Cover your layout blind with a coat of mud and stubble for concealment.

Mudding is a technique used by expert waterfowl hunters to break in a layout blind and make it easier to hide in the field, especially dirt fields with very little foliage.

Out of the box, a layout blind won’t provide the level of concealment that you need. In order to blend in with your surroundings—whether that means stubble, corn stalks, or plain dirt—you need to apply natural camouflage to the blind, using mud and/or vegetation.

Get Rid of the Shine

The first thing to get rid of is unnatural shine from the blind material. Any material that flashes in the sun can makes birds shy away from your blind. American Hunter recommends roughing up the fabric with a wire brush to break up some of the shine and to make it easier for the mud to stick to the blind.

If you want to paint your blind a different color, now is the time to do it. Use an ultra-flat paint to eliminate any shine.

Mud It Up

The next step is to apply mud. Collect dirt from the fields where you hunt, or use dirt with similar color and properties to match the area in which you’ll be hunting. Mix this dirt with enough water to make a paste. Then use an old paintbrush or broom to apply the mud to the blind. Let the mud dry. Leave the layout blind outside for a few days; then slap it with another coat of mud for good measure. When the mud is completely dry, shake the blind gently to remove any loose dirt and to keep the dirt from falling into your eyes while you’re hunting.

Add some stubble and vegetation to your conceal your blind in the field, and you’re ready to go!

Chair Hunting Blind

How is a chair blind different from a regular hunting blind?

A chair blind is an all-in-one hunting chair and pop up blind. The built-in chair is covered by a tent canopy that folds over the top and completely covers the chair. There are windows on three sides of the tent, with a black backdrop behind the hunter or photographer for concealment.

Why a chair blind?

An all-in-one chair and blind means that you have fewer items to carry with you to the setup location. This makes it easier (and lighter) to carry all the rest of your hunting or photography equipment.

How difficult is it to set up a chair blind?

It’s easy! Just set up the chair, fold the canopy over the top, and stake down the blind to keep it from getting picked up by the wind.

Does it have scent control?

Yes, the KillZone One Man Chair Blind and Two Man Chair Blind both have a scentless carbon protected interior. They also have a scent flap around the bottom of the blind to keep your scent inside the blind. For further scentproofing, let the blind sit outside for a few days to naturalize the odor. Some hunters like to “mud” their blinds for better camo and scent protection.

Is it waterproof?

Most chair blinds are water-repellent and are designed to shed rain and snow. In a heavy downpour, they may allow some water to seep into the blind; however, in most rainy weather, you will stay dry and snug inside the blind.

Is it fire resistant?

We do not recommend using a portable heater inside the blind, nor do we recommend shooting through the mesh with a firearm. Any heat source or open flame creates a fire hazard. Use caution and common sense to prevent creating any fire hazard in or near the blind.

Can I keep it out all season?

Chair hunting blinds are made to withstand the elements for a short period of time. Keeping your blind outside for longer than a week can take a toll on the tent fabric, protective coatings, and support structure of the blind. If you want to keep your blind out for months at a time, we recommend building a permanent hunting blind.

Ground Blind with 360 Viewing

1. Get it out early.

Set up your blind out in the field as early as possible before you plan to start hunting. This gives the animals a chance to get used to the blind. By the time you show up on the morning of the hunt, the animals won’t even give your ground blind a second glance.

Note: Use your discretion on this one, as most portable blinds cannot withstand long-term exposure to strong winds and severe weather. Check the forecast before setting up your blind, and pack it out if unforeseen storms move in to the area. Damage from storms, wind, or long-term exposure is generally not covered under the manufacturer’s warranty.

2. Set it off to the side.

Place the blind off to the side, where you can get a broadside shot as the deer walk past and where they won’t be looking directly into the blind as they’re coming down the trail.

3. Brush it in.

Brush the ground blind in with dead branches, leaves, and brush. This breaks up the silhouette of the blind and makes it blend in more naturally with the surroundings.

4. Conceal your silhouette.

In a ground blind with 360 viewing, make sure you have a dark background behind you at all times to “swallow” your silhouette. If you open the front and back window, the deer can spot your silhouette with the light coming in from behind you. Keeping three windows open is okay. Just make sure you have a dark backdrop, or you might get busted.

