When you think of elusive creatures, you mind might jump to the cat family of panthers and jaguars, beasts of the hunt. Those animals with cunning and wit. One bird that never enters your mind is the turkey. Turkeys have been fooling hunters for decades with their sharp intellect and wary gaze. They’re unpredictable at times, making the hunt more thrilling and the kill more rewarding. This is possible only by scouting. Go grab some portable blinds, a couple of buddies, and follow these tips to have a successful scouting and turkey hunting season.

Turkey Hunting Portable Blinds

1. Scout Now

Get out there. Now is the time. Carpe Diem. Seize the day. Scouting for turkeys takes time and patience. The early worm gets the bird. You’ll be able to make turkey hunting look easy and fill all your tags for the season. Be ready for the first gobbles of spring.

2. Go Early, Go Often

This might be the toughest part of your scouting routine. Going early, at least by 5 AM, will grant some exposure to the turkeys roosting in their trees for the night. As the sun rises, you will hear the turkeys sound off. Make a circuit of your hunting area and especially the turkeys’ roosting grounds. Visit these sites often and look for signs (excrement or torn-up ground).

3. Get Grounded

Make sure you are familiar with the hunting ground you have selected. Know the break points and things that turkeys might consider as obstacles. This will go a long way to helping you understand your prey. Spend time scouting around your hunting spot at midday, when the birds are out feeding or are likely to be away from their roosts. You can use your portable blind for scouting, as well as on the day of the hunt.

4. Call Rehearsal

Do not, and I cannot say that emphatically enough, call the turkeys until you have that tag in your pocket and are legally able to hunt. You might think that a call here and there will help your chances, but your turkeys will become call shy. Essentially, you will be giving the bird a well-rounded education. Practice calls away from your territory as to keep your birds as dumb as the day you began scouting.

Portable Blinds for Turkey Hunting

Need portable blinds for turkey hunting? Check out our selection of KillZone and Primos portable blinds. Free shipping on all orders to the lower 48 U.S.!

If you’re like us, you’re already thinking about goose hunting season this fall. Goose hunting season is just around the corner, and we want you to be equipped—with equipment, of course, and a bit of knowledge. Hunting geese isn’t the easiest and requires dedication and determination. We’re sure you can be successful with your decoy placement, layout blind, and calls with these tips.

Scouting a Location

Scouting a hunting ground seems like a mundane task, but it really makes a difference. Knowing a flock’s habits and routines can improve your chances on the day of the hunt. Geese tend to use the same migration path. They also need water, food, and a place to roost. If you’re looking for a location, think of rural/agricultural areas with cornfields and ponds or lakes. Scouting will help you choose the best location for a successful hunt and help you figure out the best place to set up your layout blind.

Decoys

We all know that decoys are pricey, especially full bodied ones. Consider altering your tactics early in the season and save a few bucks. Chances are that the first geese aren’t the smartest. Fool them with hollow cutouts and silhouettes. Save your full bodied decoys for the smarter geese later in the season. Placement is also crucial. You’ll want to place decoys in small family groups, but keep an open area in your spread for geese landing into the wind.

Blinds

Your layout blind is your greatest ally when it comes to keeping yourself concealed. Make sure you brush in the ground blind by adding stubble, stalks, and vegetation from the terrain you are hunting in for authenticity. Adding mud and natural vegetation will go a long way to camouflage your layout blind during the hunt.

Goose Calls

Less is more during the early season. Clucks and moans might be enough to cajole geese early on in the season. As the season progresses, you will probably need to get more elaborate with your calls. If something isn’t working, don’t be afraid to change things up. Also, never do things the same twice. Don’t be predictable.

Layout Blinds

Looking for a layout blind for goose hunting season? Check out the Lay ‘n Slay hunting blind from KillZone Hunting, available in khaki or Zero Detect camo. KillZone offers free shipping on all orders to the lower 48 U.S.

Even the best hunter, marksman, and tracker can find it difficult to pursue coyote game. The coyote hunt is becoming popular because of its difficulty and the rarity of hunting such swift beasts. There are different tactics to calling a coyote towards your location. Live calls are rather difficult to perform and prevent the hunter from preparing to take the shot. Hunters are starting to use an electronic caller to bring in their prey. In order to best learn how to use an electronic caller for coyote hunting, here are a few tips to consider when calling coyotes with an electronic caller.

Track Facts

This might be obvious, but you won’t want to set up your electronic caller in a location without coyotes. Be sure to check for tracks and ask others familiar with that location if they have reported any sightings. You should look to hunt coyotes where they are not hunted most. Coyotes will feel the pressure if they are continually hunted in a specific area and leave.

