbing a hen by the neck as she was literally pecking at something 18" from my hand once. But I have never had anything like this happen while in my DB, yet others report these close encounters all the time. It is a puzzle to me.

 

[Limb Chicken]

That is interesting Daver... I have a couple properties where I am starting to think they are either getting decoy shy or maybe it is the DB. Don't know, on the other hand the bird this weekend was literally 5 to 8 steps away when I shot him and would have got closer. If you are having that good of luck with the natural blinds I would stay with those.

I have however experienced what you have on some properties.

 

[Ghost]

I am having better luck with the "New" darker interior on the Matrix than I had on an older model.

I have experienced both situations as well. I know most people use the blind as designed and have new set ups each morning. If you can trust to leave them out, I can't help but believe that the birds get used to them and are less likely to shy away.

Decoy presentation, time of the breeding season, available hens, and other factors will probably leave us scratching our heads for a long time!