Grassing a Layout Blind

[Outhouse]

With all of the good responses I have gotten on my first post at how to mud a layout blind, I am compelled to ask another question: Once I mud my blind, I know that I need to add some form of vegetation to make the blind blend in with the surrounding area. I like products like KillerWeed although I have never seen it up close. Do you "grass" it before heading out or is this something you do at your hunting site. If you do it once you get to the site, does this mean that you have to grass it each time you hunt? Seems like a lot of work. Thanks for allowing me to post my "simple" questions. Jon

[Ben Waples]

I "grass" my blinds up everytime I use them! YOu never know if you are going to be hunting wheat stubble, beans, corn, hayfields, who knows. The problem I find with this new craze using the raffia is that it doesnt always match the surrounding completely. I want my blind to look like a corn field not a stand of switch grass. Use the natural cover or the Raffia products IF it matches the surroundings.

[JEDJR]

I agree with Ben. It just depends on what kind of field you are hunting, you do want to match the area you are hunting .
It is best to take all folage grasses,stubble, killerweed, etc.. off the blinds or as much as possible , to get them to fold back down properly to be carried back out of the field.
With a little practice, you will see, it does not take as long as you think.

[Chad Buehler]

What I did was permanently attach some raffia grass to my Power Hunter and X-Lander. Not to the point where you can't see the blind, but there is definately some on there. Then I went and lightly mudded the raffia to help "weather" it quicker. So from that I have a very natural looking blind and all I have to do is add natural vegetation to the blind in places where I didn't put the raffia and it is GO TIME!

Also I should mention I really have no intentions of hunting any green fields so this will only work in corn, beans, or disked fields. I can't suggest this ,method if you plan on hunting winter wheat or alfalfa or anything green. Hope this helps out.

[Hest]

You have to make sure of where you are hunting and what the weather is doing. Like today, it's raining here, so everything will be darker, but Freddy told me once, when you are putting grass, stalks, etc in the straps, don't just fill the straps and have all the veg. pointing straight up. Use some long pieces and run them horizontally to make the blind not look "boxy." But The bed of my truck is full of corn and beans because you never know what you're going to be hunting in. And green grass, that has to be picked freshly, or it will be brown, and not fit. Hope that helps.

[Rick Frisch]

I like to use just enough KillerWeed to get the job done. Most of the fields I hunt are going to be a golden wheat, cornfield color. I look at the field the day before. If there is some green in it, I will add a little green to the blind. The same with the other colors.

For example, we put KillerWeed on a boat blind two weeks ago. We stood beside the cattails and tried different combinations until we had one that matched. We took four strands of the golden, two strands of the green, and one strand of the dark brown. It matched the cattail background perfectly. The same combination would not match nearly as perfect today because most of the green is gone from the cattails. The conditions change everytime you go hunting and you need to be prepared to change with them.

The same senerio can apply to any situation you hunt whether it is a wheat field, cattail slough, corn field, etc. Do your homework on what color combinations are going to make your blind blend in and you will definately add to your success.

[imported_Derek Rambo]

All these responses are good and I would like to add my 2 cents for what it's worth.
I just put some Killer Weed (AT) on two of my Finishers for the trip to South Dakota next week.
What I really like about this stuff is that if you know the general fields you are hunting( corn, golden wheat, milo)you can use the browns and golds in the kit to sparsley "brush" the blinds, fold them up, and go! That way when you get to the actual field you can grab a little natural vegatation to put within the already brushed blind with Killer Weed.
Blends right in and the Killer Weed adds a little more 3-D effect under the actual field vegatation that you apply! Saves time completly brushing in the field and more time to set deks...a sure help when you have to put out alot like we do down here in Texas!!!

Good luck and let us know how it all works out!!

[Rob Jepson]

Derek,

After our hunt together last January, I know what you are talking about. Man that was a mess of decoys. I guess if we really wanted it to look realistic we could have brushed the blinds with cotton plant stalks and blue plastic shopping bags!

On a serious note, I like the concept of having a certain amount of A/T KillerWeed pre-attached to the blind before I get in the field. The addition of the vegetation at the scene will enhance the overall effectiveness of the concealing the blinds.

The one exception to this would be winter wheat fields. Rusty Hallock and I have access to some fields that, unless there is stubble from a previous crop available, would benefit greatly from a larger quantity of the winter wheat color so we keep some of that in the trailer as well.

Rob Jepson
Avery Territory Manger

[Chad Belding]

It is a good idea to put a base layer of KillerWeed on your blind before you go to the field. When you get there, it is a good idea to add some of the natural vegetation to make the blind blend in even more. You do not have to add a lot, just enough to give the blind the 3-D effect you are looking for. The KillerWeed is awesome because it allows you to always have the base layer and it never falls off. It blends in with everything, it is very affordable, and I have never seen anything as effective as it. Please keep us informed of your success with it.

Good Hunting!

[Travis Mueller]

I recommend buying a boat blind kit for your layout blind. I know I know it's overkill, but I just put all of it in a decoy bag and alway's bring it along. I then use all of the colors sparingly, and the most prominent color I beef up. I then use natural to finish it off. It is deadly!!!!! This stuff is tough as nails too, so you won't wear it out.

[Brian Laux]

i would have to agree with hest here. except i am always careful to take the stubble out of the field i am in. and it try to take the stubble that is exposed to the same elements that the blinds will be in. i bring several tools out to the filed to aid me. a leaf rake works awsome on bean stuble. i also bring a sicle to knock down grass and corn stubble. the maint hing is to get away from the box look

brian

[Bret Ayers]

Outhouse,

The world of message boards! You can not ask for any better examples or ideas as what you read on this thread. I don't mean to sound like a broken record but I like some of these guys will put just enough KillerWeed on my blind to help mix things up! I always restubble my blind in every field that I hunt. Yes, this my take an extra 10 minutes in the morning but it will ensure that I blend into that field. A prime example is my father a couple years back, he stubbled it one time at the beginning of the season and then stored it in a barn all year long. Long story short, by him doing this the stubble on his blind did not get the weather exposure that the fields were getting and when he pulled his blind out to hunt, the stubble on his blind and the stubble in the field were two different colors. This is a prime example of why you should restubble your blind on every hunt.

Hope this helps!

[Rusty Hallock]

Travis has the right idea. Buy the All-Terrain Boat Blind Kit and use the predominate color that is present in the field of the day you are hunting. Then finish the brush job with natuaral vegitation. The only thing I would do different is if I am hunting winter wheat fields. I would heavily mud my blind or use a mudded Field-Khaki blind with some of the Winter Wheat Killerweed along with some leftover stubble. Use the Killerweed and stubble sparingly. Match your field. Killerweed is extremely durable. Killerweed breaks up the profile of your blind. When you add the natural vegitation, your blind will blend perfectly into the field you are hunting.