OldGobbler

OG Gear Store
Sum Toy
Dave Smith
Wood Haven
North Mountain Gear
North Mountain Gear
turkeys for tomorrow

News:

registration is free , easy and welcomed !!!

Main Menu

Birds avoiding a blind

Started by Indianayounggun, April 29, 2012, 07:56:09 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

Mark K

We've had a hen stick her head in the blind looking for the other hen doing all the fussing. This was a first time setup and in the middle of a field with no cover around anywhere and NO decoys!!

Halfski

I use blinds regularly if I don't have any turkeys roosted, and when I am hunting in the late morning and afternoon.  Do some scouting and find a travel corridor or any spot where the turkeys like to hang out, and set up your blind accordingly. 

Some of the cheap blinds tend to be very shiny in the full sun.  Some of the turkeys get spooked by the shininess of these cheap blinds, so you have a few options: (1) buy a more expensive blind; (2) rub some dirt or mud on the blind to make it less shiny; and (3) only use the blind in low light conditions (i.e., early morning, overcast days, or in the woods).

Here are a few more suggestions:

Wear dark clothes under your camo.  If your blind gets hot, and you feel the need to remove your camo, a black undershirt is much better than a white one.
Close the windows as much as possible.  Your visibility will be impaired, but the turkeys are less likely to see you.
Have the sun at your back if possible.
Put the blind near thick vegetation, if possible.   (not necessary, but sometimes helpful)
Always pay attention to the sun - if you wear eyeglasses or use binoculars, don't stick them out of the blind and into the sun - oftentimes they will reflect sunlight, and turkeys don't like that.

Hope that helps.

Jay

Quote from: sugarray on April 29, 2012, 09:39:10 PM
Quote from: OLE RASPY on April 29, 2012, 09:22:55 PM
wouldn't come any closer to a decoy setup that had a stutter with 4 hens in it.


It could be this. :-\

I agree.  While my turkey hunting is only 4 yrs, I have hunted from a blind all 4 and never had a turkey spook from the blind itself.  They either don't like the decoys, or see you inside moving, or just not feeling it.

Don't think it is the blind.  Keep using it.
Agreed. Dekes scare away birds sometimes, because of lack of movement. I've had Toms stop out of gun range and stare at my Hen Dekes for as much as 10 minutes, then leave, and I wasn't in a blind. That's why a lot of guys don't use Dekes in the first place. However, depending on the land you hunt in some cases it's a must.

bat man

If you shotgun hunt from blinds or jump out after the shot the entire flock will 'learn' to avoid ground blinds.  They act incredibly stupid but they do have a will to survive.  I have seen it in multiple spots in the country where outfitters pressure the birds from blinds and teach them what they are.  We had a banded hen aged at 17 years old in Mn so mess her up, and the flock gets awfully tough to hunt.