5. Naturalize the blind.

Break in your ground blind by mudding it and spraying it down with scent blocker. Leaving your blind outside for a few days also helps air out any new-smelling odors or anything that smells unnatural in the outdoors. Mudding it down takes out the shine and naturalizes the camo pattern.

1. Pull out all of the stakes around the outside of the blind.


Remove all ground stakes.

2. Remove the poles from inside the blind. Undo the hook and loop fastener that attaches the poles to the roof. Pull the poles out of the corner pockets and pull apart the sections to fold them. Set the poles aside.


Remove the poles from inside the blind.

3. Make sure all the windows and doors are closed before tearing down the pop up blind.


Close all windows and doors.

4. Fold the blind in half by grabbing two corners of the blind and pushing one corner into the center of the blind. You now have two sides of the blind facing you.


Fold blind in half.

5. Grab the ends of the blind and fold it in half again. You now have one side of the blind facing you.


Fold blind in half a second time.

6. Grab the ends of the blind and fold it in half one more time to make a sort of figure-eight pattern.


Fold the blind into a figure eight pattern.

7. Hold the pop up blind together with one hand and fold in one end of the blind, grabbing it with the hand holding the blind together.


Fold in one end of the blind.

8. Fold in the other end of the blind to form a complete circle.


Fold in the other half.

9. Tighten up the circle if necessary, and stuff the excess material into the blind so that it doesn’t catch on the bag.


Stuff in excess material.

10. Place the folded blind, poles, and stakes into the storage bag and zip it up for hands-free backpack carrying.


Stuff the blind into the carry bag.

See the pop up blind video for more instructions.

Related Posts:

• How to Set Up a Pop Up Ground Blind – Get your blind set up in no time with these step-by-step instructions.

Ground Blind Setup Instructions

1. Unzip the carrying case, making sure to pinch the ground blind together to keep it from unfolding as you remove the case.


Hold on to the blind as you pull it out of the bag.

2. Remove the two sets of poles from the carrying case and place them to the side for now.


Remove the stakes from the bag and set them aside.

3. To open the ground blind, place one hand on each section of the blind and separate the two sections, allowing the blind to slowly open up into a full circle.


Separate the two round sections to open the blind.

4. Set the bottom of the blind on the ground and hold on to the top of the ground blind.


Keep one hand on top of the ground blind.

5. Grab the two sections of the circle and open it up to reveal two sides of the blind.


Open up the two sides of the blind.

6. Reach one hand into the center of the two sides to grab the frame and pull it towards you, turning the blind into four sides.


Reach in to the middle of the blind and pull it out to open up all four sides.

7. Assemble the poles end to end.


Assemble the poles end to end.

8. Secure the end of a pole in the sleeve in one of the bottom corners of the blind. Secure the opposite end of the pole in the sleeve at the opposite corner. Do the same for the other pole in the opposite corners of the blind.


Insert the end of the pole into the sleeve.

9. Secure the two poles together in the center of the roof with the attached hook and loop fastener.


Attach the two poles to the hook and loop fastener on the roof.

10. Stake your ground blind down with the included stakes to keep the wind from blowing it away.


Stake down the blind to secure it.

Now you’re ready to hunt!

For a demonstration on how to set up the blind, see this video for full setup instructions and features on the KillZone Turret pop up ground blind.

Related Posts:

• How to Tear Down a Pop Up Blind – Get your blind back in the bag in no time with these step-by-step instructions.

Assembling poles for the Turret pop up ground blind

To keep your rods and hubs from breaking, follow these 3 simple steps:

1. Learn the proper setup procedure.
2. Avoid exposure to extreme weather.
3. Avoid long-term exposure to the elements.

Proper Setup

If you learn how to properly set up your ground blind, you should not have to worry about poles or hubs breaking. Follow the instructions provided, and never force a pole into place. Be especially careful with new tents, as the material may need to stretch a bit before it fits the length of the poles.

Follow the setup instructions as described by the manufacturer. Setting up the blind any other way could make the rods and hubs more likely to break.

