See Your Target Without It Seeing You From These Expert-Recommended Hunting Blinds

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Hunting blinds give you an affordable way to disguise yourself from potential targets when you're out on a hunt. Whether you use a ground blind on your own property or travel out of state to hunt public land, these specialized camouflage hunting tents allow you to lie in wait for game while staying concealed. They’re also portable, so you can carry them in and out on hunts where a ladder stand or other heavy cover might weigh you down. If you’re in the market for a new blind, there are a few things you’ll want to keep in mind: We’ll help you figure out what you need, and recommend the best hunting blinds we’ve tried.

More Hunting Gear: Best Hunting Jackets ● Best Hunting Pants ● Best Spotting Scopes

Best Hunting Blinds

• Best Overall: Primos Hunting Double Bull SurroundView Double Wide Ground Blind

• Best Value: Primal Treestands Wraith 270 Deluxe Blind

• Best Large: Barronett Blinds Ox 5 5-Sided Hunting Blind

• Best For a Group: Thunderbay Bunkhouse

• Best for Cold Weather: Ameristep Pro Series Thermal Hub Blind

What to Consider in a Hunting Blind

This guide focuses on ground blinds, which are generally soft-sided, floorless tents with a camouflage exterior, black interior, and mesh-covered windows that allow you to hide and take aim without being detected. Generally speaking, they’re constructed from sturdy fade- and water-resistant fabrics, and designed for quick, easy setup. Ground blinds come in many sizes for smaller and larger parties, feature different styles of camouflage for different hunting grounds, and often have specialized features. Keeping that in mind, you’re ready to start narrowing down specific features tailored to your personal hunting experience:

Size

Ground blinds come in many different shapes. Bird blinds, designed for crouching or laying down, may only be about 2 feet high. Others give most people enough room to stand fully upright: Our tallest selection is almost 7 feet high. They also come in different sizes for whether you’re hunting solo, with a partner, or as part of a larger group. Regardless of how many people you bring along, you should make sure there’s room to spare in your blind: A tight interior will force you closer to the windows, which makes it easier for your prey to see you inside.

Extra space also creates more room for your gear. If you plan to sit in a chair, make sure you have room for it. If you’re setting up a tripod for a rifle or crossbow, you will need more floor room per person to set it up properly. Bow hunters will need elbow room behind them for a full draw.

Lastly, do not forget to check the window height on the blind, either. Depending on the hunting method you choose, it can affect weapon clearance and site visibility. If you plan to sit or use a tripod, make sure they will line up with the window of the blind to avoid awkward aiming.

Weight

If you plan to carry your ground blind to your hunting spot or plan to move around throughout the day, it’s important to bring along a light hunting blind that won’t weigh you down. The ground blinds on our list weigh anywhere from 8- to 33 pounds, so there’s a wide range of options. If you’re looking for a portable blind, a carrying case can also allow you to lug your blind around more comfortably.

Camouflage

It’s important to pick a hunting blind to fit the season and the environment of your hunt. If you’re heading to the green pines and hardwoods of the South early or mid-season, look for a camo pattern that incorporates greens, browns, and blacks. If you’re going out to the Midwest late in the season, you’ll want a camo pattern with more tans and browns. There are even blinds disguised as hay bales, like this one from Bolderton, that blend in near hayfields and harvested cornfields. Many brands offer their most popular blinds in a variety of camo patterns, so you should be able to pick a blind and find what you need.

How We Selected The Best Hunting Blinds

We’ve tested many of these hunting blinds in various conditions, including spring turkey hunting in the palmettos of south Florida sub-zero muzzleloading in Iowa, hog hunting at night in the swamps of Alabama, and deer hunting in northwest Kansas, with wind gusts up to 32mph.

In addition to field testing, we also consulted reviews from professional testers and everyday consumers. When relying on research, we looked for blinds that filled a specific role, considering their weight, capacity, and unique features.

For more of our favorite hunting equipment, check out The 27 Gear Essentials for Hunting Deer, Elk, Ducks, Birds, and Beyond.

