Mudding A Blind

[Outhouse]

I have a new Power Hunter blind and I am about to puchase a Finisher blind and have a question about how to "mud" it. I know the purpose is to reduce the shine of the new material, so does it really matter whether the mud comes from the area you hunt versus your back yard? Second question, is how do you actually accomplish this feat? Do you simply smear mud all over the blind? Is one way better than another?

[JEDJR]

Outhouse, welcome to the Avery message board.
I dont think it really matters. What I do is get some dirt, and slowly mix with water to make a thick paste.
When it is where I like it, I place it on the blind with my hands to cover it well. After it has dried for hours, I take a broom and sweep off the excess. We have alot of clay in our soil so it hardens like a rock. It normally starts to come off as I use the blind. The important thing is to take the initial sheen off the blind and give it a dull look.
You may want to consider the new field khaki blinds. the color match to a dirty/muddy field is great, but I would probably still mud mine. These khaki blinds also sell for about 50.00 dollars less than the camo versions.
Good luck on mudding your blinds, and if you need any further info, gives us a shout, there is alot of help on this site!

[Outhouse]

Thanks for the word. The local Basspro has the finisher on sale in Natgear type camo. Don't know if it is last year's model or not but I will also look at the Khaki one.

[NWMOhunter]

Just so you know, I have mudded 5 Finishers so far this year. I don't think it is due to our mud, but the mud just doesn't seem to stick to them well. The mud does an excellent job at dulling the fabric, but just doesn't stick well. In my opinion, this is due to the awesome waterproofness of the blinds. Its hard for the water and mud to penetrate the fabric therefore it doesn't stick well.

Like I said though, the mud does dull the fabric and that is the main focus. I still have a Finisher Dog Blind to mud so we'll see how that goes as well.

One awesome set of blinds if I might say so myself!

[Rusty Hallock]

Outhouse,

Avery does not offer layout blinds in Natgear. Avery offers there layout blinds in Shadow Grass, Max-4, and the new Field-Khaki. The main difference between the 2003 Finishers and the 2004 Finishers is that the 2004 come with a FlagDen, cup holder, and shell holder. Avery introduced Field-Khaki for 2004. Go to the link below to see all of Avery's blinds.

http://www.averyoutdoors.com/blinds.html

Rub the blind with plain water and a stiff brush. Work the plain water into the fabric. Get the fabric good and wet, then apply the mud. The mud will stick to the fabric better if the fabric is wet.

[Bret Ayers]

Outhouse,

Mudding a new blind is a must! The 900d polyester cover has a natural sheen to the material. Mixing dirt and water together to make that "paste" as Jed states, is the ideal way to do it. Get a bucket and fill it about half full of good top soil, add some water to your likings and take a neoprene or rubber glove and smear the paste all over your blind. Let the mud dry and you can either leave it on the blind as is or take a broom and brush the dry dirt off. I have heard of guys doing it different ways, which is up to you. (I would leave it on!) We recommend that you get the soil from a environmental field that is in your surrounding area you plan on hunting, this will help you blend in to that environment. This important step is crucial in removing the shine on the cover.

Thanks for your question!

[Travis Mueller]

Outhouse, Brett is right. You will be amazed at how natural the blind looks after mudding it. It is a must and after you have done it walk back a hundred yards and look at it. Do this without mudding and then after. You will be amazed at the difference.

[Scott Moates]

Another way to mud your blind is to make the mixture about the thickness of paint. If you don't want the mess, take a large(3")paint brush or a paint roller and apply the mud mix that way. I have found that it is an easy way to do it and you get good coverage.

[Rob Jepson]

Outhouse,

I have to give it up to my fellow Territory Mangers and Pro-Staffers. If I'd of seen this question asked by a guy named Outhouse, I'd have had to have a little fun with him before I got him the information he wanted. Hope you found the info you were looking for.

Rob Jepson
Avery Territory Manger

[Rick Frisch]

I found out first hand last weekend that when you need to mud a blind, just take it out into a muddy field and start rubbing mud on it. It was so much easier than doing at home and making the mess there. The wet mud made the blind match the field and we used very little KillerWeed in the CamoStraps to conceal it.

Thanks,

[Chad Belding]

I think that it is a good idea to let your blind dry after your first coat of mud. Then put a second coat on and brush it off again. It is very important to use the right mixture of dirt and water. Don't get the mud to runny and don't make it to thick. Get a good consistency before applying it to the blind. After it dries after the second coat, put your KillerWeed on it and it will work wonders. Keep us informed of your success with this process.

Good Hunting!

[migratin25]

I put some dirt in a 5 gal bucket, added water and used a regular broom to apply it. Let it dry over night and use the same broom to brush it. Works like a champ. It wasn't as messy as I thought either.

[Duckpoor]

I have a tip that has worked very well as we progressed thru our Flock of Blinds.
ADD a Good squirt of Dish soap to the water prior to making mud. Scrub the soap and water around on the Flats till wet and "then" Mix mudd and get at it.

All the fabric used on the Blinds is Designed to Repell water. So making the water wetter helps the Mud.. (dirt and Water..) hang on there a lot better.
R Green

[dukman63]

i just finished mudding my 2 new power hunters! here is a pic (hope it works) of one mudded and the other not! as duckpoor said, the dish soap helped alot! i just mixed a couple squirts in the mix, and it went on alot better then without soap! did it in backyard, so the sun was beating down on them! still trying to figure what to use as a stubble! hunt corn and bean fields mostly! good luck and thanks, phil

http://img4.exs.cx/img4/9566/Img_0513.jpg

[JEDJR]

Phil, nice pic. Mine still has alot of dried mud on it. It will start coming off this saturday as our goose season opens.
Use your natural vegetation around you in your fields, corn stubble, bean stalks, it does not take much to blend into your natural surroundings.

Good luck with your new Powerhunters!

[Scott Moates]

Jed,

What are the specks looking like down there? I was in the Mississippi Delta today and saw several groups and also quite a few ducks. We got a bit of rain the last few days and there is alot of water here, which is a good start for this time of year. Let's just hope we get some snow north of us to keep pushing them on down. Let us know how you do this weekend.

[JEDJR]

Scott, still getting some good reports on the specks as well as some bunches of 3-400 blues and snows showing up in the Thornwell area.This front should send some better numbers down. Hope to have some pics to post next week.

[Rick Frisch]

First hand weather report from Devils Lake, ND. Yesterday was 55, sunny, and hardly any wind. Today, the forcast is for 45, sunny, and light NW winds. Not much of a change in the near future, but who knows. How often is the weather man right?

The ducks and snow geese are thick. They are hitting just about every kind of food available. Pea fields to seem to be drawing more ducks.

Thanks,

[JEDJR]

Thanks for the report Rick. You are right, dont sound too good, but we went from lows around 77 two days ago to lows this morning, 45-50, and suppose to be 39-40 by saturday, so I am sure anything in between us is heading down. Atleast I hope so :D
We have a ricefield lease this year, but surrounded by beanfields, so when those greedy snowgeese get here, we should be able to hold some in our area for a long time.