10-30-12

I am finally able to get into some of my guide blinds and get started on the task of brushing them and getting them ready for the season. I get alot of questions on how I go about brushing the blinds for the season so as promised I did a photo documentation of how I do it.

The first thing that I do is clear all of the standing brush that is naturally around the blind. The reason that I do this is because it will get stomped down any how and wont stand freely after a couple hunts or a good storm.

I then put a 16' long X 24 " tall  hog wire panel  on the front side of the blind and drive 8 wooden stakes into the ground  to attach the panel to, using tie wire.

Once the panel is secure I then cut tall johnson grass and weave it into the panel so that it makes a solid screen. I then take the johnson grass and break it over even with the top of the panel to break up the square look and it helps to blend the front of the blind into the rest of the cover on the levee.

I then install my roller lid from the backside of the blind. Once it is on and adjusted I cover it with fast grass and then put some of the johnson grass cuttings over the top and secure it with tree rope.

Once this is done I drive 4-5 wooden stakes on each end of the blind and 5-6 wooden stakes along the front and back of the blind and attach bundles of johnson grass to them. This helps to hide the dogs as well as keep the traffic areas covered where we walk in and out of the blinds.

The last and final step is to put flakes of rice straw all around the blind and where the dogs lay so that we keep the mud under control and the blind stays alot cleaner.

This usually takes me 5 hours per blind, but if the brushing job is done right the first time it should hold the duration of the season. The only thing that you should have to do during the season is put new brush on the wood stakes every week or two and add a few stakes if something just doesn't look right. We redo the stakes every week to 10 days, however, it all depends on how often you use the blind and how careful you are when hunting and getting in and out of the blind.

Casey