Like every tool in your hunting arsenal, a ground blind has pros and cons. Some of these are dictated by circumstances and some are intrinsic to the design. When it comes to circumstances, one of the biggest pros to a ground blind is that it can be set up pretty much anywhere as long as there is a relatively flat spot available. You aren’t limited to trying to find a tree that is located in the right spot, you can put it where you need it. Furthermore, many hunts might not have a tree at all. In those cases, cover is usually pretty limited, so being able to provide your own in the form of a blind is a huge advantage. Some of the pros that are intrinsic to the design are that ground blinds provide nearly total concealment, a high level of scent control, noise reduction, additional warmth during cold temperatures, an exponentially lower level of risk than treestands, and a perfect environment to introduce fidgety hunters to the sport without spooking game – yes, I’m talking about kids here!
On the flipside, ground blinds are large items that aren’t shaped like most things in nature are. As such, they can be alaming to skittish game if adequate time isn’t provided for animals to get used to it, or if they aren’t properly brushed in. Not surprisingly, the additional warmth they provide in cold climates work against ground blinds in the heat where the lack of airflow can be stifling on hot sits. One other common complaint regarding ground blinds is that they are pretty large and bulky, and therefore not easily transported on longer treks.
When it comes to weighing the pros versus the cons, the pros tend to far outweigh the cons, especially when you factor in how much safer a ground blind is than a treestand.