For the traditional guys....

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pass-thru

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Thoughts on natural blinds? I've seen blinds thrown in with decoys all on here. Just wondering if that was artificial blinds or natural blinds too.

My dad hunted turkeys up until the mid 80's when he gave it up. Mostly fall season. They would break up a flock with a dog and then build a blind right there and call them back 45 minutes later. I always though that was the epitome of tradition.

I am a mediocre turkey hunter but try to be traditional. I will probably move back to the double gun. No have a problem with a hen decoy or too that is used as a visual focal point to enhance calling. But I am not impressed with setups designed to bring a Tom in running to the decoys without any calling. I would love to see a trend in turkey hunting back to the traditional ways.


 
I've never made a natural blind for turkey hunting but I started out deer hunting out of natural blinds as a boy. Some day I would like to do that more often. If I had a place that I knew I could set up at throughout the season to call birds to I would fix a blind possibly. I never know where I'm going to sit down at so I don't have one fixed.


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I do not have permanent ones but I carry ratchet pruners in my vest and sometimes when I am just killing time or blind calling I'll snip some cedars limbs or just whatever yo stick up around me.. Keeps me from getting busted while I'm sleeping... Lol
Killed a bird in KS this way last yr, came in silent..
 
I like roost, carry a set of nippers in my vest, and if my set up is a really barren tree with nothing to break up my outline I will trim anything close by and stick it in the ground just to break me up a little more. My nippers are an invaluable piece of gear for me, I use them constantly to cut down limbs or small trees which could keep me from moving my gun etc.

I see natural blinds as a fairly traditional tool though and run across remnants of really old ones from time to time all across the SE. It's amazing how long one will stay recognizable as one I know of has been there for at least 10 years and is made of dead limbs.

My issue with the decoys is exactly as you describe, when they're used a tool to over come an inability to call, set up, etc. In other words when they are staked out in a green pasture, hunter in a blind and all a gobbler has to do is see it and he's a dead turkey. Using decoys to seal the deal after a good set up and a bird that comes to a call is legit in my book. I won't do it, but don't have any real issues with the tactic.
 
I also carry pruners and a saw with me like you guys. It is handy to remove limbs and such. I did cut some River cane last year and used it as cover on one side of me that was extremely open but the Tom
Never came in.


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Setterman":3pbjqc76 said:
I like roost, carry a set of nippers in my vest, and if my set up is a really barren tree with nothing to break up my outline I will trim anything close by and stick it in the ground just to break me up a little more. My nippers are an invaluable piece of gear for me, I use them constantly to cut down limbs or small trees which could keep me from moving my gun etc.

I see natural blinds as a fairly traditional tool though and run across remnants of really old ones from time to time all across the SE. It's amazing how long one will stay recognizable as one I know of has been there for at least 10 years and is made of dead limbs.

My issue with the decoys is exactly as you describe, when they're used a tool to over come an inability to call, set up, etc. In other words when they are staked out in a green pasture, hunter in a blind and all a gobbler has to do is see it and he's a dead turkey. Using decoys to seal the deal after a good set up and a bird that comes to a call is legit in my book. I won't do it, but don't have any real issues with the tactic.
Click to expand...

Spot on for me too. I carry nippers and a folding Gerber bow saw in my vest.
Feel the same about decoys too. If I use a decoy on a setup the turkey is already in range by the time he will see it. I use it if I think there is more than one way for him to approach and I might of picked the wrong direction to point my gun ( my handicap due to being deaf in my left ear causes this to happen more than you can imagine ). It has allowed me the opportunity to readjust while the gobbler is fixated on the decoy.
 
I thought everyone carried the small pruning shears.

Anyway back to OP there really isn't much difference in a natural ground blind as opposed to a a pop up blind. And I have used both.
 
Setterman":2a9erbda said:
I like roost, carry a set of nippers in my vest, and if my set up is a really barren tree with nothing to break up my outline I will trim anything close by and stick it in the ground just to break me up a little more. My nippers are an invaluable piece of gear for me, I use them constantly to cut down limbs or small trees which could keep me from moving my gun etc.

I see natural blinds as a fairly traditional tool though and run across remnants of really old ones from time to time all across the SE. It's amazing how long one will stay recognizable as one I know of has been there for at least 10 years and is made of dead limbs.

My issue with the decoys is exactly as you describe, when they're used a tool to over come an inability to call, set up, etc. In other words when they are staked out in a green pasture, hunter in a blind and all a gobbler has to do is see it and he's a dead turkey. Using decoys to seal the deal after a good set up and a bird that comes to a call is legit in my book. I won't do it, but don't have any real issues with the tactic.
Click to expand...

Setterman, I'm disappointed in you. I figured you would use your teeth instead of those modern clippers you speak of...
 
catman529":39d1ilnt said:
Setterman":39d1ilnt said:
Who says I don't :o
Click to expand...
is that how you learned what poison ivy looks like


Sent from the talk of tap
Click to expand...

:lol:

Thank god I'm not allergic to it is all I'm going to say, the mouth would be the least of my problems :bore:
 
Setterman":zwj6pk02 said:
catman529":zwj6pk02 said:
Setterman":zwj6pk02 said:
Who says I don't :o
Click to expand...
is that how you learned what poison ivy looks like


Sent from the talk of tap
Click to expand...

:lol:

Thank god I'm not allergic to it is all I'm going to say, the mouth would be the least of my problems :bore:
Click to expand...
I don't get a really bad rash, but I am allergic to it, so I gotta be careful. Of course I have crouched down in poison ivy to wait for a turkey to step into range so I could give it a really bad rash...


Sent from the talk of tap
 
I carry a pair of pruners as well and use them nearly every time I set up. I can't recall the last time I made a blind though...it's pretty thick where I hunt.
 
I dont think there is a difference in a natural or regular blind. I try to pick good spots where I am hid well, or put some brush around me.

And the traditional argument, blinds and decoys dont bother me, and people that sit in blinds dont bother me. It is the ones that exclusively sit in blinds and use only a strutter. And that is all they do.

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