rubythedog Posted June 27, 2012 Report Share Posted June 27, 2012 hi all, any one used one of these? thinking of getting one for some of my bunny permission. rarther than walking around i thought id try sitting in one spot as the rabbits bolt and keep coming back out, that and it kills me walking round them moors. price aint to bad but wanted to know if they are worth the spend.. there about £65 any help would be great thanks in advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missmoreandmaster Posted June 27, 2012 Report Share Posted June 27, 2012 I use one of these when air gunning also used simalar when decoying on a short session as they take no time to putup and take down . You must make sure it is well pegged down and use a cammo net to take out the profile . But best of all they keep you dry and warm Good shooting Martin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drut Posted June 27, 2012 Report Share Posted June 27, 2012 I often use a "doghouse" hide,which appears very similar,for rabbit shooting.Can be very effective especially if sited well(not skylined,backed against trees/bushes etc).Interior on mine is black so black gloves etc. helpful,only open one shooting window as little as possible and sit as far back from window as you can.Comfortable in cold/wet weather but needs to be in shade in warmer weather.Wouldn,t be without mine but sometimes had as many rabbits sitting still & shooting out of stationary 4x4. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
russ91 Posted June 27, 2012 Report Share Posted June 27, 2012 Good guy to deal with is Charly from elitehunters I got one of the hides last month and there brill altho I did struggle at first to put it away but a quick call to Charley n he talked me trough it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frenchieboy Posted June 29, 2012 Report Share Posted June 29, 2012 I too have just bought one of these from Charlie! He's a great bloke to deal with, fair and honest and only lives a 20 minute drive from me! I haven't had a chance to try mine out yet but I was planning on doing a video review once I have tried it! All we need is some descent weather so I can get out and try it! - Looking out of the window the sky is pretty grey and it's a bit windy but if it clears a little maybe later today, fingers crossed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miroku moocher Posted June 29, 2012 Report Share Posted June 29, 2012 (edited) i use an ameristep outhouse blind . which is very similar dont matter were you put it sillouetted or not the birds keep comin pigeons and crow's fly straight at ya get one B) and if it starts raining :( you are safe and sound. Edited June 29, 2012 by miroku moocher Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crosswaters Posted June 29, 2012 Report Share Posted June 29, 2012 Looks good,might get myself one of these...........but mine you that Charlie's a bit of a bossy boots inhe.haha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frenchieboy Posted June 30, 2012 Report Share Posted June 30, 2012 I tried my dome hide out yesterday but chose not to video a review at the time because it started hacking down with rain while I was setting up and the rain would have killed my camcorder! There are a few things that I found that are worth noting which I will mention now but will also show when I do the video review so that things are a bit easier to understand. 1. The dome hide comes supplied with somewhat small and "flimsy" ground pegs - I am going to change these for better quality ones and tie a small bit of coloured cloth to each one so that they don't get lost on the grass. (I actually did manage to loose one of mine when I was packing things away) 2. The seams are not quite 100% waterproof inside during heavy down pours! I am going to use some waterproof Duct Tape to reinforce the seams and make them more waterproof! 3. The mesh windows are held up with velcrow which can be quite noisy if you are relying on quietness (i.e. If you are "staking out" a fox or similar where silence is essential) so I would take the velcrow off and put a couple of buttons in it's place so that the smaller mesh windows can be opened and shut silently. 4. There are 4 guy ropes supplied which fix to the sides just below the window openings to make the dome more stable in windy weather. These are fine but if it is likely to get a bit too windy I would also use another 4 longer ones fixed to the top central loop on the outside of the roof of the dome. 5. The headroom is a bit restrictive (About 5' 6") and would only allow shooting from the sitting or kneeling position so could hinder some shotgun shooters. At the moment this is about all that I would change/alter. For build quality I would rate it at about 8/10! As for design quality I would also only give it a 7/10, the main reason for this is because the field of view for shooters can be a little restricted, especially if you get any high birds coming over! Having said that if I had been using a normal hide net and poles I would have got soaked but with the dome hide I stayed very dry and could enjoy my flask of soup in comfort rather than having to give the morning up as a bad job through the appauling weather. All in all I would have to say that the dome hide repersents reasonable value for money - even if there are a few things that I would change in the design for shooters in general. It is certainly ideal for someone like an airgun or rifle shooter whose targets are "static" and normally on the ground where you can use the smaller mesh covered windows to shoot from so that you could maintain maximum concelement. I can really see this dome hide coming into it's own for that and for rifle shooters, wildlife photographers and bird watchers more so than for shotgun shooters but don't let that put you off as it is still a reasonable piece of equipment to have at hand. I will do a full video review as soon as practically possible i.e. When this ****** rain stops falling out of the sky! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drut Posted June 30, 2012 Report Share Posted June 30, 2012 i use an ameristep outhouse blind . which is very similar dont matter were you put it sillouetted or not the birds keep comin pigeons and crow's fly straight at ya get one B) and if it starts raining :( you are safe and sound. I think the original poster was planning to use for rabbits for which I have found it does make a difference how you site hide. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave-G Posted June 30, 2012 Report Share Posted June 30, 2012 I think a lot of people would lose their temper folding the thing up. There's no window for stable prone shooting off the bipod and no high window for shotties either. I'm sure there are many uses for it but I'd not want the thing, even as a gift. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frenchieboy Posted June 30, 2012 Report Share Posted June 30, 2012 I think a lot of people would lose their temper folding the thing up. There's no window for stable prone shooting off the bipod and no high window for shotties either. I'm sure there are many uses for it but I'd not want the thing, even as a gift. Folding it up is no problem at all so I do not understand how some might loose their temper doing it. I can do mine in under a minute and a half once the ground pegs and guy ropes are removed, if it took anyone longer then they would have to be doing something completely wrong! Agreed there are no windows suitable for shooting in the prone position but the smaller windows are an ideal height for shooting off sticks in either the sitting or the kneeling position. I hope to show this when I do the video review in a complely unbiased way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miroku moocher Posted June 30, 2012 Report Share Posted June 30, 2012 i have an ameristep outhouse. it is 6 foot 7inches tall so unless you are lurch you can stand up and swing a shotgun no problem. one of the zips opens to the max hieght 6ft 7' so shootin is easy i'm 6 foot and decoy crows and woodies nee bother love me outhouse B) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frenchieboy Posted July 1, 2012 Report Share Posted July 1, 2012 i have an ameristep outhouse. it is 6 foot 7inches tall so unless you are lurch you can stand up and swing a shotgun no problem. one of the zips opens to the max hieght 6ft 7' so shootin is easy i'm 6 foot and decoy crows and woodies nee bother love me outhouse B) I have a friend who has one similar to the one that you describe, I don't know it might even be the same make! It is a fairly tall pointed one that resembles an "indian wig-wam"! You can easily stand up in it and the zip opens right to the top allowing you to use a shotgun in the standing position and shoot whatever high birds that fly through without any hinderance! Unfortunately I had just brought my dome hide just before I saw this one! I do however think I have found a way to get high birds without any hinderance using my dome hide. All I need to do is to put the main door at the front rather than at the rear and place a stealth net round the front of the dome hide. This way I would still be able to sit inside the dome with plenty of concelement and just step out to shoot any high birds while still retaining concelement! I realise that this means carrying more equipment with me but it is a viable option that gives me comfort, concelement and shelter while covering all options! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bicykillgaz Posted July 1, 2012 Report Share Posted July 1, 2012 Cheers for the info frenchie, informative as usual I've been thinking of getting something similar for when the wife comes out with me, she moans about it been too windy or raining or cold which are all obviously within my control and I should have sorted before going! Is there enough room in it for two seats and kit? Cheers Gary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miroku moocher Posted July 1, 2012 Report Share Posted July 1, 2012 gary get the ameristep outhouse, from uttings. fit 2 people easy frenchies yes they are like a real tree wig wam but i tell ya they are effective. i'v had crows and pigeon comin in straight at me as if i wasnt there and what with this wet weather we havin using me wig wam means i can go out and remain dry and comfy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bicykillgaz Posted July 1, 2012 Report Share Posted July 1, 2012 gary get the ameristep outhouse, from uttings. fit 2 people easy frenchies yes they are like a real tree wig wam but i tell ya they are effective. i'v had crows and pigeon comin in straight at me as if i wasnt there and what with this wet weather we havin using me wig wam means i can go out and remain dry and comfy Sounds ideal and should keep the boss happy, what do they retail at? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frenchieboy Posted July 1, 2012 Report Share Posted July 1, 2012 gary get the ameristep outhouse, from uttings. fit 2 people easy frenchies yes they are like a real tree wig wam but i tell ya they are effective. i'v had crows and pigeon comin in straight at me as if i wasnt there and what with this wet weather we havin using me wig wam means i can go out and remain dry and comfy I can't disagree with a single word of this. If I had not just brought the pop up dome hide I would have opted for one of these! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miroku moocher Posted July 1, 2012 Report Share Posted July 1, 2012 (edited) the ameristep outhouse which is what i have is £75 . my mate has an ameristep doghouse 3 man '6ft8inches high these are good aswell there is a doghouse on ebay now for £99. all the ameristeps are in realtree patterns. i dont even set mine against a backdrop mosta the time B) just plonk it were ever and the bird's keep comin. they do one in a hay type pattern''looks like a haystack B) i reckon ya could put this up on stubble and it would work great. Edited July 1, 2012 by miroku moocher Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drut Posted July 1, 2012 Report Share Posted July 1, 2012 "ameristep doghouse 3 man '6ft8inches high" Actually 68in high not 6ft8in http://www.ameristep.com/blinds/doghouse.html Personally I find my "Doghouse" full enough with me,chair & dog.Although I have found it very useful with chair,rest & rifle for rabbits I don't rate it at all for shotgun use.The height of the openings would be the biggest problem for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crosswaters Posted July 2, 2012 Report Share Posted July 2, 2012 Sounds ideal and should keep the boss happy, what do they retail at? /quote] Just ordered one from Uttings today. £79.99 plus delivery £5.99=total £85.88. I'm looking for a link that shows putting up and taking down,hope its easy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drut Posted July 2, 2012 Report Share Posted July 2, 2012 (edited) http://www.ameristep.com/blinds/outhouse.html has a video under instructions,for some reason I can play it with Internet Explorer but not Firefox Edited July 2, 2012 by drut Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miroku moocher Posted July 2, 2012 Report Share Posted July 2, 2012 there are full instruction on the inside of the bag the hide comes in Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crosswaters Posted July 3, 2012 Report Share Posted July 3, 2012 there are full instruction on the inside of the bag the hide comes in Cheers mate,must say what a very good company Uttings are. They keep you informed of your order and tracking info on your goods...spot on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miroku moocher Posted July 3, 2012 Report Share Posted July 3, 2012 yes uttings are good hope you enjoy the hide. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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