How to make a simple duck blind

Follow these simple instructions to make the perfect blind to up hunting success.

Capt. Steve Himel

Sean Cady and his dog Winchester wait for some late-season ducks in an open-water blind.

Here is a simple and effective method for making a blind that does not take much time: Cut a piece of 1/2- or 3/4-inch plywood about 3 feet by 6 feet, and lay it on some solid marsh. The plywood is used so that you do not make a “mud hole” by walking over the same area over and over again.

Then cut a bunch of bushes that grow in the area, and stick them up all around the plywood, leaving a small opening on the side or back of the blind, so you can get in. A two-person blind takes at least two boat loads of bushes.

On the morning of your hunt, simply bring a shell bucket to sit on, hide your pirogue in some marsh grass nearby and you are ready to hunt.

Each time you hunt, bring in some fresh bushes for additional cover. This blind can be made in less than an hour, and works very well. You can make several of these blinds in various locations in the same amount of time it would take to build one blind that is more elaborate.