If you can’t access and hunt your stand undetected, your odds of killing a good buck plummet. I highlighted that strategy extensively in this post about no-bust stands. But sometimes, that no-bust stand isn’t a stand at all. On our farm, which is only 70 acres, we have five stands -- three of which are ground blinds -- set for various wind directions, and I’m supremely confident in all of them.
Obviously, a hunting blind tent can be set where no trees are available for a stand. But all three of our blinds are set within bow range of trees where I considered hanging treestands. Ultimately, I went with blinds for convenience, comfort and ease of access. I don’t have to don my safety harness, pull my bow and gear into a tree, or even change out of my Crocs to make a short-notice hunt (and yes, I did kill a deer while from a blind while wearing Crocs last year).
The hassle and time required for a treestand hunt has kept me at home on days when I had limited time to burn. With a blind, I simply slip in from downwind, unzip the door, step inside, and presto, I’m hunting.