Noob Question: Overnight in a blind
- Thread starter BullOnParade
- Start date
I built an 8x8 elevated blind. Sleeping, cooking, pooping in it is all fine. I've killed over a dozen deer from it. I couldn't imagine sleeping in a small ground blind (mostly because I'm 6'6"). If you can't build a blind, sleep away from the hunting area in your vehicle or a tent.
Runningfool
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- SW Ontario
Walking back to your truck in the dark with an uncased gun is quite a bit different than camping out all night and having a gun uncased and handy for protection.
A guy in a blind with an uncased gun in the middle of the night out in the middle of nowhere could be viewed by a CO as hunting just like a guy out target shooting in the woods could be viewed by a CO as hunting...Naturally it all comes down to the CO and what you appear to be up to. If you’re sitting in your blind, gun in your lap, sweeping the area with your spotlight or wearing your nv gear, the windows of your blind open, etc. then yeah, you are probably going to be charged. But if you’re bundled in your sleeping bag with the blind buttoned up, heating a can of chili on a little portable stove with an uncased gun leaning against the wall then it’s unlikely anyone would interpret that as hunting.
And realistically, I don’t think any province has the resources to have COs walking through random sections of bush in the middle of the night checking people sleeping in their blinds. However seeing a truck parked on the edge of a bush lot makes it easy for a passing CO to roll up around sunset and wait for the hunter to walk out so that they can check for tags, cases, licence, etc.
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Trimmer 905
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
With our moose crew because we can find ourselves miles away from camp in a remote section,guys staying overnight in the bush is quite common. Planning ahead is important. We camp at our watch. A good tarp (needs to be quiet),lots of rope,heavy sleeping bag and ground insulator,food for supper,breakfast and lunch for the next day can all be easily hauled in on back pack. It's easy to keep a warm fire going all night even if it's wet. YouTube has lots of videos to show various set-ups and techniques. The biggest trick is to stay dry if it starts to rain or snow through the night. Bottled water and a mickey of whiskey comes in handy,too.
I used to sleep in the bed of the truck with a tarp over me. Sleeping bag, piece of foam to sleep on, a coleman stove, coffee pot, frying pan, and an axe was all the camping gear i carried. Wake up before first light, start coffee, put away the bag and foamy, fry some eggs, listen to the radio for 15 mniutes with coffee before starting the hunt. Later I got a topper shell for the truck and it was like living in a hotel.
Sidearm Sambo
Regular
Gotta stay dry and warm. A tent without heat source will be damp. Dont stay in a blind. A small 10' x 10' shack would be large enough to stay in and keep warm. Get a good safe heater. Cot up off the ground. Walk to your hunting dpot only minutes away. Keep your firearm in a case( this is legal). Enjoy the adventure and the hunt. Check in at specific times so your wife knows all is well. Eat solid easy meals. Have a camp fire spot to enjoy the evening or early morn. Have a safe hunt
I think the blind is an idea worth trying. If you have a tent heater bring it, but you don't need heat if you have a good bag and 3" foam or mattress to sleep on. That's all you need. It's an adventure and you'll learn something, and you'll know you're doing something 99% of people are too timid to do. Sleeping by yourself in wilderness scares the chit out of most.
- Location
- Blaster land, Okanagan BC
I’d say trying to fill the freezer with meat for the family is putting in work, as said she’s got support to help with the baby while he’s away.
rifleman762
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Southern Alberta
At 3 days or 3 weeks old, yes, the baby and helping the wife takes priority. At 3 months it's all good to take off for a day or two; wife is recovered from delivery and the household is settled into its new routine. I mean, you're going to work 5 days a week while she's at home, anyways. I wouldn't do a 2-week northern moose hunt with no cell reception, though.
