By Clark Schmitz

In recent years the pop up ground blind has gained popularity with many hunters. The blinds are very portable, can be quickly set up, can be placed anywhere game travel, help conceal movement and sound, can help contain scent, are safer than elevated stands, allow the use of a heat source , make filming a hunt easier and allow taking a youth hunter or friend along much more enjoyable. Depending on the game hunted the blind may need to be put in place prior to the hunt as some game need time to get used to the blind. Deer, and especially mature deer, can avoid getting near the blind for some time where turkeys seem to accept its presence much more readily.

The ground blind market has been somewhat revolutionized with the introduction of the surround view line of blinds offered by Primos. The double bull SurroundView blind comes in three models which include: four (360), three (270) or two (180) walls that are “see thru” from the inside only. The roof and non- see thru walls are black which makes wearing black clothing a plus. The blinds are the standard hub style, and the set up and take down is done in the normal fashion. The four see thru walled blind is the most expensive, followed by the three and two sided models. The four see thru walled blind comes with a movable black curtain that can be placed on any wall the hunter chooses. It has a horizontal (180 degree) shooting window and five shoot thru ports, while the three and two sided models have vertical and tri-angular windows.  When closed the vertical windows are not see thru.

When inside the blind the visibility looking thru the walls gives one the impression of looking thru a screen door. The visibility is certainly not like looking thru an open window but you can certainly see well enough to feel comfortable that you know what’s going on in the area around you.     The see thru walls have numerous small holes that allow some light and a very small amount of wind to enter the blind. From the outside the blind it has the same appearance of other Primos blinds.

In April (2018) I hunted turkeys with archery tackle from a Double Bull “Bull Pen” blind and the new “SurroundView 270”  blind.

I hunted from the bull pen blind first. It worked well and seemed to excel at keeping me well hidden (augmented with black clothing) as the blind’s design puts the hunter in a dark environment with a black background. The bull pen blind did limit my visibility and I found myself frequently having to lean close to a closed window and pull it open slightly to look out and check for any game. On one hunt a pair of hens appeared at the decoys seemingly out of nowhere as the blind’s design does limit your awareness of movement around you. On another morning hunt three gobblers responded to my calls. They would not commit to coming right to the decoys where my shooting opening faced but I was lucky enough to be able to quietly open the side zippered shooting opening (with one hand) and take one of the turkeys.

I then began hunting in the surroundview blind (at a different location) to get a feel for its advantages and disadvantages. The first thing I noticed is the difference in the amount of light in the blind. The Surroundview blind allows some light to enter through the walls and I questioned how well I would be concealed when game was close and may notice movement though my shooting opening. The ability to see relatively well around me at all times was great and it was really nice not having to peek thru closed windows frequently to know what was going on around me. As with other Primos blind models the vertical windows do require two hands to open. It would be better if they could be opened with one hand so when the game pursued doesn’t cooperate fully and you want to shoot in a different direction the window could be opened without putting your weapon down.

On a morning hunt, a lone long beard showed interest in the calling and decoys, although he never gobbled, he slowly worked his way towards the decoys in full strut. Having taken 20 minutes to close the distance from 125 yards to 50 yards, he finally decided to come in and confront the decoys. He then slowly but steady marched toward the decoys. At 15 yards he stopped and offered a good shot opportunity. I got to full draw without the tom noticing the movement. I was lucky enough to watch the mortally wounded bird run only 25 yards before going down.

The surroundview 270 blind had worked well. The see thru walls were definitely an advantage as I was able to keep a constant eye on the approaching turkey and was able to draw my bow when the turkey was about to get in line with the shooting window. The blind does allow more light in and certain conditions may cause the hunter to be silhouetted thru the walls. The black wall(s) in the blind along with black camo is important to staying concealed in the surroundview blind.

The Primos SurroundView blind has taken ground blinds to a new level of visibility while still providing concealment.

Editors Note: Visit the Primos site for more details.