Jump to content
  • GUESTS

    If You  want access  to member only forums on FM, You will need to Sign-in or  Sign-Up now .

    This box will disappear once you are signed in as a member.

Blinds


ASMOLEY

Recommended Posts

Hey i was thinking of thing i'm going to buy once i get my tax return and i'm thinking of getting a double bull blind. If anyone currently has one i would like to hear what you think of it. I mainly would use it for bow hunting deer & turkeys. If you have any different blinds to suggest that would be great too! Thanks!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

if you are going to hunt by yourself, most of the time, buy the T2. if you are hunting with a buddy buy the matrix. I have them both. i have not had any problems with them at all, but i hear they will really take care of you.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

THE finest blind on the market for turkeys, antelope, deer etc. is unquestionably the "Turkey Silo" developed and built by a friend of mine in MO. Thru the years he has really fine tuned the blind. It's round like a tree, the fabric is extremely taught so it does NOT billow like a sail in slight or even moderate winds. It has 8 shooting windows that are oval shaped for bow shooting, it's 5+ feet in diameter, 7' tall with a roof. It's the cats (Contact US Regarding This Word) of all blinds. I've called many, many turkeys into bow and shotgun range outta the silo. Here are several photos. If anyone would like to know how to get there hands on one reply to this message and we'll get hooked up. He get's around $400 each fob the St Louis area.

paulwithbird2003.jpg

emmysilo1.sized.jpg

Turkey2005027.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Those white/cream colored tail feather tips are absolutely awesome!!! Gonna have to get me one of those Merriams. I also hear they like to gobble cool.gif

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Save yourself the $$$ and go with the Cabelas Full Draw Blind. It is great and easy to set up. Also it is very similar to the Double Bull Matrix. Check it out online at Cabelas and watch the video about it. I have yet to be dissapointed by mine. A few of my buddies also use them.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey Knute. I saw that blind on Cableas site. Looking at purchasing another blind or two that can be set up all season long in my regular spots. Looks like the shoot-through mesh window openings are substantial on the front. Any problems with deer spotting movement through them? Two other questions. Does it have shoot-through mesh windows on the other sides? And how do you close the windows? From the inside? Is it fairly silent to do?

Looks like a nice blind but I'd have to know those things and crawl inside one before ordering it.

Thanks for any info.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Chucker-

I'll answer these as quickly and consisly as possible.

The view to the front and the sides is great (At about a 45 angle on each side if facing forward, \_____/ ). The four large windows in the front are 22" X 22" and have shoot through mesh. There are 4 more smaller windows ~12"x18", 2 on the back near the door (not shoot through mesh, leave them open or closed) and two angled on the back side walls (shoot through mesh). The mesh is attached by velcro on the inside, and the covers for the windows just get bungeed up from the inside if you don't want the windows opened.

Overall my only beef is seeing directly to the sides at a 90 when facing forward (if you lean you can see those areas well enough through the windows). If you set up correctly facing the direction you think they will come from it is really not a problem.

I have not been noticed by the deer that I know of (you know how that goes, deer skirting just out of range etc...) When I bought it I was told to simply wear a black outfit when on the inside and that is what I have done. I do not believe any deer has sighted me or smelled me while inside the blind, I still use all other scent precautions.

Set up is very silent once you have practiced it before entering the field. It seems tricky at first but once you learn how to do it it is extremely simple. You just open it up, step half way inside and press two hubs aways from your body and it is locked in place. Stake it down and you are ready to hunt.

The material the blind is made from is tuff and seems as if it may be loud. However, once the blind is staked down and pulled tight it is very quiet even on breezy days. The material was a concern when I bought it but has not been a problem for me since.

I really like it for both the ease and $$$. I think it was a great purchase.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks Knute. Checked out the video of it on their site. Think I will have to stop by Cabelas in Rogers the next time I'm down there and pick one up. Will probably hold out until I get the next coupon they're always sending me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well I went to Cabelas today and checked out the Full Draw. I also looked at the Stackhouse which is huge. After checking them out I went to Mills and looked at the Yukon Evader they had set up there. Very nice and huge windows. Inside center is 80 inches. The material seemed a little more solid then the Stackhouse. This seemed like the best one out there for the price in my mind. Marine General has a nice price on them. There is plenty of room for 2 people in this if you want to bring your kid or someone to video for you.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey Wallydog, I really like that silo blind. It's probably nice to be able to stand up when the legs get stiff and looks like it would work great with the bow. Where can a guy get a hold of one of theses? I'm still looking at a few different ones including a Double Bull they are pretty sweet too. There is just so many on the market its a tought decision.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

ASMOLEY:

I'll state my opinion on the double bull again. It's the best out there, and the complete package. Your decision should be an easy one if you're willing to spend the money.

These are the selling points of any blind IMO, and you should stack each product up against these (in order of importance):

1. Concealment - The whole idea is to get closer to game. If the blind has any flap to it on a windy day, any leafy material hanging off of it, or a "sheen" to it (as most of the cheaper models do, including Cabelas full-draw), it will cost you chances at game sooner or later. The shine is caused by the poly material used, which also is louder and less durable. For turkeys, the flap, or movement on the blind is a major no-no. For whitetails, the sheen will kill you.

2. Durability - You can buy a $100 blind four times or a $400 blind once. I don't know of a more durable commercial blind out there, that still is as light, and can be set up as fast.

3. Ease of use - If it's hard to set up or just plain unweildy, you'll use it less. This is especially true for turkey hunting if you're trying to set up quickly.

4. Weight - If it's too heavy, you won't carry it with you and you won't use it. Granted the double-bull blinds are heavier than many of the cheaper models, but the weight is not unreasonable, and you don't have to sacrifice the above features to make it light.

