NebraskaWhitetail
New Member
Here's a post I wrote a little while ago on another site. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures to go along with the description. This fall when I set it up I'll make sure to snap a few photos both before and after I add the natural grass to it.
NebraskaWhitetail's homemade ground blind:
I'm going to do my best to describe how I built myself a couple of homemade ground blinds for gun hunting. Thes blinds were designed to accomodate someone sitting on a 5-gallon bucket, so it may not work very well for archery hunting.
This design was something that I came up with on my own after having to build a last-minute ground blind for myself out of sticks and grass just prior to last fall's deer season here in Nebraska. After that experience, I decided that I would like to have something lightweight and portable that I could set up and then customize by adding a little bit of natives grasses to.
What you will need (the ingredients):
-One (1) piece of camo fabric (I used the Hunters Specialites 3-D camo fabric which is 54" x 12 feet long)
-Thirteen (13) 3/8" diameter hardwood dowels (the dowels are typically 36 inches in length)
-1 can of flat green or black spray paint
-1 package of 100 4" black cable ties (also known as "zip ties" or "quick ties". These can be found in the electrical department of a hardware store or lumber yard).
-1 package of 100 8" black cable ties
-1 small bottle of Loctite, Crazy Glue, Super Glue, or other simliar high-strength glue.
Tools (to get the job done):
- electric drill with a 1/8" drill bit
-a pair of wire cutters (for cutting the cable tie ends off)
-pocket knife
-a box of straight pins
-an X-acto knife
What to do (gettin' 'er done!):
1) Start out by spreading the fabric piece out on the floor. Fold the fabric lengthwise so that you have a folded piece of fabric that is 30" tall by 12 feet long. You will end up with a piece of fabric that is almost double thick, but one side will be about 4" shorter than the other side. This is OK. Insert straight pins along the edge of the shorter side so it will stay in place.
2) Take your dowels, and drill a hole through the dowel about 1/2" from the top. Measure down 28" from the top of the dowel and drill another hole. Then drill a third hole halfway between the other two. Repeat this on all of the dowels.
3) Take the dowels and using your pocket knife, sharpen the bottom end of them to a point (it doesn't need to be razor sharp, but enough that it can easily be pushed into the ground)
4) Spray paint the dowels completely with flat green or black spray paint.
5) Once the dowels are dry, take them back inside and lay them out on the folded piece of fabric. Place one dowel at each end of the fabric and space the others out at 12" intervals in between. Make sure the top of each dowel is level with the top (folded) edge of the fabric. Once you have the dowels laid out, you may want to mark their locations with a white pencil of chalk.
6) Use the x-acto knife to make small holes through the fabric on either side of the dowel and each drilled hole locaation. Insert a 4" cable tie through the dowel and fabric, then cinch it up tight to secure them together. Repeat this at each hole on all 13 dowels.
7) Using wire cutters, clip off the loose end of the cable tie and add a drop of Loctite to the connection to make sure it will remain secure. Once the fabric has all been secured from the dowels, you can remove all of the straight pins.
8 ) Now take the 8" black cable ties an repeat the process. Only this time, do not put the ties through the dowel. Just go around the dowel and instead of drawing them up tight, leave each tie as a loop on the outside (non-dowel side) of the fabric). Clip off the loose ends again and add a drop of Loctite to the connection. The purpose of adding these loops is to provide a place where small bunches tall grass can be slipped through on the outside of the blind.
9) Congratuations, the blind is now completed. When you go out and set it up in pre-season, cut a couple armfuls of some tall grass. Set the blind up by pushing the pointed end of the dowels into the ground. You can make the blind have a U-shape or a complete circle, depending on your preference.
One the blind has been set, add bunches of tall native grass through the external cable tie loops on the blind. The grass will add height to the blind as well as making it blend in to the surroundings. If tall grasses aren't available where you hunt, simply omit installing the grass loops in Step 8.
This blind can be built in a couple of hours, and is the perfect off-season activity. It also make a great portable turkey hunting blind, so use it for that too!
NebraskaWhitetail's homemade ground blind:
I'm going to do my best to describe how I built myself a couple of homemade ground blinds for gun hunting. Thes blinds were designed to accomodate someone sitting on a 5-gallon bucket, so it may not work very well for archery hunting.
This design was something that I came up with on my own after having to build a last-minute ground blind for myself out of sticks and grass just prior to last fall's deer season here in Nebraska. After that experience, I decided that I would like to have something lightweight and portable that I could set up and then customize by adding a little bit of natives grasses to.
