I just rcently scouted 160 acres fro bear season an it hold promise. The only thing is there is very few trees that would be able to hold me in a hang on stand. I was thinking about going to the groud with a pop up. What experiences do you guys have with them, I'm hunting private land, do you leave up over night cause I'm worried about having it destroyed by mr. big an hairy. After the hunt breaking it down just dosent seem like the thing to do cause their not quiet in doing so an i dont want to scare off any bear waiting to come in after dark. Any infor on how to properly utilize these blinds would be great. I'm also thinking of setting up right near a watering hole. Thanks, Boar

We've used ground blinds from time to time when the hunters would be exposed up in trees. I do not feel that you have to use a pop up blind and worry about a bear destroying it. Just put up a framework of sticks or boards around where you plan on setting up and fasten some landscaping cloth to that framework and lean some brush and/or grass against the cloth. If a bear destroys it all you are out is a few dollars of cloth. Since you can not see around you as good from a ground blind you need to worry about a bear sneaking up on you. From experience let me tell you that if a bear sticks his head in through the open back part of the blind you will run right through the front part of the blind and 90% of the time you will leave your gun/bow behind. Something about sitting in your blind thinking you are all alone in the woods and suddenly hearing something breathing behind you gets the adrenalin flowing and loosens the bowels.

The ground blind will work, but I would surround it with logs, brush, natural cover, etc. There is a chance that the bear or coons will get to it, and you have to be close to see over brush. Tree stands work great if you can find a tree with a good shooting lane. I make leaning stands out of 2X6 that can be put together in the woods so I can leave them and enclose around platform with a camo skirting. Water holes and creeks are great places to put stands by, just stay far enough away that you have background cover and are not sky lined. You will not hear the bear, but he will smell you, I leave my scent [urine-cigarettes-sweat] around bait pile to get them accustomed to my smell. But try to stay unscented when on stand. As in other message they can spook the !&*# out of you when they are right behind you and you never heard them coming. Good Luck

Thanks for the info I've been in plenty tree stands for bear but this is the first time on the ground, not to worried about being investigated, just want proper concealment, i picked up some camo shadow grass burlap from cabelas for ground blinds an have a ton of black rubber roof sheeting which would work great also. I think if I used 2x2's an unroled the burlap an sheeting, spacing the 2x2's evenly evry three to four feet an zip tie the boards to the burlap/sheeting an just role it up into a nice bundle for tranport, unrole it at the site area an sink it into the ground an use brush an other natural surrounding fixtures to really do it justice..... boy just like when I was a kid an made really neat forts for the neighboring bully to destroy, but this time i'll have a gun. fun fun fun. There is a really big tree in the area but impossible to put a stand in due to very irregular trunk an huge branche that take off in all directions. I might use that as background cover to beark up the "Fort of Anthrax" Any way thanks again, Boar