A thin line of pink sits low on the horizon as whistling wings overhead tell you they're coming. Everyone tenses, shrinking their shoulders into their necks, lowering cap bills. This is it. The time has arrived. The birds do it right, peering into the spread to see only the decoys as they descend.
You call the shot and a steady greenhead rain begins to fall. It wasn't luck. You took the time to dig in, brush up...you did it right, too.
Concealment will make or break the hunt, and we have to disappear in a variety of environments — corn stubble, winter wheat, the marsh — wherever the birds take us.
Here are some great hunting blind options for 2015:
Hard Core
Deluxe Man Cave
Forget trying to stick the spinner stake in the ground after the big freeze, the new Man Cave hunting blind has an integrated Mojo mount. The DriBed bottom separates you from wet fields in up to 6 inches of water. There's a flag pouch and pocket to hold the Mojo if the honkers show up.
There are no pins in the frame, so you can assemble it with gloves on. Ambidextrous flagging ports, an adjustable back and head support and mesh viewing panel round out the features.
Rig'Em Right
Drake Raider
If you're hitting hot fields day after day, forget digging in the mega layouts. Stick with the Drake Raider hunting blind, a low-profile door-less blind you can brush in quick and then cover up with the blanket-like top.
Throw off the cover to sit up and shoot. It creates a more natural look in the field. There's a mesh panel over the face to keep track of circling flocks.
TangleFree
Flight Series
You're soaking up some early afternoon sun when the geese suck right in, only to flare the kill hole because your layout doors were open. The inside of the Tanglefree's Flight Series hunting blind, the doors are coated in Optifade, so if you're snoozing, the honkers keep coming.
Flagging ports and interior shell bags keep you organized. The hunting blind folds in half and has backpack straps for long hauls, and there's a heavy-duty dragging handle too.
Avery
Power Hunter
Hunting cut wheat, beans, really any kind of harvested field with little cover makes it difficult to hide from the wary eyes of educated birds. The Power Hunter hunting blind is low profile, so you can dig a shallow spot in the field, stubble up and be ready in no time.
It also has a mesh flip top, so you can keep an eye on the ducks without them seeing in. And when birds are hopping from feed to feed, you'll be happy to have such a lightweight layout.
Avian-X
A-Frame
This is a hunting blind we've hunted the past couple of years, and it is awesome for field edges or next to standing crops. The square-tube frame sets up and breaks down in a couple minutes. The camouflage cover is loaded with stubble straps, so you can brush in the blind wherever you're hunting.
Inside the A-frame, there's plenty of room for three hunters, but you can squeeze in a fourth if needed. Two blinds can easily be tied together to provide room for 6 to 8 hunters.
Banded
Axe
How long have you stored one blind for your boat and another for land? The dual-purpose Axe is roomy, folds down flat for hauling and storage, and sets up in seconds. Stubble straps make it easy to brush in, and a sliding top cover lets you hide from birds. Available in regular (44"x9"), extra-long (48"x11") and 2XL (56"x14").
Go-Devil
Grass Boat Blind
With the Go-Devil boat blind, you can run across the water with the blind laying flat, then simply raise it into position and lock it into place with two brass clips to hunt. Additionally, once the bases are installed, you can remove this blind easily for the off-season.
The aluminum frame is covered with Avery RealGrass backed with plastic netting. Comes in three sizes: 14-16 feet, 17-18 feet and 20 feet. Add $200 for installation.
Camo Unlimited
Ultra-Lite Net
Some of the best duck spots are so gnarly and nasty, you've got to build a make-shift blind. The Specialist Series Ultra-Lite Net is made for such places. It's 20'x8', so there's plenty of material to conceal hunters. The 3D pattern and 6-color digital printing will keep you hidden from prying eyes. Choose from eight color patterns.
Mud Buddy
Shaggy Blind
How'd you like a ghillie suit for your boat? That's basically what the Shaggy Blind is. Hundreds of individual strips of camouflaged cotton, nylon, canvas and burlap will make your rig melt into the marsh.
The blind kit covers boats 14- to 20-feet long. Galvanized frame of 1-inch bars is light, yet strong. Sets up and takes down in seconds. You set the shooting gap at the top to meet your taste.