Double Bull SurroundView Double Wide Ground Blind

The Primos SurroundView garnered a lot of attention when it was first released in 2018, and it’s still a favorite among hunters. It features one-way see-through walls that provide a 300-degree field of view, allowing you to remain concealed from game animals while seeing their surroundings without blind spots. A 180-degree front window allows you to take aim from basically any forward-facing angle.

As you’ll see across our picks, many brands have incorporated similar one-way materials into their blinds, but Primos’ original design still has a leg up on the competition, with a superior material and a lifetime warranty.

It's also chock full of special features that make it easy to carry and help you hunt effectively. Two configurable blackout curtains in the rear of the blind add concealment if needed, and a sewn-in sun visor helps you see through the golden hours at sunrise and sunset. Brush loops all the way around the tent provide additional concealment. A double-wide zipperless door offers a 33- by 48-inch port for quiet and easy entry/exit. It’s also easy to transport, thanks to an easy-to-setup frame and a carrying backpack.

Wraith 270 Deluxe Blind

The four-sided Wraith 270 Deluxe Blind provides a 270-degree see-through view that spans the entire length and width of its three windows. Made from heavyweight 300D fabric, it has all the features we look for in a blind, including a blackout interior for concealment, a silent-slide window system, and a carrying backpack.

Ox 5 5-Sided Hunting Blind

The Barronett Blinds Ox 5 is a great option for groups of three to four people. Its Oxhide fabric incorporates two layers of high-quality, soft and quiet, no-shine 300D polyester fabric that’s durable and minimizes your presence. A single panoramic window spans three of the five sides, opening to your preferred gap and height using silent-slide adjustments. The two rear sides have smaller peek windows so you can check your surroundings.

The entrance is a D-shaped zippered door with plenty of clearance for walking through with a backpack or bulky winter clothing. It comes with a backpack carrying case, which you’ll need because, as you might expect of a big blind, it’s heavy.

Bunkhouse

If you have a really big group that wants to hunker down in a single blind, you need a lot of space. Measuring 160- by 90-inches from end to end (140- by 70-inch footprint), the party-size Thunderbay Bunkhouse fits the bill, giving you enough room for up to six people.

The Bunkhouse is effectively a two-in-one blind, with two full-size compartments, side-by-side. It’s an incredibly roomy space, though it only provides limited protection from the elements, as the roof seams tend to leak in heavy rain.

Made from 300D polyester, the blind has four full-width large side windows, equipped with silent slide systems and zippered window ports on each end for viewing. Both compartments have full-length zippered doors for group access. While the advertised room for six may feel crowded with six hunters, a mix of hunters, photographers, and a guide should be able to “bunk” comfortably.

Pro Series Thermal Hub Blind

This is the blind you want during peak deer movement in cold weather. The Pro Series Thermal Blind is made from heavy-duty, welded 300D fabric, with an added quilted backing that adds insulation for warmth in frigid weather. The black ShadowGuard interior and extended-depth footprint add superior concealment, while 12 large, silent-slide mesh windows are easy to adjust.

A reflective hub strap located on the roof aids in visibility when locating the blind in the dark. You also get a carry bag with backpack straps, cam buckle tie-downs, carabiners, and ground stakes.

Deception Blind

The Alps OutdoorZ Deception is the perfect spring turkey-hunting blind, but hunters have also brought it along for deer season because of its size and mobility. At just 8 pounds, it’s easy to carry, and its 46-inch ceiling makes it a perfect fit for crouching or sitting in a low chair.

The durable polyester fabric exterior offers excellent concealment, and the Silent-Trac window system provides 270 degrees of continuous viewing. The extra-large door with an oversized zipper allows for easy access. Four aluminum hubs are flexible and solid, and work as smoothly and effectively as hubs found in larger ground blinds.

With the blind, you also get two interior gear pockets, stakes, tie-downs, and a convenient zippered carry bag with shoulder straps.

