Keeping critters out of a Pop-up Blind...Suggestions

[recar]

hey all,

I am getting ready to setup my pop-up blind and brush it in for the season. What is the best way to keep critters from setting up ome in there. I am mostly worried about the rattle bugs or copperheads. I can take care of scorpions and spiders with my boot...

Does putting carpet in the bottom of the blind help?
Are there any powders, sprays etc?

[Archery1st]

Best thing to do if your worried about snakes would be to put it on an elevated tower, plywood base and 4x4 or elevated stand of some sort.

[sharkhunter]

yep what he said. I wouldn't put in any carpet because they could get under that and you would not see them.. Man I hate snakes....

[Peyton]

What they said, and bury the sides with dirt to discourage visitors.



Are you putting it out soon? IMO, there's no need to put out a pop-up until early Sept. If you brush it in well enough, the deer can get used to it in just a few days.

If you put it out now, it might fade to white by opening day!

[recar]

What they said, and bury the sides with dirt to discourage visitors.



Are you putting it out soon? IMO, there's no need to put out a pop-up until early Sept. If you brush it in well enough, the deer can get used to it in just a few days.

If you put it out now, it might fade to white by opening day!

I am heading back to my lease in mid-late august and that is probably the last time before opening weekend. I figure it would be the right time to put out the popup.

I like the idea of burying the sides. I have thought about elevating it but not sure I have time to build it this year. That may be my off season plan.

[Solocam00]

i would go with some kind of elevated base even if its 2-3 feet high, just to get it off the ground. something like that could be built in a hour or two.

[Archery1st]

Just an FYI - You can't bury the sides of a popup blind deep enough to avoid mice and rats...They will tunnel down 3-4 feet easy to get in the "shelter" of the blind. Where you have mice and rats you will eventually have snakes.

[Rudyl]

Burying the flaps on the sides of the blind (shovel dirt on them)has worked well for us and also helps keep your scent inside, however, we still check the inside of the blind before stepping in. Also we remove ALL vegetation and grass on the inside of the blind and try to keep as clean as possible. That means not leaving flower seed and food stuff in there even though you'll be back the next day.
Hope this helps.

[Texasredneck]

I put some heavy branchs around the out side of mine and also put down a few extra stakes. never seen any snakes {knock on wood} but, did see a few field mice.

" I named him Fred" good listener, never talked too much though.

[recar]

Found a neat article in this months LSO News


Pop-up blind secrets
Written by LSONews.com
Thursday, 25 June 2009

Photos by Devin Shawn, for Lone Star Outdoor News.Many bowhunters prefer to deer hunt out of ground blinds in Texas, but they struggle with heat, critters, noise and being spotted. Two avid Hill Country hunters, after losing several blinds over more than 10 years of hunting — and after finding snakes, fire ants and even a bobcat in a pop-up blind — offered their suggestions on hunting out of and maintaining the popular blinds.

Keeping critters out — or not
“In the past, we have lost several tents to rats,” said Richard McCarter of Garland. “Now we dig one to two entryways on each side of the pop-up blind for rats and field mice. They’re going to enter the blind regardless — the holes provide mice with an entryway so they don’t chew holes in the bottoms of tents to make their way in.”

The pair also uses plastic storage containers in the tents to keep gear safe and dry. The containers also make for easy access to binoculars, cameras, etc., without movement.

Silence is golden for ground hunters, and some work that into their blinds.

“We cut a carpet square to fit the bottom of the pop-up blind,” said Devin Shawn of Austin. “It allows for silent movement.”

As an added bonus, Shawn said, snakes and other small animals don’t crawl under the carpet square — and fire ant killer placed underneath the square helps prevent them from taking over.

The hunters used to use folding chairs but didn’t like constantly sitting in the same position.

“We use a quiet swivel chair,” McCarter said. “When it comes time to shoot, you can silently swivel the chair into position.”

Ground bow holders keep the bow in an upright position and keeps the hunter’s hands free.

“It comes in handy on cold days,” Shawn said.


Photos by Devin Shawn, for Lone Star Outdoor News.Setting up early
“We have found it is better to set up the blinds in the middle of August and leave them up for the season,” McCarter said. “This allows the deer to become familiar with its appearance.”

Hunting in the Hill Country with a good deer population, the hunters don’t add brush to the blinds.

“They get accustomed to it,” Shawn said. “But in areas with a lower deer population, the deer seem more spooky of a naked blind, so we add brush.”

Shooting windows — open or closed?
Ground blind hunters struggle with whether to leave shooting windows open or closed, especially when they aren’t hunting.

“When we hunt, we only open a couple of shooting windows,” McCarter said. “The windows behind us are kept closed so the deer can’t see our silhouette through the tent. And we cover the front windows with one-way see-through mesh.”

One lesson came from leaving the windows open all season so the deer wouldn’t be thrown off when the windows were opened.

“Leaving them open all season invites spiders, fence lizards, dirt dobbers, birds, bobcats, and other things into the blind,” Shawn said. “We have run into all of these. Now we secure a piece of black vinyl to the flap that closes on the shooting windows to give a closed shooting window the appearance of being open when we’re not hunting.”


TERRA FIRMA: Accessibility of gear without making noise is essential to bowhunters in ground blinds. Carpet on the blind’s floor helps the hunter keep quiet and storage containers keep gear safe and nearby. Photos by Devin Shawn, for Lone Star Outdoor News.Keeping cool, dry and odor-free
Early season bowhunting in Texas is hot — especially when hunters are in enclosed ground blinds. “We use silent battery-operated fans we found at the camping department at Academy,” Shawn said.

“Even at the highest speed, it doesn’t spook the deer at all.”

Beating the heat is one battle, and when the weather turns sour, another fight breaks out.

Leaks are a problem for ground blinds left out for the season.

“We Scotchgard the blind,” McCarter said “It has been effective in keeping the water out and helps to preserve the color of the blinds from exposure to the sun.

Keeping water out is one thing. Keeping scents in is another.

To keep from alerting deer through smell from their blinds, the hunters prefer a cover scent.

“We use a deodorant-style scent on our feet when entering and exiting the pop-ups,” Shawn said. “And we apply it to an inside wall of the blind. The wind and the fans spread and keep the deer scent in and around the blind.”

For visual defense, the bowhunters prefer black to camo — inside the blinds.

“We wear a black shirt and a black facemask,” McCarter said. “It matches the dark shadows inside the carbon-lined blinds.”

— Staff report

[bowd up]

good read

[bar2hunter]

Moth balls...deer get used to smell, critters don't like em and no critters equals no snakes (or, at least, fewer chances).

[pazthru]

We hang a "no Pest" strip inside the blind year-round and moth balls work used sparingly (1-2 max) and put some in other places around the blind 20-30 feet away so the area gets the scent, deer get used to the smell in the off season and it keeps the larger critters out.
I really like the black plastic to fake an open window and if my blind was not already sandy and cleared of vegetation I would go for some carpet squares.
We have already started getting the camp ready and the blinds re-brushed ,I can almost feel the hunting vibe starting to build up, with a couple of months + to go.

[recar]

thx guys. I think I can try a few and hoepfully not have to share my blind with unwanted guests

[Les]

Devin knows a LOT about keeping rattlers out of his blind....