Lucky Blindes
By
Tom Lounsbury
By
Tom Lounsbury
At age 50, Tom had 44 years of hunting under his belt; more if you count the earlier years when he acted as "retriever" for his mother during pheasant season (he started that at age 3). This year will be his 37th year as a bowhunter and he has a long and devout passion for traditional archery tackle, especially the longbow, and has never had a desire for a compound, though he strongly supports all archery tackle for bowhunting.
He has also been a handgun hunter for 29 years and initiated the original move to legalize handgun hunting in Southern Michigan. (He drafted the first writing for Rep. Armbruster (R) to submit to the State Legislature).
Tom is also an avid muzzleloader with 'more than 27 years of delightful experience' (small-bore, big-bore, shotgun and pistol).
I was so enthralled with this portable blind that I just had to have one. You had two choices, gun or bow blind and I opted for the larger bow version as it could be used for either form of hunting. It would also allow more room for two hunters inside, and at that time my two older sons were just venturing into hunting under my acute guidance. The blind not only offered distinctly portable concealment, but complete protection from the various weather elements. It was just what I was looking for, and I soon discovered it worked as advertised.
After many seasons of rugged use in all kinds of weather, that original blind (constructed with a cotton fabric in “Mirage” camouflage) is still in fine working shape. Although very portable, I usually leave it in an ideal setting from September until January. If that setting is also ideal for winter varmint hunting, the blind stays put until March. I’ve found Lucky’s portable hunting blinds to be useful not only for hunting (or photographing) deer, but wild turkeys, waterfowl, foxes, coyotes, and crows as well. For my two older sons’ first wild turkey hunt here in the Thumb, I was able to fit all three of us in a Lucky’s bow blind. I did the calling, and they did the shooting. It was definitely quality time spent in the outdoors with both boys.
Over the years since first meeting Bob Peruski, he has steadily improved upon his portable ground blind with regards to window settings (including camouflage netting), high-tech materials, and innovative camouflage designs. As my need for more Lucky’s ground blinds grew, I obtained these newer models and appreciated the improvements, although I still dearly appreciate and regularly use the old original. My favorite however, is the most recent, the “Little Texan” that has camouflage netting side panels on the windows, as well as a removable panel for extra concealment. All the windows can be opened or closed from inside the blind to meet the need, and I often leave the window on the windward side closed to keep the chill level down, as well as creating a backdrop to help hide the silhouette of my head.
Bob is always coming up with some rather ingenious devices as help aids in his blinds. One is the “bow-hanger”, a L-shaped affair designed to be attached to one of the blind’s metal struts near the hub, for holding bows (and firearms) for allowing easy and quick access to the hunting arm.
There are also Lucky’s tree-stand blinds that like the Lucky’s ground blinds, completely conceal the hunter and employ the unique “hub” system. Needless to say I wasn’t surprised at all when Bob called me recently just before the December muzzleloader deer season to tell me had another new creation, because creating new and innovative ideas is an obvious talent of his. I went right over to his business now located just north of Ubly to check it out. As is Bob’s way, he and his son, Bob Jr., had been giving the prototype a hard workout during the previous bow and firearms deer seasons before calling me. Only when he knows he has a sure thing through actual and extensive field-testing, does Bob ever reveal it to anyone. And knowing Bob quite well, I was filled with a mixture of acute curiosity and anticipation.
Bob has set up actual tree-trunks in his showroom with its tall ceiling. Such creates a distinct realism for things associated to hunting from a tree-stand, for which his new creation was primarily designed. My first impression was that it reminded me of an overgrown (58 inches wide and 60 inches tall) camouflage umbrella with strategically placed windows. And I immediately liked it.
Called the “Silhouette Eliminator”, it is designed to conceal the distinct human profile up in a tree, something that is very handy in many tree-stand hunting situations, especially after leaves have fallen. It also gave the user protection from wind and rain, some testy elements I had to endure many hours of last fall in various tree-stands. Bob sent me home with a prototype model to personally field test during the muzzleloader deer season.
The idea of concealing a hunter’s profile up in a tree brought back the memory of a mature buck I had a close encounter with just before the mid-November firearms last fall. All the leaves had fallen from many of the trees, except for a beech tree right next to my tree-stand in a hard maple with no leaves. The fast ambling buck came to an abrupt halt behind a tree 30 yards away when he hit my (obviously “human”) scent trail. The large buck’s first reaction before taking another step was to look up and intently scan the tree tops in the direction my trail was headed. His gaze settled directly on me for what seemed like an eternity, but was actually only about 20 or 30 seconds, and I had even put my primitive bow in front of my face to try and help my odds. I’m just a little too big and plump to look like your average squirrel nest.
My saving grace had to be the still leafy beech behind me breaking up my outline, because the buck stopped his scanning and started tracking me. No, I didn’t get him (because I missed), but it had been an educational experience for me just the same. The old theory that deer never look up was disproved many years ago, and my first hand experience let me know some very wise deer make a point of looking up when they sense danger. Hence I see some very useful applications for the Lucky’s Silhouette Eliminator.
What I discovered right away is that it is even lighter and thus more portable than Lucky’s ground blinds. It will also work with any tree-stand, including my preferred ladder stands (even those that are semi-permanent). It easily attaches to the tree-trunk, and readily adjusts to the height of the user. It employs the “hub” and can quickly envelope the user. There are multiple windows that can be opened or closed and offers plenty of shooting angles, including straight down if need be. Because the Silhouette eliminator has no floor, the only obstruction on a straight down shot would be the foot platform of the tree-stand.
It can also be attached to a tree-trunk closer to the ground for a hunter wishing to sit on a bucket or hunting chair (or even right on the ground) with feet firmly resting on terra firma. I could see future spring turkey-hunting applications with this blind as well, and plan on employing it thus. I was extremely impressed with all aspects of the Lucky’s Silhouette Eliminator, not to mention it conceals the human profile in what appears to be a cluster of leaves. While Bob can make this blind up in a wide variety of camouflage designs, he has found Mossy Oak Break-Up and Real Tree Advantage Timber to be the most popular with hunters.
Through business experience, Bob Peruski has found some blind designs catch the public eye, and some do not, even though they are highly effective. One such would be Bob’s “Baby-buggy” special, that I truly like and still use, but it just never caught on.
Personally, I believe the Silhouette Eliminator is a keeper for sure. I’m just as curious as ever about what Bob will create next.
For more information Contact the Lucky Hunting Blind Company at
< http://www.luckyshuntingblinds.com> 989-658-8686.
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