Why a ground blind..
Ground blinds give you the advantage of concealment, which is substantial when you are trying to stack the odds in your favor. Especially when you are chasing a bird with a brain the size of a pea, but your eyesight is 10 times better than ours. They let you get away with more movement, whether from drawing a compound back or making sure you have the red dot on the strutting tom right where you want it. That task alone can seem gigantic even when you’re not worried about being spotted.
Ground blinds can also conceal your movement as you’re working on your pot or box call, which requires both hands to use, but is the perfect sounding call you have. We all know how difficult it can be to keep a tom interested when trying to call him into a decoy set without moving and only having the ability to use a mouth call. Lastly, when it comes to concealment, they also conceal the movement of amateur hunters, whether it be a first-time hunter you are showing the ropes, or your 8-year-old daughter that begs to tag along. I have plenty of experience with the latter of the two. But I never pass up an opportunity to let her tag along; not only does it allow for some quality bonding time, but it also provides her a glimpse of how great the outdoors and hunting can be.
The next reason is the protection factor. This factor only comes into play with fully enclosed hub-style blinds. I call it the protection factor because it protects you from anything Mother Nature throws. Here in Ohio, we can experience all 4 seasons just during turkey season from cold and snow to 85 and humid. A ground blind can offer relief from all the elements. They can keep you warm and dry and offer protection from the sun and wind. From my experiences, nothing ruins a hunt faster than cold, soaking wet clothes and a little wind.
To wrap up the whys of ground blind hunting, I want to touch on the comfort factor and versatility. Let’s start with comfort. How many days have you spent chasing gobblers sitting in one spot on a downed tree or even on the ground. My guess is not many. The reason is that most of these natural seats are uncomfortable for long periods. With a ground blind, you can put whatever chair you want inside. The sky’s the limit if you have room to move around. My personal go-to chair for in a blind, especially for long day sits, is the Barronett Blinds 360 Deluxe wide chair. Not only is it comfortable it also swivels and has room for adjustment on the legs. Another good chair I would recommend is the Millennium ground blind chair. It’s as comfortable and adjusts super easily on uneven surfaces. When it comes to versatility, the word describes both to a tee. But I really want to focus on how versatile ground blinds are in those perfect spots where you see all the birds frequently and provide very little to no cover. Ground blinds allow you to set up and overlook any hunting location thrown at you. With a bit of scouting and setting up ahead of time, ground blinds allow you to hunt where the birds want to be instead of where you think they will cross your path.
Types of ground blinds
A few different types of ground blinds and several different companies make them. There are see-through blinds, hub-style blinds, mirrored blinds, pop-up blinds, and even panel blinds. After using several different blinds over the years for turkey and whitetail, I have found that most of the blinds made were created for a specific type of hunting. When it comes to turkey hunting specifically, a few ground blinds stand out as shining stars. They each have a specific purpose for a hunting style, and we will cover that soon. But first, I want to cover a few ground blind purchasing tips. First remember you get what you pay for. Not all blinds are created equal and some of the cheaper ground blinds on the market are just that cheap. They are made from thinner fabrics and smaller poles, so they can’t withstand the weather and multiple seasons of use. It’s better to spend the money once before you buy 3 cheap ones, and realize I should have just spent the money the first time on a good one. The other thing to remember is how you plan to use your blind. The panel blinds will be a better choice if you are a run-and-gun type hunter. If you have a good roosting area, maybe a hub style blind is a better choice. The important thing is to figure out your hunting style before making a purchase.
So without further ado, here is our list of the best turkey blinds this season. Click the orange to learn more and see why it was chosen, click the green to shop.
Run and Gun Blind: GhostBlind Runner Blind
Panel Blind: Barronett Blinds Face Shield Panel Blind
Hub Style Blind: Primos Double Bull
Best Blind For The Price: Barronett Blinds Radar Blind
See-Through Blind: Barronett Blinds Hi-Five
Best Blind For Tight Spaces: BOG Grave Digger
Best Run and Gun Blind: GhostBlind Runner Blind
Let’s start with one of my favorite types of blinds for turkey hunting and one of my favorite tactics, the run and gun. Run and Gun blinds are lightweight, are designed for fast set up and tear down, and offer just enough concealment to keep you hidden. My favorite blind for this setup is the GhostBlind. Why do I like this one over some of the other options you might ask? The reason is that it’s lightweight, easy to move, and can blend in with any type of cover it’s placed in. The GhostBlind fits perfectly for the hunting style, whether you are hunting with a gun or bow. They make 2 different blinds to choose from, the predator and the phantom.
Both weigh less than 12 pounds, making moving them quickly and easily a breeze. I prefer the predator style only because I am a bigger guy and its taller, this enables me to disappear behind it. We all know how good a turkey’s vision is, especially when they are less than 50 yards away. GhostBlinds mirrored front panels reflect whatever is in front of it, making you disappear virtually anywhere. When it comes to the sun’s glare, don’t worry; the panels’ angle will not reflect any sunlight. You can also get an optional travel pack and chair that pair well, making this a great run and gun set up. My favorite way to hunt with a ghost blind is to arrive at my hunting location at sunrise and listen for a gobbler. If I hear no gobbles, I will work a locator call as I slowly work my way through the area. When I locate a Tom, I will set up my blind spot and call him into the shot. If he doesn’t cooperate, I can sneak in for a shot with the mobility of my Ghostblind.
