Goose Frame Blinds - Effective?

[Murdy]

How well do frame blinds work, like this one: https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/zin...hEYZ89jLqwjPdvlpQmRoC4UcQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Do you need to tuck them into a fence line or some standing corn to be effective, or can you put one in the middle of an open field (where the corn has been harvested, for example) and still have a decent chance at some shooting?

I have a friend with a broke leg that might have difficulty getting up and down from a layout blind, so we were wondering if this was a realistic option.

 

[backcountry_hunter]

They took the place of layouts 7 years ago or so and became all the rage. They work if used right (fence lines/higher vegetation/edges/etc.... I've seen 20yo's in black hoodies set them up in the middle of a clean bean field and shoot birds, albeit they generally don't finish as well. They're typically setting up different than a layout though with decoys out in front of you 10-20 yds vs laying in them in a layout.

I personally don't use them. I only hunt canadas early anymore and once duck season comes in you can't pay me to leave the timber. The places I hunt canada's I don't have a use for them. If I did I'd probably still opt for a layout vs a-frame's.

In your situation it sounds like probably your best option

 

[t_carlson]

They work very well. They're best if you can put them next to some kind of natural structure (fence line, brush patch, etc.). You can put them out in the middle of a field, but whether that works is hit or miss, IME.

 

[KurtR]

I have the lucky duck 2x4 I like better than my friends avian. Shadows matter how you set them up so that has to be accounted for make sure you don’t cast on your decoys. We will use them in the middle of fields but we have random rock piles and make it look like them. I just started getting mine tuned up this weekend. I cut cattails and that’s my base. I am fanatical about making sure it is blinded in every time and it’s a lot of work but worth the effort. We shot a lot of birds in bare soy bean fields last year. Make sure the top doesn’t look like a big black hole. I would rather hunt out of the a frame now than any other way .

 

[UpTop]

I like the panel blind style better like the tanglefree. More versatile imo. Same effect but easier to use in more conditions. We will use them as a breakup on river banks and only have to use one in front instead of a whole box like the avian x.

 

[spur60]

Short answer is they work - in a myriad of scenarios, if you know how to brush it and set up properly. Hundreds of videos on youtube showing how and where to set up. As mentioned, top cover is important, especially if you're going to run the blind out in the open. Cut a ton of tall grass and stubble well for your base, and leave it on as long as it looks good; adding natural colors for each hunt. I've run a Lucky 2x4 in grazed pastures and shot honkers in the face at 5 yards. We've run two end to end and had triple digit snow goose shoots in cut corn. It's a great option for taking my kids with or when I get roped into taking contractors/customers out on duck hunts before they pheasant hunt.

 

[Murdy]

Thanks for the feedback, everyone. Think we'll give one a try.

 

[Jack321]

In waterfowl, the name of the game is flexibility.

A Frames def work. I've put em in bean fields and shot limit of ducks and geese. Put em in a hedge row to blend in. But I've also had em bounce off of them or not commit....it all depends.

I've had the snow cover on em in snow and they bounce, I've had em in snow with a snow cover and they come right in.

In a corn field. I'm usually in a layout or backrest with a blanket. Bean field I'm usually in an A Frame or broken up patch or edge of a field in a transiton. In snow, I'm usually in a layout with snow covers.....

It's all about flexibility.

Sometimes they don't care, sometimes they do....it's hunting....

 

[Redjones]

They work great when you blend them in,but I've watched guys kill birds out of them in the middle of a picked bean field,just don't finish as well.
Blind is right behind them.

 

[CobraChicken]

How well do frame blinds work, like this one: https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/zink-avian-x-a-frame-blind?ds_e=GOOGLE&ds_c=Cabelas|Shopping|PMax|Hunting|Hunting|NAud|TopPerf|NMT&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw1920BhA3EiwAJT3lSRcAGVMc_Igp6I6ruc3emeoxnAzkiecocNQhEYZ89jLqwjPdvlpQmRoC4UcQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Do you need to tuck them into a fence line or some standing corn to be effective, or can you put one in the middle of an open field (where the corn has been harvested, for example) and still have a decent chance at some shooting?

I have a friend with a broke leg that might have difficulty getting up and down from a layout blind, so we were wondering if this was a realistic option.

I run the tanglefree panel blind. If you get two you can run it as an aframe or as one long row. They even sell flip tops. Catch them on a sale, they are pretty affordable.

I am able to hunt riverside or in a spot with not enough cover at my back. Not too heavy either

 

[WCB]

They work well especially like others have said along fence lines, rock piles, tree lines etc. If you have to use the in the wide open Make them look like a brush pile or patch of whatever. Just covering the fabric does not work has to be 3d and breakup the outline IMO. If you think it is good enough spend another 30 minutes on it...then do it again.