Prime Time

Calling coyotes requires a knowledge of the best times to call. Coyotes are prone to mornings, dusks, and moonlit nights. Be sure to call away from roads or highways, as coyotes that reside there are more likely not to respond to a call. Don’t worry too much about which type of call to use. There are a lot of electronic caller options, but simplicity still reigns.

Sound Setup

Where and when you setup your electronic caller is crucial to your success. Hunting coyotes is similar to hunting deer. Coyotes pick up on scents and sounds. Also, calling from a tree stand or other point of elevation will allow you to see the coyote before he sees you.

Electronic Caller

Are you looking to improve your odds and call in even the slyest coyotes? KillZone offers high quality FoxPro Game Callers featuring 24, 50, and 100 different sounds. Maximize your hunt with the aid a FoxPro electronic caller. KillZone Hunting offers free shipping on any order to the lower 48 states.

Dog training can be a difficult task and can be very costly. Obedience class, personal trainers, and doggy daycare courses can cost a fortune. The most well-researched way to train a dog is through behavioral learning. This type of learning teaches your dog to associate different activities with positives and negatives. With an training collar, you can avoid expensive training fees and train your dog at home. All you need is an electronic dog collar.

Use an electronic collar to train your dog.

How to Train a Dog with an Electronic Collar

There are a few things to know to begin training. First, you need to be consistent. Reward good behavior and punish bad behavior appropriately. An electronic dog collar provides an electronic shock that the dog will recognize as a punishment.

It is very important that barking, chasing cars, and eating stools all receive a small shock as a punishment. This causes the dog to associate negative activities with punishment, changing his behavior.

Rewarding good behavior is just as important. Rewards can take the shape of small treats, verbal affirmation, and plenty of scratches. This type of stimulation associates your voice and commands with positive activities.

Reinforcing Good Habits

Daily exercise, taking your dogs for walks, and promoting healthy play will go a long to improving your “alpha-male” relationship with your dog. Establishing mutual respect will set you up as the training leader in the family. Make sure these ideas are well communicated to others who might interact with your dog. Consistency when interacting with people is instrumental to creating a well-rounded, well-trained dog.

Electronic Dog Collars

Do you need a fast and easy way to train your dog? An electronic dog collar is the answer. With an electronic dog collar, you can control the level of stimulation and type of stimulus, even when your dog is out of sight. Check out our dog training collars by DT Systems. Free shipping to the lower 48 U.S.

If you’ve never used a portable ground blind before, you’ll want to practice setting it up before the actual day of the hunt. Most ground blinds are designed with either a pop-up spring steel frame or a hub style frame. See below for how to set up a pop-up frame portable ground blind.

Instructions for setting up a portable ground blind

Setup Instructions

1. First, remove the portable ground blind from the carry bag. Keep a firm grip on the blind to keep the frame from popping open.

2. Next, grab hold of the two folded halves of the frame and untwist them so that the ground blind slowly opens up.

3. Then open up the blind so that you have two sides facing you.

4. Reach into the center, grab the corner frame in the center, and pull it towards you. The ground blind will open up into four sides.

5. Your popup ground blind comes with two poles. Connect the ends of the poles together to straighten each pole. The poles will run from corner to corner in order to support the roof.

6. Inside the blind, you’ll find miniature “sleeves” that secure the end of the poles. Insert the end of one pole in the sleeve. Then arch the pole up to the roof and down the opposite side of the interior of the blind. Tuck the other end of the pole into the sleeve. Then do the same with the second pole. The poles should make an “X” at the peak of the roof.

7. Use the Velcro strap at the top of the roof to strap the two poles together and hold them in place.

8. Next, it’s time to stake down your ground blind. Use the stakes in the bag to secure each corner of the blind. This will keep your ground blind from blowing away in windy conditions.

Now your portable ground blind is ready to use!

Popup Blind Setup Video

Portable Ground Blinds

Get ready for hunting season with a portable ground blind from KillZone Hunting. Our Primos and KillZone ground blinds keep you warm and dry during the hunt. Free shipping on all orders to the lower 48 U.S.

As a deer hunter, a tree stand can be one of your biggest assets when it comes to staying out of sight and keeping your scent off the ground. On the other hand, it also tends to be one of the most dangerous parts about deer hunting. Tree stand accidents account for 1/3 of all hunting injuries across the nation. You can prevent accidents, however, by following these tree stand safety tips.

Stay safe in your tree stand with these safety tips.

1. Inspect your tree stand and tree.

Inspect your tree stand on a regular basis. Are all of the screws and bolts tightened? Is the stand securely attached to the tree? This is especially important if you leave the tree stand in place for a period of time. You should also inspect the tree to make sure it’s live, healthy, and safe to climb. Avoid trees with dead or rotting limbs.

