Today’s hub-style ground blinds are lightweight, highly portable, and capable of putting hunters in position to ambush game. Maximize your ground blind hunting experience with these five key accessories. Starting with: Pruning Kit – Ground blinds are often placed in front of trees or brush in order to break-up the blind’s profile and make it less conspicuous. Savvy hunters also add natural vegetation to their blind’s exterior in order to complete the vanishing act. A set of quality ratchet pruners and a folding saw like the ones contained in the Ameristep Pruning Kit (about $20) will make quick and easy work of clearing shooting lanes and brushing in your blind.
Portable Heater – One of the greatest benefits a ground blind affords is protection from the elements. Stay cozy and comfortable during those long, cold-weather sits by outfitting your blind with a portable propane heater like the Hunting Buddy from Mr. Heater. This lightweight catalytic model sells for around $140, runs on 1-lb. propane cylinders, has a stable base, and includes a variety of other safety features that make it ideal for heating portable hunting blinds and fish houses.
LED Light and Fan – The air inside your blind can heat up during warm weather. A fan will help keep your hunting blind cool by circulating and exchanging air, but not all fans are built for blind duty. This one is. With a dual speed, silent motor powered by two D-cell batteries, Ameristep’s LED Light and Fan Combo easily mounts to one of your blind’s roof hub poles, or can be placed anywhere on its stable, adjustable base. This $25 fan also has 18 stealthy-green LEDs built in for fast, fumble-free lighting when needed.
Shooting Rest – Who doesn’t like the added confidence that comes from a stable shooting rest? A variety of shooting sticks and rests are available, but for versatility, adjustability and ease-of-use, it’s hard to beat the $145 DeadShot FieldPod from Caldwell. Get ideal position and stability for your shotgun, rifle or crossbow when you need it most – while actually hunting. A precision cast aluminum hub system allows the 5-lb. height-adjustable FieldPod to pivot up and down and rotate left and right with ease.
Chairs – Ground blind hunters need a place to sit, and nobody makes a more complete selection of comfortable, lightweight, portable hunting stools and chairs than Ameristep. New for 2016, Ameristep’s Compaclite Tellus and Tellus Lite Chairs have 300 and 225-lb. capacities and pack down into a 15”x4”x4” carry bag. These comfortable sling-style chairs are priced from $40-$50, have a shock cord frame design for quick set up, and include a handy zippered gear pouch beneath the seat.