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Hunting News Latest Hunting News Concealed in mesh
Hunting News Latest Hunting News Concealed in mesh 
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| Written by Bill Miller | |
| Monday, 10 March 2008 | |
 HUNTERS MESH WITH BLIND: Lori Ford practices with her new bow in a Cabela's shoot-through mesh blind at the Rio Rojo Rancho in Red River county. "I got the Diamond bow for Christmas, and I have practiced a lot and am ready to shoot a doe," she said. "We have to shoot 10 doe this year under our Managed Land Deer permit, and I want to do it with the bow.” Photo by David J. Sams. Jack Fleming is a big fan of ground blinds with shoot-through mesh. Fleming, who owns Precision Archery in Bridge City and guides hunters across South and West Texas, said he and his guiding partners have seen more than 400 animals shot out of the blinds. “I absolutely love it. It’s the ultimate concealment,” he said. “And it’s a great thing for children. It keeps down the movement and dulls the glare when the sun is rising in the hunter’s face.” The portable blinds are practically an industry unto themselves. Companies like Ameristep, Avery, Double Bull and Eastman Outfitters are competing for a niche market of bowhunters who like the ease and portability of the tent-like structures. And they’re affordable, ranging from $100 to $300 — depending on whether they’re outfitted with amenities like scent control. Bob Wright of Dallas, president of Lone Star Bowhunters Association, said these blinds are quite popular among the organization’s members in South Texas, where few trees are tall enough for elevated blinds. The efficiency of the blinds is enhanced by windows made of shoot-through mesh, which allows archers to draw down on an animal at ground level, and with total concealment. Broadheads, launched at full poundage, penetrate the mesh as if it wasn’t even there, Wright said. “Mosquito netting is all it is,” he explained. “At typical archery ranges, it doesn’t seem to have any affect on the arrow at all.” Fleming agreed. “I’ve never seen one of them deviate an arrow,” he said. Not all archers are believers in the shoot-through mesh, though. Jeff Birmingham guides archery hunters in Bee County. “I tried it, and I didn’t like it,” he said. “Plus, any time you touch an arrow with anything, it’s going to affect how the arrow flies.” The mesh does carry a few limitations, according to bow-hunters. For example, Wright said, the mesh can only take a few penetrations and then it has to be replaced. That’s because the breaches caused by fast-flying arrows will cause a mesh panel to sag, and an arrow can be deflected by the fabric if it isn’t stretched tightly. Therefore, companies like Ameristep sell replacement kits with new panels for about $13. Ameristep officials also warn archers not to shoot mechanical or expanding broadheads through the mesh. “The broadhead will deploy in the mesh before hitting the animal,” said Tony Tenor, an Ameristep customer service representative. Fleming disagreed. “I’ve shot through them with expandable broadheads and even the Rage broadheads,” he said. “They go right through without expanding if you use O-rings.” Tenor also warned hunters not to shoot guns through the mesh because muzzle blast can ignite the fabric. “And then you have a fire on your hands,” he said. Wright also offered some general tips for hunting out of portable blinds. He said that many of them have dark interiors to help conceal a hunter’s profile. Therefore, he added, hunters can blend in better if they wear black or very dark clothes inside the blind. And although the exteriors of the blinds are camouflage, deer will notice them after their initial set-up, Wright said. “It can spook the deer, unless you thoroughly brush in the thing,” he said. “Then it doesn’t bother them at all, and it doesn’t bother hogs at all; antelope either.” Fleming said his hunters typically get shots within 15 yards. “And my 10-year-old shot bucks at 15 yards this year,” he said. During the early bow season in Texas, Wright said, ground blinds can become stifling, even with mesh windows. Bring plenty of water to prevent dehydration. On balance, however, Wright said the ground blinds are “just really great inventions because of their portability.” “And, after all,” he said, “you can’t fall out of one.” |
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| Last Updated ( Thursday, 13 March 2008 ) |
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