I have already covered this question for tree stands, and I want to avoid rehashing the same issues and confusing you. For the most part, the answer is the same.
Be in your ground blind 30 minutes before sunrise or one hour before sunset. You can also try for a midday hunt, getting in your blind at around 10 AM.
That said, blind hunting isn’t exactly the same as stand hunting; in some cases, the differences may affect your timing. Let’s clarify those.
Feeding and Bedding Areas
Hopefully, you’re passionately following all my articles, in which case, you know that I value stand-hunting deer movement corridors over feeding and bedding areas. In other words, set your tree stand up along the trail where the deer will move from their feeding to bedding area in the morning.
This is also a good idea for blinds, but blinds are relatively more effective next to areas where deer spend a lot of time, especially food plots. Okay, so how do you adjust accordingly?
Ground blinds give you more flexibility. Since you’re not trying to catch them on the move, you can get to the blind a little later. Arrive at their bedding areas a bit before sunrise or their feeding areas a bit before sunset. This is true since getting in your ground blind usually takes less time than climbing into your tree stand.
But, if you want to have success hunting, you can’t just do the bare minimum. That’s why I still say 30 minutes before sunrise or an hour before sunset.
Weather
The main difference between a tree stand and a ground blind when it comes to timing is weather. The weather affects you in a tree stand but considerably less in a ground blind.
Considering blinds have a bit more flexibility with timing and protect you from wind and rain, it’s worthwhile to check the weather beforehand. If you will be hunting during rain, snow, or cold wind, get in the blind before it hits. Deer usually move before a storm, so this will improve your chances of success.
Group Hunts
One of my favorite things about ground blinds is that they allow you to hunt in groups. If you’re hunting in a group, I highly recommend you get in your blind earlier than otherwise: an hour before sunrise or an hour and a half before sunset. Groups take longer to set up, and the collective disturbance to the woods will be more significant, meaning it will take longer for everything to settle back down.
Christian grew up in the Ozarks where he spent much of his childhood on his grandparents’ homestead learning about firearms, hunting, and the great outdoors. He graduated with his BA in English and German from the University of Arkansas in 2012, after which he was a Fulbright Fellow in Germany.
An avid traditional bowhunter, much of his writing covers this and other similar topics, but he also covers just about everything from history and economics to motorcycles.
Christian has been featured on pewpewtactical.com, fee.org, mises.org, boredpanda.com, and numerous other major publications. He also is a journalist concerned with political and economic analysis and has written for the Mallorca Daily Bulletin. See more of his work at ChristianMonson.com.
Find him on: