Instant duck blinds for the running gunner

Land use has changed in New Zealand and ducks are loving it. The emergence of more and more dairy farms where grain is fed-out to cows on pasture, plus an increase in cropping has opened up new hunting opportunities.

Mallards and parries have quickly modified their feeding and resting habits to take advantage of the abundant food supply. Safe on flat land with no tree’s, ditches or cover areas that hunters can obviously utilize to lie in wait, gamebirds feel secure and often prefer this type of loafing habitat to water. Fortunately for NZ hunters, while field shooting in this country is just now gaining popularity, it has been a well established method of hunting in the USA for many years and therefore there is an established industry making decoys, accessories and in particular dry land hunting blinds for gunners on the run.

Parries mallards and Canada geese move constantly from one field to the next. Being able to move quickly and hide instantly alongside feed-out lines, crops or best of all, flooded paddocks where worms have come to the surface is an essential component for a land based hunt.

Building a maimai is impractical so we are lucky that we can benefit from the design that has gone on overseas in developing a range of comfortable instant shooting blinds. Ease of setting up, visibility from inside, portability, concealment, durability in wind and rain and longevity are all factors designed into the modern portable duck blind.

Hunting & Fishing stocks a comprehensive selection with the ‘lay- down blinds’ from FA at the top end (from $399.99). We also stock the Outdoor Outfitters budget version at the sharp price of just $199-99 suiting the more casual parrie and duck hunter. With Canada goose hunting in mind, the low profile lay-down blinds are designed in such a way that a hunter can recline semi seated on the ground and rise into an upright sitting position to shoot. Lay-down blinds can be covered in ground foliage gathered from the surrounding area, even cut long grass is a popular dressing when hunting in pasture.

One of last year’s hottest catalogue items was the Outdoor Outfitters Camo Chair Blind – many of our stores sold out in just days! What makes these units so popular is that they can be used on land or alongside water for instant seated concealment. Easy to transport and virtually as easy to put up or down as folding out a camp chair, Chair Blinds are designed to be comfortable and allow good visibility. The leaf-edge camo exterior provides an outline which is natural and realistic, to shoot the hunter just steps forward from the seated position.

For 2010 Outdoors Outfitters have not only improved on the 2009 design and lowered their pricing, but they’ve introduced a Double Chair Blind. Now two hunters can shoot together, or as some of our guys intend, they can keep their retriever hidden on the other chair in the blind. Dress the outside with some local vegetation to help break up the outline and you will be amazed at how mallards and parries seem oblivious. For 2010 we are pleased to pass on a cost saving on the single Blind Chair Blind which drops to $159-99, while the Doubles come in at just $199-99.

If room is of importance then the well proven Outdoors Outfitters Hay-Bale Blind should be right up there. With enough room swing a (small) cat, it will fit two hunters on camp chairs plus dog and pack etc yet it packs down into a tent sized carry bag. The Hay-Bale blind is shaped like a large bale, it’s a straw coloured camo pattern and has zippered side entry and has a heavy duty floor. Outside it has elastic loops to attach local vegetation (raupo and maize stalks work well) – you’ll melt into the paddock or crop and have birds landing all over you. Simon O’Connor, co-owner of our Manawatu store described to us a great experience shooting Parries recently when they employed the Hay-Bale Blind and literally had birds landing so close you could have touched them.

This year’s improved range of portable blinds will certainly give you the edge in field shooting, but many hunters now use them for an instant camo solution at the duck pond or alongside floodwater etc. Innovation has come a long way from camo nets, but yes we stock these too! We remind you that you will be even more successful if you cover your face with a mask or camo paint and if you wear camo clothes and gloves as it’s movement or faces peering out when ducks are approaching that will give the game away if detected.

A small tip when you get your shiny new blind is to first rub mud into it then clean this off. This will take away much of the shine for a more natural look.