Beautiful buck, Jon, and thanks for the great read. Felt like I was there.

Great job, Jon ! !

Way to go Jon ! Congrats

S&S.....it's great to hear from you I was wondering where you've been.
I'm waiting for the report on the "Brute". We need details..

I actually own 2 blinds. The first is a Double Bull T5 Pro Staff (now owned by Primos)and the other is a Cabelas brand.
Both blinds feature a pop out hub system to make the walls and roof nice and tight to prevent movement. Both also have a fully blacked out interior to minimize interior visibility. They are both very spacious and fit 2 big hunters easily.
If you're going to hunt deer from a ground blind it's definitely best to set it up in advance of the season and brush it in with some natural foliage and help it to blend in.
If you cann't do this because you're not the exclusive hunter on the property or you're afraid of theft or damage, then the deer may pick up on you (Like those does did to me) because as you know, deer notice anything that is different or out of place.
Last year I was able to set up along a row of round hay bales and the deer never knew any different and I was able to harvest one this way.

For turkeys, they don't pay any attention to the blind at all.

I like the fact that you can move a little in a blind and be comfortable and also out of the wind. For young hunters, a blind is great because they can move, sleep, eat, play with their game boy etc...

Like anything, spend as much as you can and you won't regret it. The Cabelas blind I have is a great blind and is very similar to the Double Bull for alot less money, check them out.

Jon,

Been so busy with work I wasn't able to get out on the salt water this year. Haven't turned the key on my boat now in two years. Haven't had time to visit the site but I had to make the time to check in and see which CTFers were knocking down big bucks besides Isaac! It's pretty much a given Isaac will take one brute or more every year. That buck Isaac shot this year is a real brute. Maybe the best one I recall him posting on this site. Plus I need my annual dose of hunting season laughs complements of the antics of Southbound! Haven't had the time yet to read what Will has been up to but I'm sure I'll split a gut when I read some of his threads.

The Granby Petting Zoo was pretty slow last year as you probably recall. I have learned the Zoo is best in years when Acorns are scarce. The last two years have been bumper crops of Acorns up in Granby so the big bucks have been staying in the woods with the Acorns. There's some big buck sign again over at the zoo and I know there are a few brutes back there but I sat there about six times this year and never saw a deer so I changed up my strategy and bagged an 8 pointer on my own property. I'll post a short story and some pics later tonight or maybe tomorrow.

Congrats again Jon on a fine rack buck! You earned it!