For KillZone hunting blinds, the best way to learn how to set up your ground blind is to watch the instructional video included on the product page:

• Turret XL Hub Style
• Turret Pop Up
• Lay ‘n Slay© Layout

Exposure

The other reason that poles and hubs break, besides improper setup, is exposure to extreme weather. The longer your blind is exposed to the elements, the greater the chances that the blind will be damaged by storms, strong winds, and other forces of nature.

A heavy snow load on top of the blind places a significant amount of stress on the poles and can easily cause them to break. Also, exposure to extreme cold can make the poles more brittle and therefore more likely to break.

Avoid leaving your blind out for longer than necessary. It is not designed to withstand the elements for the entire hunting season.

Autumn Wooded Oak camo

Here’s what a couple of Michigan hunters have to say about their Turret XL blinds:

“I have a KillZone Turret XL, and it’s great! With 11 shooting windows (all have shoot through mesh) and a roof hatch, there’s no limit to the opportunities to use it.” (Longhair)

“Bought two of the KillZone Turret-XL blinds this year and am pretty impressed so far. 6×6 inside and 66 inch center. Also has a zippered roof hatch so you can stand up for a spell just to look around. For $99.00 shipped to my door and removable mesh windows I couldn’t beat it.

Zero Detect camo

But for $99, and to my door in 3 days, I don’t hesitate to recommend it to the “cost” concious. I bought two, and my bro in law liked what he saw, and he also bought one.

I would give it at least an 8 1/2 of 10 rating. Better, but one of the window loop keepers needed a little more thread to hold it in place. For the money spent, I’m pleased. Can’t say that for a lot of things I bought over the years.” (Don)

Full reviews and comments are posted on the Michigan Sportsman forum.

For more information on the Turret XL Hunting Blind, click here to see our product page, video spotlight, and customer reviews for this blind.

Turret XL Hub Blind with Zero Detect camo

Turret XL Blind

“Couldn’t be more please with my purchase. Forget the instructions, watch the online video…and it is as easy to put up as the guys show. Very study, water repellent just enough room for two people. Shooting through the screens works like they say. Doesn’t affect your arrow trajectory. Also impressed with shipping and tracking info that is emailed to me at every step of the way.”
- Jim A., Colorado

“This is the first blind that I have owned and I could not be happier. This blind is so easy to set up that it took me all of 60 seconds out of the box on the first try. The inside is very roomy and fit me and my two boys 17 and 15. I think the construction is of great quality and will stand up to many years of hunting. Opening morning we had 3 bucks 6 does, one coyote and a turkey walk right by us. You could not beat the price for this blind based on the size and quality. If you are looking for a high quality blind do not hesitate purchasing this one.”
- J. Ryan

“We were very pleased with the blind. We ordered it for our son for Christmas and then ordered another for my husband after seeing the first one.”
- C. Randall

2 Person Chair Blind

2 Shooter Chair Blind

Pop Up Blind

“Great blind for the price. It is light so it may need staked down. Plenty of room and easy to set up. Velcro on the windows are loud.”
- S. Mishler

“Great product–fits my turkey and deer hunting blind needs!! Like the light weight-14 lbs.”
- Roger S.

Layout Blind

“Had problem with push buttons on head rest and a fiber connector snapping in extreme cold. Customer service was pleasant and responsive and replaced with new blind. Would recommend.”
- D. Jones

“It is a good product. It works like they say it does and does the job. The only thing is its not made for healthy people. By that I mean us more rotund fat boys. I can barely close the flaps all the way and be comfortable. Other than that no complaints at all.”
- Chance Burnett

This pop up ground blind has a water repellent finish.

So why don’t ground blind manufacturers add a rain fly, like on camping tents? The problem with a rain fly is that it will flap in the wind and spook game from coming anywhere near the blind. This defeats the purpose of the blind in the first place.

If you really want to make your blind watertight, you might want to try using a seam sealer or waterproofing spray. Keep in the mind that any sealant product you use will leave behind an odor. To get rid of this odor, let the blind sit outside for a few days until the smell is gone.

If you leave your ground blind out overnight, use tie-downs to keep the sides taut and prevent water from pooling in pockets on the roof or other places. If enough water builds up on your tent, it can cause damage to the tent material or poles.

Note: All specifications are based on the manufacturer’s stated price and product description at time of posting. Prices and specifications are subject to change.