Hunting in ground blind

[hunterg]

I have always hunted out of a tree at about 20 to 25 feet. If I hunt out of a ground blind what is a safe distance from a feeder.

[Cajun Blake]

Whatever distance you feel comfortable from and are skilled enough to make a humane killing shot

Most keep the shot distance @ 20 yds

Use your best judgement

[DaveC]

In Huntsville I'd brush it in behind the treeline near the feeder, at least 20 yards away. I'd leave one small shooting window in the brush towards your target area.
Place the blind behind the brush line then cut a window in the brush for your shooting lane.
Also clear yourself a quiet path to get in- but block it with a big brushy limb or the deer will adopt your cleared path as a travel route.

You wont be able to cover the entire feeder throw from the 20+ yards away, but only the outside circle nearest your blind. Throw some hand corn in your shooting lane when you get there.

I'd keep the wind and your entry approach in mind when choosing the spot.
In East Texas I try not to walk across the path I am planning to hunt when accessing a stand.

[BoWayne]

I keep mine around 20-25 yards and only have a small shot to the feeder area.. I also hand throw some corn in the exact area that I want them to stop. Now when I sit in mine, I can see alot more area than I can actually get a shot.

[Ol Thumper]

20-25 yards is about where I set up, something I do often while in the blind is drag the heel of my boot in the ground, its just simply turning over the dirt but you can usually smell the earth scent as soon as you do it, its a good cover scent I use every bit helps!

[Muddy Bud]

I try not to set up directly over the feeder. Most of your older animals will approach a feeder from the down wind side exactly where most people set up. I try to set up at least a good 50 to 75 yards down wind from the feeder and hand toss some corn out in my shooting lane. I will brush up the blind completely and except for the window I will be shooting out of just big enough to sale a arrow through. If you can find a thick mott of Guajillo or black brush I set up right in the middle of that it helps the brushing up process. I only hunt with one window open my shooting window to elimenate animals from seeign through. It can get pretty boring with your sight picture only twenty yards long and 8-10'' in diameter but you can get the game in close.

[native_texan]

Lots of very good advice from our brothers. I would like to share this:

I have a C-shaped crib built out of brush and grass about 15 yards in front of my pop-up blind. The crib is about 20 inches high with branches sticking up to prevent deer from feeding over the top. Obviously, scent control is of the utmost importance. Your approach to your stand is first the most important. Scent control inside your blind is second and third is keeping down noise and movement in your stand. I wear all black inside my pop-up. I have used this method for the last three seasons. It really works.

The crib is between my blind and the feeder and parallel to my shooting lane. I turn off my feeder the day before my hunt so it does not go off the morning of my hunt.The deer are already used to checking it anyway. I sprinkle a little corn under the feeder and trickle a small trail of corn from the feeder toward the crib. Inside the whole area of the crib, I dump a small cotton sack of corn (about about 5 or 6 hand-fulls). The idea is for deer to follow the corn trail to the crib, turn sideways to you, and put their heads down inside the crib to feed. The feeding deer's eyesight toward my blind (and me drawing) is blocked by the height of the brush that makes up the crib's construction. The deer line up perfectly broad side. Note: Shots at multiple deer are possible but bigger bucks will sometimes run everybody off. Benefits: big deer that are feeding relaxed, they are already broadside, they most likely won't jump the string since you are close, and deer that have to make an extra effort to get out of the crib to run away after being shot (more time to bleed). Here's what the set-up looks like in diagram form:

X Feeder
:
: Corn Trail
:
C== Crib With Deer's Head Down Inside

/\
B Shooting Arrow from Pop-up Blind

Good luck everyone if you use this method.