Testing New See-Through Hunting Blinds

Ever find the perfect spot to set up on a deer, but with no suitable tree nearby for a stand? Or maybe you have permission to turkey hunt on a small piece of property where you know a gobbler will pass through at some point, but you need a comfortable spot to sit and wait in the meantime. For many hunters, the obvious solution to each problem is a pop-up ground blind.

Modern hub-style blinds are larger, more comfortable, more weather resistant, and easier to hide than ever, thanks to better camo and loops for adding natural cover. I’ve been a big fan of ground blinds for years for both deer and turkeys. But many of my hunting buddies and other hunters I talk to despise hunting from a blind because they feel constricted, and can’t see well enough to keep an eye on game animals unless they’re right in front of the shooting windows.

New see through technology opens up ground blind hunting so that hunters can see more of the area around them. FeraDyne Image.

Ground blind technology has recently taken its biggest leap forward since the hub-style design replaced the coiled steel spring. Several companies have developed blind materials that are nearly transparent from the inside, but still appear as solid camo from the exterior. That means that, instead of just a small mesh window to look through, hunters can easily see through entire panels of a blind to know exactly what their quarry is doing as it approaches.

While the blinds are see-through from the inside, the outside still appears as solid camo panels. Image by Michael Pendley

Rhino brand is one of the leaders in this new blind technology. Their Rhino 180 features the 2-Way See Through Mesh on two panels for a 180-degree unobstructed view. According to Lucas Johnson, Product Brand Manager for FeraDyne Outdoors, the main component that allows this technology to work is the amount of light that is let through the mesh. You can see out because of the bright environment around you, but animals cannot see in because of the dark background behind you. This required dark background is why the blinds only feature two see-through panels, while the other two are normal blind material with a black interior.

The view from inside a see-through ground blind. FeraDyne Image

The question is, does it work or is it a gimmick? To find out, a put a couple Rhino 180 blinds to the test this past spring, during turkey season. When I first sat in them, I felt like I was sitting in the open — so open, in fact, that I felt too exposed. But that feeling turned out to be completely unwarranted. Sharp-eyed turkeys paid little attention to me inside the blinds, just like they would in a standard fabric blind. I had hens pick as close as five yards, and I called in a late-season longbeard to 15 yards. With plenty of turkey meat in the freezer and the season winding down, I decided not to shoot the bird and instead see just how much movement I could get away with inside the blind.

This late season longbeard came in to 15 yards and didn’t notice my movement inside the blind. Image by Michael Pendley

I called quietly to keep the gobbler’s attention on me. Once he was looking, I stood up and then sat back down. I slowly waved my arms back and forth above my head. I leaned forward and acted like I was aiming a shotgun. I’m happy to report that the turkey pretty much ignored me. After about 20 minutes, he finally got bored of searching for the hen he could hear but not see and wandered off through the clover patch in search of a livelier partner. I’m not sure there could be a more definitive test of a ground blind, see-through or not.

Deer hunters wondering about scent control should know that the more open fabric does allow slightly more air flow than a solid fabric blind. But over the years, it has been my experience that no blind is scent proof. Window openings still allow human odor to escape the blind, and playing the wind just like you would in a tree stand is still necessary for getting into bow range of a wary buck.

As a bowhunter who routinely hunts from ground blinds, I am familiar with the “shoot through” mesh many manufacturers supply with their blinds as window coverings. While most companies don’t recommend shooting through the window screen with expandable heads, I have experienced little effect on accuracy when shooting fixed blade broadheads through the window screen. My first thought upon sitting down inside the 180 was, “if I can see so much more through the see through mesh sides of the blind, could I shoot a fixed blade head through it?”

While the mesh is see through, Rhino recommends opening the windows for archery shots since the heavy mesh can alter arrow flight. Image by FeraDyne

Johnson says no. “We do not recommend shooting through the see-through mesh. Our fabric design is very thick and will most likely impact your arrow flight, leading to an inaccurate shot. It will most likely open an expandable head, but even with a fixed blade, it is not a shot we would recommend taking.” So, stick to window openings on shots.

If you’ve been on the fence about hunting deer or turkeys from a ground blind because of the limited visibility and constraining feel, give these new blinds a try this fall or next spring. The see-through technology will go a long way in easing your concerns while still covering your movement.

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