Mesquite Brush Ground Blind

[RickBarbee]

I'll be hunting strictly from the ground this year, with no feeder, and (mostly) all natural ground blinds combined with the leafy & ghillie suits.

Mesquite is all I have to work with in this particular area, and the thorns eat you alive while working with it, which explains why I didn't get real elaborate with the build.

But, it will work. It has good side & back drop, with a little placed out front to shoot over/from behind

I can approach it from any direction, depending on the wind. From the west being the most difficult due to coming through the brush, but there's a pretty easy trail to follow.

It will loose it's leaves not to long from now, but when it does I'll just throw some camo netting up in it.

The deer are thick in this area, and move back & forth / up & down past this spot daily. Hogs too. It will really get good when the winter wheat is in & up a little.

It opens up for shots primarily to the fence & field to the east, but I can shoot pretty easily to the north & south also. I'd have to leave the blind to shoot to the west, but that's not entirely out of the question depending on the circumstances.

Now all I need is a good rain between now & the weekend, which is in the forecast along with a cold front.

May be an exciting weekend coming up.

Rick

[DRT]

Is this the family place?

Gary

[RickBarbee]

Is this the family place?

Gary

Yes.

Rick

[DRT]

Going feeder free is challenging. Pretty much how most Texans hunt. It would be near futile to do that on our place.
By the way I can bring a bunch of scrub oak acorns to plant if you like. They are clustered like grapes on our place.

Gary

[RickBarbee]

Going feeder free is challenging. Pretty much how most Texans hunt. It would be near futile to do that on our place.
By the way I can bring a bunch of scrub oak acorns to plant if you like. They are clustered like grapes on our place.

Gary

I have the acorns piling up on the ground here at my home place also.

I've ambush killed many deer & pigs in the past doing it just like this.
The animal travel routes around this spot is perfect for it, and there are lots of animals.

I've been wanting to set something up in this spot for two years, but just never got around to it. Actually didn't get to hunt much at all, which is going to change this year.

Another good thing about this spot is - it's not far from the house (about 300 yards), and the family gun hunters don't like hunting near the house. I can park my truck at the house, and walk to it fairly quickly.

Rick

[CamoQuest]

I really like your setup. I’ve had better luck hunting away from feeders than next to one. The deer are usually more relaxed. My favorite spot for several years was a ladder stand up in a clump of pin oaks, near a cutout in a creek bank. Your place looks like it’s in a great spot!

[Wudstix]

Really like that spot Rick. I'll be hunting like this at Camp Bullis year, rules change. Also, not assigned spots just spot and stalk, or sit in a decent area. Once I get out.

[RickBarbee]

If my plans work out for me, this will be just the first of several spots I can hunt from depending on weather, and animal patterns.

I want to get at least 3 more places set up there on the family farm, and a couple set up here at my home place.

I just want spots that will lend themselves to aid the cover of the ghillie suit, but I am also thinking about building my own custom simple tent blind to use in bad, or cold weather.

We''ll see.

Rick

[lonestartiger01]

looks good!

[BeardedAg08]

This is exactly what I want to do so let me know how it works. I sat in my pop up blind all day Saturday and I hate looking through a small window, it's just boring. I would rather hunt like you or in a tree stand (not very possible at my place as well).

[DRT]

I'm betting you can do it Rick.

Gary

[Muddy Bud]

I take old fake Christmas trees that people discard and trim the branches off. I use these to fill gaps after the leaves fall off the brush in late fall. The wire in them makes the branches easy to bend and manipulate into any shape you need. Works awesome and doesn't fade.

[muddydog]

I've been feeder and blind free for years. It will make you a much better hunter. I hunt where the deer are, not where I want them to be. I have multiple close encounters using natural blinds and hand corn.

Sent from my moto e5 cruise using Tapatalk

[DRT]

I'd challenge anyone to try that and consistently score on our place. A drone shows trails criss crossing everywhere. There is no central bedding area or feeding area. Sure, if you sat a given trail long enough you might see "a" deer or a sounder of pigs. But I doubt you would be consistantly successful.
Hell even with feeders you're lucky to see a deer when the acorns are thick like this.

Gary

[RickBarbee]

I'd challenge anyone to try that and consistently score on our place. A drone shows trails criss crossing everywhere. There is no central bedding area or feeding area. Sure, if you sat a given trail long enough you might see "a" deer or a sounder of pigs. But I doubt you would be consistantly successful.
Hell even with feeders you're lucky to see a deer when the acorns are thick like this.

Gary

That's the way it is here on the home place. You have to move to where you see them traveling. Luckily, I get a pretty good idea of where they are traveling & hanging when driving in & out.

Over on the farm, I can scout them pretty good from a distance to see where I need to move to. It's not near the tangled jungle this shinnery is. Oak & briar jungle with 6" of acorns on the ground everywhere. LOL

Rick