Ground Blind Setup Guide
Where to put a ground blind (downwind or crosswind of trails, food and water), natural vs. cloth blinds, clearing the floor, face and hand camouflage, staying still, safe shooting directions, and the pros and cons of blinds vs. tree stands, following the Alaska Bowhunter Safety Course.
The Alaska Bowhunter Safety Course calls ground blinds one of the most popular ways to bowhunt. They range from a natural blind behind a tree, bush, log or rock to a portable, enclosed camouflage-cloth blind. This guide covers placing, building and hunting from one, following that course. More hunting methods are in our methods section.
Where to put it
- Near what the animals use: blinds usually go close to food sources, game trails or water holes (Alaska course).
- Downwind or crosswind: the course says always place a ground blind downwind or crosswind of where you expect to see game, because your scent is carried at ground level downwind of the blind. Base it on the usual wind for that time of day, such as the morning wind.
- Safe shooting: choose a spot where the foreground and background are safe to shoot toward.
Building it
- Natural or cloth: blinds can be made from native vegetation or from a roll of camouflage cloth or netting, which packs easily (Alaska course). Commercial blinds are widely available.
- Clear the floor of leaves and debris so your feet make no noise, and put the ground cover back when you leave.
- Comfort: a small stool or bucket makes the wait easier, and a comfortable hunter moves less.
Hunting from it
- Camouflage your face and hands: the course says face paint or a head net and gloves are especially important in a ground blind.
- Be still: wildlife reacts more to movement than to shape or colour.
- Heating: if you heat an enclosed blind, use only a heater its maker rates for that use and follow its ventilation instructions.
- Weigh the trade-offs (Alaska course): blinds can be set up ahead of time along trails or quickly during a hunt, can hide you completely so you have more time to prepare a shot, and are an alternative to a tree stand when you shouldn’t be climbing, such as in bad weather. But they make your scent and movement easier for game to detect at ground level, and offer limited visibility and shooting lanes.
Scent
Because a blind keeps you at ground level, scent matters. The course notes big game is very sensitive to human scent and suggests rubber-soled boots, which absorb less odour, and storing hunting clothes in plastic bags with natural material from the hunting area. See our wind and scent control guide, and our scent eliminator review for the products. And never run an ozone unit in a closed blind: the US EPA warns inhaled ozone can damage the lungs, and no federal agency has approved ozone generators for occupied spaces.
Rules
Check your state’s and the land manager’s rules on using and leaving blinds, and on fluorescent orange; the course reminds hunters to check their state’s orange requirements. See our whitetail deer and wild turkey profiles for the species.
Sources
- US EPA, Ozone generators that are sold as air cleaners. Read 28 October 2026.
- Alaska Bowhunter Safety Course (bowhunter-ed.com), Ground blinds, Scents and lures and The invisible bowhunter. Read 28 October 2026.
Recommended Gear on Amazon
- Hunting ground blinds - browse current options and reviews on Amazon.
- Ground blind chair - browse current options and reviews on Amazon.
- Pruning shears - browse current options and reviews on Amazon.
As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases - at no extra cost to you. This helps us keep producing free, in-depth guides.
