So, for those that have been fortunate enough to visit the good old US of A and had a look around their field sports supermarkets, or even just browsed the Websites of the likes of Cabellas or Bass Pro Shops, you will see that our colonial cousins have a love of ready made hides or "blinds" as they call them.
Last year, we at Durham Decoys & Shooting Supplies, had the opportunity to purchase a small amount of layout blinds, and asking around our friends on social media, we discovered that their appeared to be a lot of interest and in fact, some of them actually owned one. So we thought we'd bite the bullet and give them a go. We bought 10 as a try out and, even though they're a bit pricey, they flew off the shelves. Now, although we're not avid wildfowlers, despite enjoying the odd inland goose flight and duck flighting on our ponds, our days of lying out on the foreshore are way past, we did actually sleep in one (for 2 nights)
at Wolsingham show last year, and very comfortable they are too. I had visions of snoring my head off, as the entire annual migration of Pinks flew overhead.
In all seriousness though, as regards portability, they weigh just over 5Kg. You can add natural camouflage and when you collapse it, just leave it in place and carry the whole lot off the field. We've never tried it out but I reckon you could probably pack it with a dozen "foamy" decoys and you're then self contained.
So.....is it better than a set of hide poles, a couple of nets and your seat??? . What's your thoughts?.
We are now fully stocked with these layout blinds, and with the season literally just around the corner, get yourself an early Christmas present, just hop over to www.durhamdecoys.com and grab one, they are selling well.
Sticking with the blind theme, when we placed our order for the layout blinds, we had the opportunity to purchase some 4 person, A frame hides, again, following the success of the layout blinds, we thought we'd chance our arm and purchase some as a tester. We have limited stock and we've just advertised them today. We did mention they were coming on Facebook and had a bit of interest from Scottish goose guides. Again, in the same vane but just take a little longer to assemble, put the frame together, velcro the sides onto the frame and you've got a cosy 4 person hide. Add some natural to improve the camo', but with the right backdrop you wouldn't need it. I would probably throw a net over the top to keep out of sight of any overhead birds, then throw it back when your'e ready to take the shot.These weigh just over 10Kg, but are still portable, put them up in around 10 minutes and the same to take down, top and side braces can be moved to suit and the ends are fastened with plastic quick release buckle. Pockets on the inside to keep your "whatevers" in.
So, that was the very first Durham decoys & Shooting Supplies blog entry. Hopefully it will draw some discussion, and maybe some interest.
Thanks for reading and be back soon
Rich & Steve
The Durham Decoys Team