Legend Layout Blind

Comfort is important when lying in a layout blind: Having an easy position to raise, shoulder your shotgun quickly, and take a shot will make all the difference when opportunity knocks. Alps OutdoorZ Legend seems like the obvious choice, given that many waterfowl hunters call it the Cadillac of layout blinds.

The Legend’s built-in low-profile, zero-gravity chair keeps you in a reclined position 5 inches off the ground, with a headrest to prevent neck strain. Dual zippered flag doors open to a roomy 24- by 56-inch cockpit opening with a mesh face screen so that you can keep a constant view of the sky while remaining concealed. A waterproof tarpaulin floor keeps your gear dry on damp ground, muddy fields, and in the snow.

And don’t worry about digging around for your gear: There’s a rear-zippered door, which makes it easy to organize and access whatever you need. Stubble straps allow for added concealment if you need it.

For those who bring along a canine companion, Alps’ Alpha Dog Blind is easy to set up right next to the Legend.

Big Mike Hub Blind

The Barronett Blinds Big Mike lives up to its name at 80 inches tall. (That’s 6-feet-6-inches, if you’re trying to imagine standing in it.) It features low-profile horizontal and vertical windows with zipper-less panels, allowing you to open up what you need for sitting or standing shots from many angles. As with our other picks, brush loops offer additional concealment.

The high ceiling and roomy 75- by 75-inch dimensions make it easy to tuck the Big Mike away in small areas. It also offers a great field of view–270 degrees of standing or sitting shooting area.

Made from tightly woven waterproof polyester with a black backing and replaceable shoot-through window mesh, you can stay completely hidden until you’re ready to fire. A sturdy frame with 10mm fiberglass poles and die-cast hubs will also last through many seasons. Though it’s a bit heavy, the Big Mike isn’t so hard to carry thanks to a backpack carry bag, which features a gear pocket and chair holder.

Outdoors Infinity Ground Blind

The Muddy Outdoors Infinity is a great hunting blind, but is also perfect for concealing a wildlife photographer in the field. It gives you a 360-degree field of view using a one-way shadow mesh panel, so you can keep track of your surroundings and prepare to take a shot without disturbing your subject. A coated “memory wire” in the seam of the window curtain allows you to easily create an optimized custom opening for your camera.

Made with heavy-duty 600 Denier fabric, this blind is durable and resists fading. The brush straps offer additional concealment if needed. Best of all, it only weighs 9.5 pounds, so it’s a relatively light addition to what may already be a pretty heavy pack.

For larger groups, Muddy Outdoors also makes a 65- by 65-inch model that’s rated for three people, giving you plenty of room for a partner and/or guide.

Q+A with Hunting Gear Expert Nancy Jo Adams

What is the most important feature you look for in a blind?

Personally, I need a blind that won’t fade with long-term exposure to direct sunlight. I primarily hunt private land, which comes with a few perks, including the option to place a blind and leave it out all season. I have owned several name-brand premium blinds that generally worked well, but faded horribly after just a few weeks. Once that happened, they stuck out like a sore thumb, rendering them useless.

Given that, I always look for blinds made from heavier, UV-protected brush fabric, even if it adds heft or makes the blind more expensive. I also keep a can of Atsko UV Killer spray handy to help keep my blinds from fading.

Are there any blind features that I should avoid?

When blinds fail, hunters most frequently complain about broken poles or hubs, bad window systems, and window configurations. Since upgrading from fiberglass and elastic bungee blinds to a collapsible “hub” blind, I’ve never broken a pole.

I’d also avoid blinds that use velcro to keep their windows closed rather than some sort of “silent” zipper system.

Are there any accessories I should buy to use with my blind?

First, if your blind comes with tie-downs, I recommend subbing them out for tent stakes, which are easier to set up and remove, while providing more security. An adjustable blind chair, preferably with a swivel base, will help you find your aim in any condition. I also suggest picking up a hunting tripod for gun or crossbow hunting, as your blind will not provide a stable edge where you can rest your weapon.

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