So do your research, and check a few of the blinds out, including the double bull. I don't know anyone who hasn't been satisfied with the double bull, and I know quite a few bowhunters that use them.

Good luck!

Joel

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I totally agree with you jnelson. I think most would agree Double makes one hell of a blind. But for the money especially when strapped for cash Cabelas does make a nice blind, as do many other companies. As for the "sheen" it is there but if you add some branches etc... infront of it and place it in a more shady spot you can usually take care of the problem when in the woods (but then again maybe that is the reason I didn't see deer on a couple trips, LOL, who knows?)

Great points on buying a blind though. You broke it down very nicely.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Knute:

Hey, thanks for the post and the kind words. After writing mine, I almost pulled it. I don't want to beat people over the head with the double-bull info, but I want people to be satisfied with their experiences in a ground blind, and hunting deer/turkeys in general. They're unreal for turkeys, and I'd just hate to see somebody give them up because the product they used was of poor quality/design.

The question then becomes, is it better to have a double bull or no blind at all? I don't know the answer to that. It could be argued that the game you do take from such a blind are worth the cost of it, especially for around $100 bucks. One could also argue that the birds/deer a poorer blind cost you are game you would've taken in a tree stand, or on the ground otherwise. Hard to say.

Thanks for your input!!!

Joel

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Critical elements for any blind are:

1.Very Taught fabric, VERY taught!

2.Non-see thru fabric to eliminate the chance of seeing movement by hunters/observers within. (I see too many that have oversized see-thru mesh shooting windows that will certainly allow a gobbler to see the "shadow" move within the blind).

3. No shine on fabric is important (you can "mud-up" shiny fabric to a degree).

FYI, I've been hunting turkeys out of the "turkey silo" since 1989.

Blinds are perfect for youngens and oldens that can't sit still. I can't tell you how many full days I've spent in one. Just add a camp chair and the hours go by with ease.

Just my additional 2 cents worth.

WD

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.


  • Your Responses - Share & Have Fun :)

    • smurfy
      Looks to me like Leech brought his chair home!!😅😆
    • Brianf.
      I'm not there, so I can't tell exactly what's going on but it looks like a large area of open water developed in the last day with all of the heavy snow on the east side of wake em up Narrows. These two photos are from my Ring Camera facing north towards Niles Point.  You can see what happened with all of snow that fell in the last three days, though the open water could have been wind driven. Hard to say. .  
    • SkunkedAgain
      Black Bay had great ice before but a few spots near rockpiles where there were spots of open water. It looks like the weight of the snow has created a little lake in the middle of the bay.  
    • LakeofthewoodsMN
      On the south end...   Thanks to some cold spring weather, ice fishing continues strong for those still ice fishing.  The bite remains very good.  Most resorts have pulled their fish houses off for the year, however, some still have fish houses out and others are allowing ATV and side by sides.  Check social media or call ahead to your favorite resort for specifics. Reports this week for walleyes and saugers remain excellent.   A nice mix of jumbo perch, pike, eelpout, and an occasional crappie, tullibee or sturgeon being reported by anglers. Jigging one line and using a live minnow on the second line is the way to go.  Green, glow red, pink and gold were good colors this week.     Monster pike are on a tear!  Good number of pike, some reaching over 45 inches long, being caught using tip ups with live suckers or dead bait such as smelt and herring in 8 - 14' of water.   As always, work through a resort or outfitter for ice road conditions.  Safety first always. Fish houses are allowed on the ice through March 31st, the walleye / sauger season goes through April 14th and the pike season never ends. On the Rainy River...  The river is opened up along the Nelson Park boat ramp in Birchdale, the Frontier boat ramp and Vidas boat ramp.  This past week, much of the open water skimmed over with the single digit overnight temps.   Areas of the river have popped open again and with temps getting warmer, things are shaping up for the last stretch through the rest of the spring season, which continues through April 14th.   Very good numbers of walleyes are in the river.  Reports this week, even with fewer anglers, have been good.  When temps warm up and the sun shines, things will fire up again.   Jigs with brightly colored plastics or jigs with a frozen emerald shiner have been the desired bait on the river.  Don't overlook slow trolling crankbaits upstream as well.   Good reports of sturgeon being caught on the river as well.  Sturgeon put the feed bag on in the spring.  The bite has been very good.  Most are using a sturgeon rig with a circle hook loaded with crawlers or crawlers / frozen emerald shiners. Up at the NW Angle...  Ice fishing is winding down up at the Angle.  Walleyes, saugers, and a number of various species in the mix again this week.  The bite is still very good with good numbers of fish.  The one two punch of jigging one line and deadsticking the second line is working well.   Check with Angle resorts on transport options from Young's Bay.  Call ahead for ice road guidelines.  
    • CigarGuy
      With the drifting, kind of hard to tell for sure, but I'm guessing about a foot and still lightly snowing. Cook end!
    • PSU
      How much snow did you get on Vermilion? 
    • Mike89
      lake here refroze too...  started opening again yesterday with the wet snow and wind...  very little ice left today...
    • Hookmaster
      A friend who has a cabin between Alex and Fergus said the lake he's on refroze. He texted me a pic from March 12th when it was open and one from 23rd when it wasn't. 🤯
    • SkunkedAgain
      I don't think that there has been any ice melt in the past few weeks on Vermilion. Things looked like a record and then Mother Nature swept in again.   I'll give my revised guess of April 21st
    • leech~~
      As I get older it's really not just about sending bullets down range.  Some of it's just the workmanship of the gun and the wow factor. The other two guns I have really wanted which I'll never have now because of their price, is a 8mm Jap Nambu and 9mm German Luger.   Just thought they always looked cool!  
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.