Clear away rocks, dead branches, and other obstructions from the ground below the tree stand as a precautionary measure. Use newer tree stand equipment if possible. They provide more safety and security than older equipment or homemade stands.

2. Use a haul line to carry equipment.

Never try to carry your equipment while climbing up to your tree stand. You need both hands free in order to safely climb up to your stand. Use a haul line to raise and lower your bow or firearm (unloaded) and your other gear. Attach the haul line to a belt loop using a carabiner to get the line up to your stand. Then, when you’re safely situated, bring up the haul line with your gear.

3. Use a climbing belt.

Most tree stand accidents happen when the hunter is either climbing up to the stand or coming back down. Use a climbing belt to keep you from falling all the way to the ground in case you slip. Even though a climbing belt can be a nuisance at times, it can mean the difference between life and death—or a fully functioning body and partial paralysis.

4. Climb safely.

While climbing up to your tree stand, make sure you keep one hand and one foot securely balanced on the climbing sticks or steps before moving to the next rung. We recommend 3-point contact with the ladder at all times, if possible.

Climb up higher than your tree stand and then step onto the platform. Climbing up onto the stand can shift the stand out of place. Also, wear the proper boots and clothing for climbing. Avoid wearing jewelry (even rings can catch on tree limbs), baggy clothing, or slippery-soled boots. Be extra careful if you’re climbing in wet conditions, such as rain, snow, or sleet.

5. Stay alert.

Getting sleepy in a tree stand is dangerous. If you know you’re tired and might fall asleep, hunt from a ground blind instead of a tree stand. If you’re sitting in your tree stand and start feeling drowsy, shake your arms vigorously to get the blood flowing again and help you feel more awake. Get out of the tree stand if you continue to feel drowsy.

6. Take a few extra precautions.

Just in case something goes wrong, let someone know where you’ll be hunting and when you plan to be back. Keep a cell phone on you if you’re in an area where you have cell phone service. It’s also a good idea to carry a whistle, first aid kit, and flashlight for emergency situations.

Tree Stands for Deer Hunting

Ready for deer hunting season? Raise your chances of snagging a buck with a tree stand from Rivers Edge or Leverage. Free shipping on all orders to the lower 48 U.S.

We love it when our customers send us pictures of game they’ve shot from one of our hunting blinds. The customer below received his 360 ground blind just in time for turkey hunting–and just in time to take down two gobblers strutting within shooting distance of the ground blind.

“Here is the result of what happens when a company like KillZone says it will deliver your blind in time for your hunt. Thanks for a good product and great customer service!”
- Spencer Judd

Spencer Judd's two gobblers

Posing with the turkeys

Ground Blinds for Turkey Hunting

Turkey hunting is easier when you’ve got a comfortable ground blind to keep you concealed and out of the elements. Get ready for spring turkey hunting with a ground blind from KillZone Hunting or Primos. Free shipping on all orders to the lower 48 U.S.

It’s not something you think about until after you’ve been sitting in your hunting blind for 2 hours straight, but what’s under your seat determines how comfortable you are and how easy it is to wait for game.

Double Bull Hunting Chair

Here are a few tips on what you should look for in the best hunting chair for your ground blind.

1. Just the right size

The best hunting chair is just the right size for your rear but small enough to easily carry into the woods along with your other gear.

2. Comfortable

The more comfortable you are while you hunt, the less likely you’ll be to shift around and make noise. You’ll also be able to sit longer and enjoy being in the woods while you wait for the next trophy buck to show up.

3. Lightweight

Since you’ll be carrying your hunting chair along with all of your other gear, you’ll want a chair that’s as light as possible but can still handle your full weight.

4. Quiet

The last thing you want out in the woods is a hunting chair that squeaks and gives you away. If the chair comes with a swivel seat, make sure the seat is quiet, and oil the seat regularly to keep it quiet.

5. Portable

Besides being lightweight, your hunting chair should be designed in a way that makes it easy to carry. Does your chair come with a carry bag or carry strap? Keeping your hands free allows you to carry other gear and hike to your hunting spot without hauling an armload of gear.

6. Weight limit

Is your hunting chair built to hold your full weight? Most hunting chairs are built to be small and ultra-portable, so check the weight limit before making your purchase.

7. Consider a chair blind

Don’t like the idea of carrying both a portable ground blind and a hunting chair into the woods with you? You can eliminate the hassle with a portable chair blind. The chair is built right into the blind, which means only one piece of equipment to carry with you.

