If you decide to leave a pop up blind up for an extended period, stake it down good, brush it in, and consider adding a center pole for snow load.
The reality is that the longer you leave a portable deer blind up, the less life you’ll get out of it. So, you’ll have to decide if the convenience of leaving it up outweighs the negatives. Hopefully the breakdown below can help you decide your own preference.
I usually leave my deer blinds up for most of the deer season, and then take them all down right before it ends.
*Pros and cons of leaving pop up’s out in the woods
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| General Convenience | Weather damage |
| Deer get used to them | Critter damage |
| Reserve a hunting spot | Risk of theft |
| They air out (scent free) | Critters take up residence |
| Other hunters may use it |
4 Advantages To Leaving A Hunting Blind Up
- Convenience
- Deer get used to seeing them
- They air out and become scent free
- Potentially reserve a spot
1. It’s Certainly Convenient To Leave A Blind Up
– Avoids the pain of hauling them in repeatedly
There is no way around it. Lugging a ground blind in, setting it up in the dark, taking it back down, and then hauling it back out is all a big inconvenience. Even leaving one up just for a few hunts at a time is big help.
– Keep them brushed in
I personally go through quite an effort to brush a blind in good in order to break up the roofline, as well as general concealment. It’s a real pain to have to do all that camouflaging, just to take it back down after one hunt.
2. Deer get accustomed to pop ups
Leaving a deer blind in place gives the local deer herd a chance to get used to it. At some point, they won’t pay any attention to one that you have left in plain sight.
I still prefer to brush in blinds, so that the non-local bucks passing through don’t see it and raise their alert level.
3. Pop Up Blinds Air Out When Left Up
Whether a blind is brand new, or if it’s been stored in a smelly garage, you’ll need to pop it up and let it air out ahead of a hunt. Sticking it up in the backyard for a couple weeks before deer season is a good practice.
4. Can Be Used To “Reserve” A Spot
While certainly not a given, I find that sticking a pop up blind up where you want to hunt does discourage other hunters from using the immediate area. I’ve done this successfully in several deer camps that I’ve been in. Certainly this would usually never “officially” reserve a spot, but it can help keep others off it 😉
Heavy snow is particularly rough on pop up blinds that are kept up through the winter. Adding a center support pole can help with this.
| Top 8 threats to a pop up deer blind |
|---|
| Sun |
| Wind |
| Snow |
| Bears |
| Cows |
| Mice |
| Theft |
| Limbs and Trees |
6 Negatives To Leaving A Pop-Up Blind Up
All in all, pop up blinds are fairly delicate things. That’s what makes them so light and convenient. With that, comes a certain fragility that may not be there with other deer stand styles.
Deer blinds aren’t necessarily cheap items, so care should be taken to extend their longevity. See the drawbacks below to leaving them up and draw your own conclusions.
- Weather beats them up
- Someone may steal it
- Bears, mice and other creatures may destroy it
- Creatures may take up residence inside it
- May not be able to make it back to get it
- Other hunters may use it
1. Weather Beats Up Ground Blinds
Wind, sun and snow really work together to beat up a blind that is left up for extended periods of time. The more out in the open you place them, the faster they will get destroyed.
2. Pop-Ups Blinds May Get Stolen
Unfortunately, theft is a real risk for many hunters. The nicer the blind is, the longer it will survive the weather, but the nicer it is, the more attractive it is to thieves.
3. Critters Are Rough On Blinds
When it comes to blind-destroyers, some of the worst culprits are mice. You can put out poisons to limit this risk. Other common risks are bears and cows.
4. Critters May Take Up Residence
A blind left up for an extended period of time runs the risk of becoming home to all sorts of undesirables, such as snakes and wasps. These can all be dealt with, but surprise encounters can become quite memorable.
5. You May Not Make It Back To Get It
The reality is that life happens, and sometimes we may not be able to get back to a hunting property when we thought we would.
If you leave a blind in place, you may later decide you wish you didn’t have to go back to get it. This presents a problem, because at some point, a hunting blind becomes litter.
6. Other Hunters May Use It
At least in some states, you cannot put up a deer blind on public land and forbid other hunters from using it. The same goes for some deer camps. If other hunters using your blind is a problem for you, consider packing it out.
Cows can be particularly rough on pop up blinds. If you leave one in an area where cows are constantly around, expect to have issues.
How Long Should You Leave A Pop-up Blind Up
Quality pop up blinds can be left up throughout a deer season, for 2 or 3 months at a time. I would definitely take them down after the season ends. Rain, snow, ice, wind and sun are rough on any kind of fabric, blinds being no exception.
The less time your blind stays in the outdoors, the longer it will last. Besides the effects of the weather, you also run the risk of a limb or tree falling on it the longer it stays in the woods.
Mother nature can get your blind one way or another. If kept out in the open, the sun and wind will beat it up. If kept in the woods, limbs and trees are a risk.
Don’t Ground Blinds Fade In The Sun?
I find that most pop up blinds actually begin to fade in the sun fairly quickly, like any other fabric does. Higher quality blinds do seem to withstand the effects of the sun for longer.
You can expect a pop up to fade some, even after just a few months in direct sunlight. For pop ups that I intend on leaving out, I usually place them in shaded areas to hide them better from deer, and to protect them from the sun.
Don’t leave the bag that a blind comes in lying in the blind. Mice may chew it up. Instead, keep it safely stored in your truck.
Keeping A Portable Blind Up On Public Land
I personally never leave a pop up on public land. In some places you are allowed to do so, but you run the risk of theft, or other hunters making use of your stand when you aren’t there.
Even if another hunter doesn’t use your blind, you are potentially revealing the location of your honey hole, which may have taken you many hours of scouting to find.
Invest in quality tent stakes to anchor down a blind. The ones that come with most blinds are garbage.
How Long Do Hunting Blinds Last If Left Up Year Round?
Obviously it varies based on the quality of the blind, and the climate. On average, a pop-up blind will last 1-3 years if left up year round. I don’t think you could expect to get more than that out of one if you leave it up.
Blinds placed within the protection of trees will last longer, assuming a tree limb doesn’t get it. Conversely, if left in the open, you can expect significant fading after a year, and the damage from the wind is very likely.
A quality blind will last 5 or more seasons if taken down after each deer season ends, and then put back up a short while before the season starts.
How To Store A Ground Blind
A ground blind should be stored in the bag that it came in. Do the following when putting away your blind.
Remove Brush
When you take your ground blind down, remove any brush or grass that you may have added for concealment, and knock the dirt off of it.
Let It Dry!
If your blind is damp you’ll want to pop it up and let it dry out first in the sun before packing it away.
Store Out Of Extreme Temps
If you have a place to store a pop-up out of extreme temperatures, that would be ideal. To be honest, I throw mine in the attic or the garage and call it good. I don’t feel like it’s much of an issue. I’m sure it takes some life off of it long term.
One thing I do strive to do, is to not store a blind where direct sunlight can hit it.
Conclusion
One of the biggest advantages of a pop up blind is that they are portable. So, it’s best to take them down after every hunt, or certainly by the end of deer season. If you do this, you can usually get 4 to 5 years out of them. If you leave them up for 4 or 5 months each year, you can expect more like 2 or 3 years of life.
If you want a pop up blind to stay up year round, you’re better off constructing some sort of permanent blind instead.
Keep in mind that all blinds are not created equal. Some of the better quality blinds, like the Primos Double Bull, will last longer. That’s especially true if you erect them somewhere that is out of direct sunlight and wind exposure.
Good Luck!
Augustus Clay