What you will need (the ingredients):
-One (1) piece of camo fabric (I used the Hunters Specialites 3-D camo fabric which is 54" x 12 feet long)
-Thirteen (13) 3/8" diameter hardwood dowels (the dowels are typically 36 inches in length)
-1 can of flat green or black spray paint
-1 package of 100 4" black cable ties (also known as "zip ties" or "quick ties". These can be found in the electrical department of a hardware store or lumber yard).
-1 package of 100 8" black cable ties
-1 small bottle of Loctite, Crazy Glue, Super Glue, or other simliar high-strength glue.
Tools (to get the job done):
- electric drill with a 1/8" drill bit
-a pair of wire cutters (for cutting the cable tie ends off)
-pocket knife
-a box of straight pins
-an X-acto knife
What to do (gettin' 'er done!):
1) Start out by spreading the fabric piece out on the floor. Fold the fabric lengthwise so that you have a folded piece of fabric that is 30" tall by 12 feet long. You will end up with a piece of fabric that is almost double thick, but one side will be about 4" shorter than the other side. This is OK. Insert straight pins along the edge of the shorter side so it will stay in place.
2) Take your dowels, and drill a hole through the dowel about 1/2" from the top. Measure down 28" from the top of the dowel and drill another hole. Then drill a third hole halfway between the other two. Repeat this on all of the dowels.
3) Take the dowels and using your pocket knife, sharpen the bottom end of them to a point (it doesn't need to be razor sharp, but enough that it can easily be pushed into the ground)
4) Spray paint the dowels completely with flat green or black spray paint.
5) Once the dowels are dry, take them back inside and lay them out on the folded piece of fabric. Place one dowel at each end of the fabric and space the others out at 12" intervals in between. Make sure the top of each dowel is level with the top (folded) edge of the fabric. Once you have the dowels laid out, you may want to mark their locations with a white pencil of chalk.
6) Use the x-acto knife to make small holes through the fabric on either side of the dowel and each drilled hole locaation. Insert a 4" cable tie through the dowel and fabric, then cinch it up tight to secure them together. Repeat this at each hole on all 13 dowels.
7) Using wire cutters, clip off the loose end of the cable tie and add a drop of Loctite to the connection to make sure it will remain secure. Once the fabric has all been secured from the dowels, you can remove all of the straight pins.
8 ) Now take the 8" black cable ties an repeat the process. Only this time, do not put the ties through the dowel. Just go around the dowel and instead of drawing them up tight, leave each tie as a loop on the outside (non-dowel side) of the fabric). Clip off the loose ends again and add a drop of Loctite to the connection. The purpose of adding these loops is to provide a place where small bunches tall grass can be slipped through on the outside of the blind.
9) Congratuations, the blind is now completed. When you go out and set it up in pre-season, cut a couple armfuls of some tall grass. Set the blind up by pushing the pointed end of the dowels into the ground. You can make the blind have a U-shape or a complete circle, depending on your preference.
One the blind has been set, add bunches of tall native grass through the external cable tie loops on the blind. The grass will add height to the blind as well as making it blend in to the surroundings. If tall grasses aren't available where you hunt, simply omit installing the grass loops in Step 8.
This blind can be built in a couple of hours, and is the perfect off-season activity. It also make a great portable turkey hunting blind, so use it for that too!
deadeye
Active Member
Don't have a pic of it handy. Can get one next time I get down there. It is not portable. We used extra tall steel fence posts for the frame. We then took woven hog wire and wired it to the posts about head high when standing. We put logs at the bottom to cover you feet and legs. Then we took scrub brush (small trees) and wove in and out of the woven wire. Then on the inside we took a couple layers of camo material and cable strapped to the inside of the blind. We decided where we wanted shooting windows and cut a section of woven wire out. Then we cut small slits in the camo material and tied them open. For a door we just just the woven wire from top to bottom and bend it open. We also put a padlock around the post and door to keep others out and some of our supplies in. Then we made an upside down V style roof out of logs and place a non tear tarp over the top of it and bungee it down. This keeps out light and rain. We built it big enough to have 3 people in the blind and comfortably hunt 2 people out of it.
Looking to build another one on the other side of our property. Just waiting to find the right place. After this year turkey hunting I have a better idea.
Good luck!!
Looking to build another one on the other side of our property. Just waiting to find the right place. After this year turkey hunting I have a better idea.
Good luck!!