Source: I have three boys aged 1.5, 3, and 5. The youngest was born early November so I didn't take part in our prairie rifle deer season that year.well if you have no infrastructure on the land yet , in terms of permanent box blinds , i would not recommend a pop up blind to sleep in.
how many acres ? , sounds like there might be some work to do before over nighters would be fun in colder months. cut and split wood (clear areas for hunting lanes), outhouse, supply shed. if you have enough cut wood on site, and a hard wall building with a wood stove you can survive comfortably
best options would be
1) buy a small old (or new if can afford) camper trailer . newer will have propane heat? . old "hunting campers" are plentiful on kijiji in MB, most have a small wood stove.
- a lot of people have these old campers on their property as hunting blinds
2) get an INSULATED pop up ice fishing shack , some as big as 100sq ft, people sleep on the ice all the time in them. (use a co detector just incase)
- MR.heater big buddy plus 20 pound propane tank. will last a full night
- retro fit a wood stove to fit thru one of the windows .
3) bring extra fuel, if its freezing cold, sleep in your truck over night
4) get a night in the closest motel
5) safety fire starters / those candles that burn for several hours
how many acres ? , sounds like there might be some work to do before over nighters would be fun in colder months. cut and split wood (clear areas for hunting lanes), outhouse, supply shed. if you have enough cut wood on site, and a hard wall building with a wood stove you can survive comfortably
best options would be
1) buy a small old (or new if can afford) camper trailer . newer will have propane heat? . old "hunting campers" are plentiful on kijiji in MB, most have a small wood stove.
- a lot of people have these old campers on their property as hunting blinds
2) get an INSULATED pop up ice fishing shack , some as big as 100sq ft, people sleep on the ice all the time in them. (use a co detector just incase)
- MR.heater big buddy plus 20 pound propane tank. will last a full night
- retro fit a wood stove to fit thru one of the windows .
3) bring extra fuel, if its freezing cold, sleep in your truck over night
4) get a night in the closest motel
5) safety fire starters / those candles that burn for several hours
realized you said you can handle the sleeping side of things .. being that is most important..
the hunting side , make sure you are planned for after the kill,
- if your wife is expecting you home at 7pm sunday . can you still shoot at 9am - knowing it could take 2 hours to gut it/pack it out-
- if you get one early saturday , do you have somewhere to hang it for 24 hours or plan to leave it in the truck box ?
during the hunt - silence , rattle antlers ? they work great at certain times of year especially on the younger bucks. doe grunts ?. are you allowed to bait in that area ? if you are i would be bringing a bag of feed .
tough being so far away from the land, putting feed out a month in advance a few times would surely increase success by a lot.
if hunters on other properties around , maybe try to make friends,, gets dark early and a warm place to go have a drink might be nice in the evening ,, or they might even help hang your game
the hunting side , make sure you are planned for after the kill,
- if your wife is expecting you home at 7pm sunday . can you still shoot at 9am - knowing it could take 2 hours to gut it/pack it out-
- if you get one early saturday , do you have somewhere to hang it for 24 hours or plan to leave it in the truck box ?
during the hunt - silence , rattle antlers ? they work great at certain times of year especially on the younger bucks. doe grunts ?. are you allowed to bait in that area ? if you are i would be bringing a bag of feed .
tough being so far away from the land, putting feed out a month in advance a few times would surely increase success by a lot.
if hunters on other properties around , maybe try to make friends,, gets dark early and a warm place to go have a drink might be nice in the evening ,, or they might even help hang your game
If you get one early Saturday you pack your #### and go home! Lol
- Location
- Innisfil, Ontario
She doesn't want you going because that is what Wives do. Natural instinct. If you want to escape their clutch and have go hunting you can't let them catch you up. Just pack your gear and go. I am spending the best part of 2 weeks up hunting this year. Now the Wife even enjoys my time away.
NorthernCX
CGN Regular
- Location
- In My House
As someone who grew up with guns but basically is a self-taught hunter, as a new person worry less about scent control and concentrate on fundamentals- reading sign, terrain and wind. This will do far more for your success than buying fancy (and repeatedly proven ineffective for the most part) 'scent control' gear and products. The more time you spend in your property the more you will learn how to move quietly, keep yourself downwind of prey, and the habits of the game that call your land its home.
A CO/smoke detector would not be a bad idea in that situation...