The Best Panel Blind: Barronett Blinds Face Shield Panel Blind
The Face Shield from Barronett Blinds is a great panel blind It can be used as a run and gun blind or a stationary blind. Coming in at only 5 pounds this panel blind is easy to set up and tear down quickly. This is crucial when you are working a tom and need to get set up quick. It is 96 inches wide and has an adjustable height between 24 and 40 inches. The heavy-duty fabric is super quiet and built to withstand years of abuse. This blind comes with a backpack-style carry pack and a chair pouch that is designed to carry the optional Gobbler Chair. Barronett also makes a larger version of this panel blind called the Face Off which is another great option for turkey hunting but takes more time to setup and tear down. These are my go-to blinds when hunting on public land. This is because they can be set up without making noise and aren’t a burden to pack in and out with all my other hunting gear.
Hub style blinds
Everyone thinks of these types of blinds when someone talks about ground blinds. They can be made of 3, 4, or even 5 sides with a roof over them. They have several different names such as hub blinds or pop-up blinds. They come in several styles, some with small shooting windows, and some with one-way see-through fabric. The main thing you need to do with this blind style is decide how you will use it, how many people you plan to have with you, or how much gear you plan to take for your hunt. They come in several different sizes. These blinds come in a nice carry bag and are relatively easy to set up and tear down. The main purpose of these blinds is to set up in areas where turkeys frequently visit and leave out for the season. They are made of fabrics capable of withstanding all types of weather and come with heavy duty stakes to hold them down in windstorms. These blinds are a great choice on rainy or snowy days as they keep you out of the elements and dry.
The best hub style blind: Primos Double Bull
Lastly, I want to cover the Primos Double Bull ground blind. Primos has been making ground blinds for a long time, as long as I have been hunting at least. With that kind of experience, it shouldn’t surprise you they have a ground blind with a few features that set them apart from the others. This ground blind is just that. It offers a 360-degree shooting window and has plenty of room for 3 people comfortably just like a few of the others on the list. What sets it apart is this blind has what they call double wide doors, which are extra large doors. This is a great feature for guys that pack in a lot of gear or wear bulky clothes. I can easily get in and out of this blind with a backpack on. The other feature this blind has is a built-in sun visor. This is perfect for blocking the sun at first light or last light, giving you an unobstructed view of your target when you need it most. This is my favorite blind to use on field edges in destination areas, where turkeys frequent.
Best Blind For The Price: Barronett Blinds Radar Blind
Barronett Blinds has been making high-quality blinds for a long time, so it should be no surprise that they would make the list. The reason I chose this blind is that it is made from the same high-end fabrics as the top of the line blinds at an affordable price. At just $76-$100 depending which one you choose, this blind is designed for two hunters to sit comfortably. It has windows on 3 sides of the blind that have shoot through mesh to keep you concealed at all times. It comes in 2 different camo patterns and is sure to protect you no matter what mother nature has in store. It’s not my preferred blind to hunt from because I find it’s kind of small, but it’s a great option for smaller people.
Best See-Through Blind: Barronett Blinds Hi-Five
The next blind I want to discuss is the Barronett Blinds Hi-Five blind. This is a large 5 panel blind that fits 3 people comfortably. This blind is not only a lot larger, it has plenty of room to stand in as well, which I find is great on long days hunting when you need to stretch your legs without having to worry about spooking anything. This blind is built with high quality products that can withstand anything mother nature offers. I left it out this last deer season through all of Ohio’s winter and it took beating after beating from snow, ice, and wind yet it still looks just as good as the day I got it. My favorite feature of this blind is the one-way see-through fabric that offers you a 360-degree view without opening any windows while still staying hidden. This is a great blind to set up in a known roosting woods. It allows you to hunt in every direction, which takes the guesswork out of wondering what way the birds will pitch down that morning.
Best For Tight Spaces: BOG Grave Digger
Next, I want to cover the BOG Grave Digger ground blind. I choose this 3-sided blind because of its unique shape and silent zippers. Since this is a 3-sided blind it is in the shape of a triangle when set up. This allows the blind to be set up in some tighter spots where other hub-style blinds may not fit. It offers one big sliding window that offers a 360-degree shooting ability. It also features silent slides, keeping them as quiet as possible when you need to slide them down to take a shot. The door also features the same type of zipper allowing you to get in and out undetected. These blinds fit 2 people comfortably with plenty of room to stand if needed. It is also made of heavy-duty fabric, which I believe is important in all blinds, because when you spend your hard-earned money, you want to get many seasons of use out of them. I find this blind is best used in a dense woods or creek line that doesn’t allow much space for setting up any of the other blinds when you want that full concealment. I used this blind for a recent turkey hunt in an overgrown woods. It was so thick it was hard to see more than 20 yards, but it was the spot I needed to be to tag a gobbler.
In closing
Whether you are a bowhunter or gun hunter, you should have a pretty good idea of some of the different types of blinds available on the market and what they are designed for. You can get a few other types of blinds such as hay bale blinds, tower blinds, and permanent blinds. Most of these are geared more toward deer hunting where you can leave them overlooking a food plot or agricultural field. If you have one already, you can hunt turkey from them, I just didn’t cover these because they are not as popular in the turkey hunting space. The blinds I did cover each offer something unique that makes them stand out for turkey hunting and can be used for hunting deer. Regardless of which one you pick, the important thing is each one will keep you concealed from whatever turkey happens to cross in front of it.
If you’re gearing up for turkey season – we have you covered. Read our additional gear roundups on:
