axis prep continues--my blinds

[tuthdoc]

Here are 3 of the blinds that I'll take this year. I have a couple more pro360's that I'll take. I'll probably put these three out where I had my main 3 blinds last year.

This one is an Eastman XL. It's big. I can stand in it. It'll be big enough for Mailman and I. I'll hunt with him until he gets his axis. I'll video it. We both can hunt comfortably from this rascal. I just bought it for 99 at Academy.



I don't spend a lot of time brushing my blinds in. I use military netting most of the time. On this hunt, I'll supplement the net with cedar limbs. I'll also add netting to the close brush, draping it to break up the outline. Here are the XL and my new Pro360 with netting applied. It also helps with fading.

I like the window set up on the XL OK, but they don't have a window on the door. Sometimes, I have to back my blind into brush, making me enter from the front. I shoot throuh door windows quite often. I'll get by, but it'll make me think about door placement more.



I have a ProX in duck blind. I like the camo. It's a lighter color. I threw the Eastman netting over it. Looks OK, but the military netting does a better job and is cheaper. Here are pics with and without the net.





Here's a comparison of all three.



The netting gets rolled and placed in my bag along with the blind and a ground stake.

I have 5 ready to go. Only thing I need to do is to add a couple more black window covers for my 360's to block out the net behind me.

[supertrooperl14]

Looks good Doc, can't wait for the updates. Last years hunt was one of my favorite threads of all time.

[Boomerang]

Hard to beat a $99 deal like that...looking good.

[Ranchingaggie]

Looking good....hope for fun and success!! Good luck!

[aironeout]

Looking good John. Good Luck.

>E

[predatorsniper]

Great post, Doc!!! I really like the looks of that large Eastman....might have to check them out.

I did the same thing with the camo netting this past year and really loved it. Out here in West Texas it can be hard to find enough brush to really brush something in, but I was mindful of that when placing my feeders and made sure I had at least some thicker brush within 20-25 yeards of my feeder.

I'm also going to put a little brush between my blind and the camo netting this next year to help break up the square outline. We'll see how it works. I just put it on the outside this past season and it worked well, too.

Here's a view from under my feeder looking back at the blind...


Here was my view from my blind to the feeder. That black thing at the bottom of the pic is the top of my video camera....


I had to cut "windows" in my netting so I could shoot through it and I zip-tied the edges of the netting to my blind to help hold it in place.

Keep the pics coming!!! Can't wait till your hunt starts.

Take care and God Bless,

predatorsniper

[JMG]

Hey Doc, out of the 2 different blinds you have there, which one would you consider better for the money, XL or the Pro? The netting looks good. Have alot of that stuff. Thanks for sharing. Makes my blinds look naked. Good luck on your hunt.

[Wildman]

Forget the blinds, where you getting that netting?

[JMG]

I would assume army surplus store. A friend of mine gave me a solid piece of netting big enough to cover a military tank. Been using it for other stuff but never thought of using it to cover my ground blinds. Love that idea.

[sticknstring]

I have an eastman myself-and like it. Lookin good...giv'em helll Doc!

[tuthdoc]

Yeah, when I know where my shooting holes will be, I cut slits in the netting and the window net and tie them into diamonds with small tie wraps. I try to keep all my holes within about a 90 to 135 degree zone so that there's always black behind me.

Here's a diamond view. I have my camera to the right out of a small diamond cut in the netting and the diamond for my shot is larger and tied open.



This is my pro360 from the above pic. I forgot to take a pic with all the netting up. I was taking the blind down when I remembered. I had netting covering the top and sides and other netting draping from the tree limbs above and to the side. It looked GOOD. I took a lot of pics of quite a few axis here. This is where Mailman and I will probably hunt the big blind. He likes Curley Q.



This is the 360 from which I killed Five Deuce and Bobby killed his big bowed buck. The cedar made a good covey hole for the blind and we set it with no netting. Just used a few cedar limbs. We'll probably put the 360 back in this clump. It's near a spring and we had a lot of nice axis here.

[tuthdoc]

The two blinds are usually about the same price. I don't have much need for the bigger blind and usually use my Pro360's. I can put two in one if needed. I have an Eastman Magnum, a Escape Delux, and the XL for guiding and when I need more room. However, for 99 dollars, the XL was too good a deal for me to pass. Academy had it on sale. If you can find one, I'd recommend it.

The pro360 is currently my favorite blind. They are normally 180 to 200 dollars. I've never paid that for one. I got my last one at Academy for 129. Another price too good for me to pass. I have 3. One at 60 dollars and two at 129. At that price, they are great buys. I like the 360 netting, but I do block out half of it behind me with black material. It allows more air circulation and are cooler to hunt than a totally inclosed blind. They come with two corner black outs and I cut blace material to black out the remaining areas behind me.

[zztex]

What's up Doc? No Double Bulls? lol Sorry couldn't help myself.

[tuthdoc]

Who knows? Behind all that netting could be a double bull. LOL If I had 5 DB's, I couldn't afford the axis hunt.

[low_tec]

Looks like someone is ready to get this summer season started

On the military netting are you buying the huge ones and then cutting them down?