Depending on how you set up your blinds, this may be of interest to you. A friend told me about how a Maryland outfitter deals with frozen ground at his blinds and the light bulb turned on for me.
My system uses a wire framed & camo covered surround that I stand up and brush with palmetto and other brush. The time consuming part was dibbing small holes into the ground with a big screwdriver to “plant” the brush. We now use a cordless drill with an old auger bit I salvaged from a scrap pile at work. Amazing difference!!
Our setup time went from 45 minutes to 15 minutes, plus we do a better job with more brush. We have even used it for poking holes for the Flambeau decoys when we find hard soil.
Demi: Do you use other "decoys" than just the FF5 (or 6) that you have? Do you use your portable blind most every set-up? Are you most always setting up on the edge of a field, orchard, etc.. vs. setting up IN the woods if I can ask?
My FF-5 supplements the usual array of decoys on the ground, plus 3 or 4 sentinels in nearby trees. Just can’t yet get the courage up to try it alone.
On the blind, we locate ours backed up to a wood line on the edge of the field vs. in the woods. Our blinds are necessarily more elaborate than yours. I just feel I can get more shots off by facing clear sky rather than limbs & leaves. It’s a balancing act between concealment and open shooting. And, yes, it’s rare that I don’t use my folding & brushed blind.
Bob,
Dang! Why didn’t you tell me sooner?? Is it really true that the ground will freeze??? Never seen that in coastal South Carolina!! 😉
Demi
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The man who thinks he can, and the man who thinks he can’t are both right.