Hunting Chairs

Need a more comfortable chair for hunting? Check out our selection of hunting chairs and chair blinds. Free shipping on all orders to the lower 48 U.S.

Today is the 2013 spring opener for turkey hunting in Minnesota. That means a whole lot of gobbling (whether fake or real), extra layers for the cold weather, and new techniques for being as quiet, sneaky, and undercover as possible.

Use a ground blind for better concealment.

If you’re heading out to the woods this month for spring turkey hunting, here are a few tips to make sure your day is a successful one:

1. Dress warm.

Even though it’s mid-April and almost a month into the spring season, there’s still snow on the ground in Minnesota. That means you’ll need to bundle up for a long day of sitting motionless in the cold. Insulate your hunting clothes with a layer of thermal wear, and bring along a warm hat and pair of gloves. Stick a few hand warmers and toe warmers in your pocket for good measure. Thick, warm boots and wool socks will help keep your feet warm.

2. Use a ground blind.

Besides dressing for the cold, we recommend using a ground blind—both for the extra concealment it provides and for the insulation from the cold. A portable ground blind is easy to carry in on your back and worth the extra gear, since it keeps you well hidden from gobblers. If you want as minimalistic a ground blind as possible, choose a 3-panel blind that sets up in front of you for instant cover.

3. Change up your calls.

Being too aggressive or too passive with your turkey calling can drive a gobbler away. So can using the wrong type of call or calling too often. Learn calling techniques from an experienced turkey hunter, whether you use mouth calls or a turkey caller. There’s no substitute for learning from the experts.

4. Choose your location wisely.

Scouting begins before the season opener, but even when the hunt is on, you need to keep your ears and eyes open for changes in the turkeys’ habits. Even if the turkeys have been feeding or roosting in a certain area for the past few weeks doesn’t mean they won’t change locations at the last minute. Be prepared to shift your strategy and change locations if needed.

5. Concealment, concealment, concealment.

Turkeys are highly aware of their surroundings, which makes them that much more challenging—and fun—to hunt. Any slight noise could spook a gobbler out of range, so make sure you keep your equipment muffled, turn your cell phone on silent, and avoid making noise when you shift in your seat or stand up to stretch. A ground blind can help conceal movement, but it will only muffle noise slightly.

If you’re turkey hunting from a ground blind, make sure you have a dark background behind you. Don’t open the windows behind you, since the light coming in can highlight your silhouette and alert turkeys to your presence.

Ground Blinds for Turkey Hunting

Get ready for spring turkey hunting with a ground blind from KillZone Hunting or Primos! Free shipping on all orders to the lower 48 U.S.

Layout blind in the field with stubble added.

Whether it’s early or late in the duck hunting season, keeping yourself as concealed as possible is one of the best ways to make sure you bring home your limits. As the season progresses, ducks wise up to hunters’ tactics, which means you’ll need to do an even better job at keeping yourself hidden. Here are some tips on using and concealing a layout blind for duck hunting.

1. Choose the right camo pattern.

If you want one layout blind that works in almost any situation, go with a basic khaki color. A khaki layout blind blends in effortlessly with stubble and tilled fields. Use the stubble straps to add natural vegetation or throw a snow cover over your ground blind if there’s snow on the ground.

Layout blinds with camo patterns work best in fields with vegetation or near marshy areas with tall reeds. Fill in the stubble straps for better concealment.

2. Mud it up.

A shiny new layout blind is a surefire way to spook birds away from your hiding spot. To avoid getting caught by the sun reflecting off your ground blind, paint it with a coat of mud or two before you take it out in the field. Mix up a bucket of mud, use a paintbrush to apply it to your ground blind, and then allow the mud to dry. Shake off the excess mud and repeat the process until you’re satisfied with the blind’s dull appearance.

3. Stuff the stubble straps.

Just setting your layout blind out in the field might work in the early season, but you’ll have better luck if you use natural foliage to help you blend in with the surroundings. Add stubble, grass, or vegetation to the stubble straps on your layout blind for extra concealment. Make sure the amount of vegetation on your blind matches the amount of vegetation around you. The goal is to blend in with the field—not to stick out like a haystack.

4. Test it out before hunting.

If you’ve never used your layout blind before, test it out before you use it the first time on a duck hunt. Practice setting up the blind, getting situated inside, and then throwing open the doors and setting up for the shot. The more comfortable you are in practice using your layout blind, the easier it will be when you’re on an adrenaline rush in the middle of a duck hunt.

Layout Blinds

Get ready for duck hunting season with a layout blind from KillZone Hunting! Khaki and Zero-Detect camouflage available. Free shipping on all ground blinds shipped to the lower 48 U.S.