Finding the right bow hunting blind is essential for your turkey hunt. Nothing could be worse than a hunter sitting for hours and never seeing a single turkey, all because he has a low quality blind. Some blinds on the market are made cheaply and all too often alert the turkey to the hunter's presence.
There are a lot of nylon blinds out there with Velcro windows that couldn't be worse for hunting. The nylon material is noisy, so setting up and deconstructing will scare birds out of the area, and if a hunter is lucky enough to get a peak at a few, the Velcro on the windows is too noisy and will scare the bird away before the bow can even be aimed!
A blind's purpose is to camouflage the hunter and allow the hunter to move around moderately without being discovered by birds. Choosing a blind made of lightweight cloth will allow for easy transport and effective set up and deconstruction. Birds can hear and smell much better than they're given credit for; a hunter often underestimates the bird's abilities and they tend to make more noise than they should.
Finding a blind that will accommodate moving and shifting for hours on end is one of the most important favors a hunter can do for himself. Finding a blind with many openings is important, the hunter should be able to move around and see different angles without being seen by the bird.
If a hunter has access to private land, a larger blind can be set up in a semi-permanent fashion. A hunter should do his research first though, make sure turkeys have been seen in the area; finding a place where they roost is a prime spot to set up a blind. These blinds should be set up a few weeks in advance, the longer the bird has to acclimate to the new structure the better, but if only a few days or hours can be spared, it will do the job. It is good to set up a blind near a natural structure in an open area, such as next to a large round bale of hay in the middle of a field.
If a hunter wants to put a little more work into his blind, there are patterns available online to model. While these blinds take up more time to build initially, they often cost much less than a store bought one, and are just as effective in the field, if not more so. Choose lightweight cotton fabric, making sure that you find one that makes as little noise as possible. Rub the fabric together to get an idea of the noise it may make when setting up in the field. A standard blind should have a minimum of eight shooting ports, and can be camouflaged with the natural vegetation of the area.
Finally, don't underestimate the comfort necessary for a successful hunt. Sitting in a blind for hours on end isn't always fun, the body gets very antsy very fast, especially if nothing's in sight. Outfit your blind with comfortable seat cushions; it will be much easier to sit still for a longer period of time. The longer and quieter a hunter can sit, the greater his chances of getting a shot at more birds.
