There are many places throughout the West, especially in antelope country, that are seemingly impossible to spot and stalk archery hunt. Without enough contour or cover, sneaking within bow range just isn’t a realistic option. Instead, these locations are usually most effectively hunted from a ground blind by taking advantage of a water source, especially during the dry conditions of late summer. This article is intended to provide archery ground blind hunters information that through plenty of trial and error, I’ve learned over the years. Aside from a few bison and deer hunts, my blind hunting has been for antelope and will be the focus of this article.
BLIND PLACEMENT AND SETUP
Without going into too much detail on choosing a waterhole to sit, it starts by E-scouting to find water sources that are removed from any other water, ideally by a few miles in prime antelope habitat. If those happen to be ponds or reservoirs, it is a good idea to confirm that the source is still holding water by using onX’s recent imagery tool just before your hunt. After narrowing down the two water sources that you think will have the most activity, set a blind at each. Set the blinds up so they are on different sides (directionally of their respective water) so that you have a downwind option to choose from depending on the forecasted wind direction. If legal, set a trail camera at each to have eyes on both locations for activity and to help in determining which has a better buck hitting it. Also, seeing a buck on camera at a specific waterhole will help with the confidence needed to sit all day. Another advantage of using two blinds is that it will be nice to have a change of scenery if the hunt drags on. If possible, have the blind set up before the hunt begins. The more time that transpires between a blind being up and the beginning of the hunt, the less wary the antelope will be when coming in. Of course, this is not always possible when long travel is required for the hunt, and I have had plenty of animals hit water on the first day that a blind was set. Here are a few more considerations in choosing an ideal location to place a blind:
You don’t want the rising or setting sun to be shining directly into the front windows of the blind. From this standpoint, for an all- day sit, position the blind to the south of the water source. If only planning half-day sits, the blind should be to the east of the water for the first half of the day or the west of the water for the second half of the day.
The nice thing about sitting on a drinker is you know exactly where they will be drinking. Don’t set the blind too close or far away. The further away you place the blind from the target location, the more movement or sound you can get away with in the blind, but this also gives the animal more time to jump or duck the string. A few years back, a buck presented me with a 45-yard shot and the footage showed the arrow headed exactly to my aiming point. The buck didn’t move until the arrow was only 10 yards away from him, but he still managed to drop almost a foot, cleanly missing my arrow. I moved the blind up to 35 yards, and the same buck came in the next evening. He didn’t duck my second arrow. I now try to place my blind 25-35 yards from the expected shot opportunity.
Blind placement on a pond or reservoir isn’t quite as simple. If it is too big, they may choose to water out of range for a shot. I am looking for water that ideally is within 35 yards of its furthest point from my blind. Antelope usually have a preferred side to approach and drink from a watering hole. If the source is too big to effectively cover with a shot, check for tracks in the mud for more predictability in a drinking location that will give you a 35-yard shot as they drink and set your blind accordingly. Clear the ground of all sticks, leaves, and rocks from the interior of the blind to minimize noise if some movement is required when setting up for the shot.
After the blind is set, brushing in its silhouette is a good idea when possible. This gives the blind a more natural look and keeps an animal noticeably calmer than otherwise seeing the distinct outline of a blind. The difference between the left and right side of the blind in the picture illustrates this point.
BLACKOUT
This one is fairly self-explanatory, but I’m surprised by the number of hunters who don’t do this. You should be wearing black from the waste up. At a minimum, a black long- sleeve shirt and hat. Other options include a black glove on your bow hand, neck gator, or even black face paint. The difference in how visible you are to an animal outside of a blind is significant when wearing lighter clothing versus black. This is especially true during movement. That being said, the benefit in wearing black is minimalized with too many or too big of openings in the front of your blind or any openings in the back of your blind. Finally, you want to set up as far to the back of the blind as possible while still allowing enough room for your draw elbow to be clear of contact with the blind when drawn. Another point on shooting openings at the front of the blind is to try to make them as small as possible while still covering your likely target locations. To help determine what height and how small you can make them vertically, draw your bow as you plan to shoot between a sitting or kneeling position.
Make sure your arrow clears the bottom of the opening by a few inches while your sight pin clears the top of the opening at the same time.
PATIENCE
For me, this is the biggest challenge of a ground blind hunt. It takes some serious mental fortitude to sit in a blind from sunrise to sundown, usually in extreme heat and usually for days on end. Cutting a sit short always sounds good by mid-afternoon, but you cannot kill them if they come in while you are not there. Do your best to go in under the cover of darkness and sit all day. I’ve had antelope water between 10:00 and 6:00 with the most frequency but have also had them come in at first and last light. Extreme heat won’t do your patience any favors either, but the hotter it is, the more frequently antelope will water and the more committed they will be to coming all the way in after seeing the blind. Embrace the suck.
The two best ways to preserve patience are comfort and distraction. Here are a few tips to help with each. Choose your chair wisely. It needs to be mobile, not too big, quiet with movement, and can be shot from all while being somewhat comfortable. The most comfortable chair is not usually the ideal chair when considering the above factors. My preference is a padded folding chair.
Throwing an old blanket on the ground helps keep down the dust and makes kicking off your shoes comfortable while helping you stay cooler. This also keeps noise down when moving.
There is no better distraction to pass the time than digital entertainment. Downloaded movies, games, and a few seasons of your favorite show to a tablet will help keep you in the blind longer. I try to save them for the hardest stretches of a sit.
Listening to music is another great way to pass the time. For this, there is nothing better than bone conduction headphones which allow you to hear your surroundings while listening to audio.
EXECUTING THE SHOT
When your opportunity finally presents itself, you need to be as prepared as possible to eliminate as many steps and as much movement as possible. Landmarks with pre-established yardages should be memorized to skip the use of your rangefinder and the movement that comes with it. Your release should be on and an arrow nocked at all times. The bow can either be hanging from the top of the blind, sitting in your lap, or leaning up on the wall of the blind, with each option having its pros and cons.
When an antelope approaches the water, it is going to be on high alert. Choosing the right time to take a shot is the key now and will require a final dose of patience. It will feel like he sees you when he inevitably stares at the blind. Wait and watch, and don’t move a muscle. Often, he will dart away and wander around, making you think he’s not going to drink. Remember, that is what he’s here for and that is usually what will happen if you don’t fall for his tricks and take a shot in desperation. When he finally steps up to the water, he will probably do a few fake drinks by touching his mouth to the water before jerking it up suddenly to stare at your blind. This trick has busted plenty of hunters caught mid-draw. When you eventually see his neck muscles moving, he has committed to drinking and will continue for enough time to get your draw and shot off unnoticed. Keep in mind, if a good shot opportunity presents itself along the way of this process, don’t pass that up either. You are only a proper shot execution away from justifying all of the work and mind-numbing sitting that led up to this chance!
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