Blind Review

The main problem with waterfowl hunting and concealment is one of perspective.  We design most of our blinds from the perspective of a six foot tall landlocked creature, and not from the perspective of a bird circling 40 feet above.  Our blinds look great to us when viewed at human eye level.  However, from the perspective of a duck, most of them look like a black rectangle.   If you have any doubt, I suggest a quick flight in a small airplane over a duck marsh will totally change your mind.  A duck does not need to fly over very many states toward the southern end of the migration before it learns that black rectangles mean hunters, pain and trouble.   Thus, we see the advent of the “blind shy” duck.  The newest blind from Mudbuddy, the “Quick-Flip,” does the best job of eliminating the “black rectangle effect” of any boat blind that we have yet tested.   Remarkably, the Mudbuddy performs this function at an affordable price and in an incredibly easy-to-use manner.   It is a blind the average hunter will be delighted to own. 

The Mudbuddy Quick-Flip blind gets a step up on its competition by coming mostly assembled right out of the box.  The blind comes with the cross members of the frame already connected to two sets of swing arms, leaving only four full length poles to be connected, two pivot arms attached with a clip, and the canvas cover threaded onto the poles.  All necessary hardware is included, with the notable inclusion of the attachment for the drill to install the screws.  The hardware kit included with the blind comes with self-tapping screws to permanently join the connecting joints of the poles.  I strongly suggest you drill pilot holes before trying the self-tapping screws!  Every single piece of hardware for this blind is overbuilt, and solid as a rock.  You should never have any parts failure with this blind.  The blind can be built by two people in about 40 minutes, and comes with clear instructions.  I recommend that you first build the blind in your driveway, and then square it up on your boat. 

The fabric cover for the Quick-Flip appears to be at least 500 denier cordura, and it is tough as nails.  It is double stitched at all wear points, and is waterproof and windproof.  The test blind that we used this year came in the Mossy Oak Shadowgrass pattern.  One good thing about the fabric for this blind is that it was dark enough not to need much mudding.  Some of the Shadowgrass I have seen lately has been very bright and would flare ducks without the trouble of a lot of mud being rubbed into the material.  This is not at all a problem with the Mudbuddy blind we tested.  The fabric has a single row of stubble straps along the front edge of the blind which worked like a charm with “teased up” bundles of whoop-grass clipped into the straps. 

The Quick-Flip blind operates on a “pivot” concept.   Instead of pulling up brackets and locking them into positions with bungee cords and the like, the Quick-Flip operates on two sets of four main poles that pivot from the frame’s cross-members that rest on the boat frame.  There are also two additional poles that attach to the second pivot pole on either side that allow the center section of the blind to rise above the front section, yet pivot back out of the way.   The first and third sections of the blind are fixed and do not move.  However, the second section provides a 12-inch viewing window directly in front of the blind.  The viewing window runs the entire length of the front of the blind.  This movable awning section also extends eight inches over the fixed first section of the blind, making it virtually impossible for birds to see down into the boat.  The second section can be “flipped” back out of the way instantly to give a 30-inch “shooting zone” that runs the length of the boat.  This blind is a breeze for shooting.  The “shooting zone” is slightly lower in the front than in the back of the blind, and tension is maintained and adjusted by a pair of nylon straps running from the frame to the first set of poles in the front.  The design is strong, simple, practical, elegant and ruthlessly effective. 

When the boat blind is not deployed in the hunting position, the two sets of poles pivot out of the way and stack on one side of your boat in a compact bundle.  In this configuration, the blind is totally out of the way.  A quick flip of the bundle pivots the arms away from the gunwale, and the canvas drapes out over the arms to totally cover and conceal the boat.  The blind frame sits on top of the gunnels of the boat, and may be bolted on if you don’t mind using a drill.  The canvass and frame may also be taken off the boat and used as a very serviceable field blind, as well. 

Unlike its major competitors, the Quick-Flip provides absolute concealment from working birds that are above the blind.  They simply cannot see down into the blind.  This allows the hunter to dispense with facemasks, face paint and other inconvenient methods used to reduce “face shine.”  How well does it work?  We put the Quick-Flip to the ultimate tests.  Placing the dressed-out boat blind in the local marsh in an area with multiple duck blinds, we flew over at low speed in an ultra light airplane at low altitude.  The numerous blinds in the area stood out like sore thumbs due to the “black rectangle” effect caused by open shooting areas that are plainly visible from above.  However, the Quick-Flip looked for all the world like just another clump of marsh grass and vegetation.  The difference between the boat blind and the local fixed blinds was absolutely striking.  From a duck’s eye view, the Mudbuddy blind simply vanishes into the grass, and provides total concealment. 

Despite the total concealment from above, the Quick-Flip has several thoughtful design elements that allow for the observation of working birds.  The bow and stern sections of the blind have small triangular openings that allow sneaking a peak at working birds from the concealment of the blind.  Also, there are four small rectangular “peek holes” in the back of the blind that allow viewing of birds swinging behind the boat from a position of total concealment.  The thoughtful addition of fold down covers from the peep holes allows the awning to be tucked down. The blind can become a nice, warm, waterproof  and windproof tent if the weather gets real nasty in a hurry.  I can attest that you can sit out a heavy blow and stay dry and warm in this blind system.  

There are several other features of this blind that take it from first-class to outstanding.  One is the full length YKK zipper in the bow section of the blind that allows the hunter or a dog to get in and out of the bow of the boat without taking down the blind.  The zipper was freeze proof, as far as I could tell.  The second such feature is the huge dog door in the front of the first section of the blind.  The dog door is secured by Velcro, and will not flap in the wind.   The door is 18” by 18”, and large enough that the biggest Chesapeake Bay retriever will have no trouble exiting at full throttle.   The front of the blind contains full length “stubble strap” daisy chains that allow vegetation to be attached to the blind for additional concealment.  There is ample material to totally cover the bow of the boat and the engine, including a large mud motor.  There is a square of rubberized material to protect the canvas from being abraded or stained by the top of a mud motor.  The material appears similar to the Hypalon used in white water rafts and expedition backpacks.  You will probably never want to take your boat blind on a climb to Mount Everest, but it is comforting to know that it is built so that you could! 

Some other binds of this type require your dog to make constant blind retrieves since the dog cannot see out of the blind.  We noted that our dogs would place their feet on the top of the first section of the blind and peek out at the ducks through the narrow “viewing window” just like the hunters.  The dogs will not be seen, and can see the ducks fall.  The dog can then dive out the front dog door, full speed ahead, and retrieve the duck.  The dog door is standard on the Quick-Flip, instead of an option as with the Quick-Flip’s major competitor.  This is another added bonus with the Mudbuddy blind. 

We found the Mudbuddy blind rides very well when in the “down” position and the boat is running.  It is quiet, and does not flop around like other boat blinds that I have used.  The Quick-Flip also comes with a camouflage waterproof, breathable cover to be used to cover and protect the blind when carried on a boat trailer or running long distances.  In testing, we also found that there was no need to remove “whoop grass” or other vegetation used to break up the outline of the blind.  You can just fold the blind right up and go on your way.  This makes the Quick-Flip lightening fast to deploy with a minimum of fuss. 

There are a few little things that I might do to make a great blind even better.  I would like to see stubble straps on the back and sides of the blind as well as the front.  (We talked to Mud Buddy about this and yes, for this year, the Quick Flip now is available with two grassing straps in the front and two in the rear of the blind on the 14 and 20' models.  The 15-17 and 18-20 still have one grassing strap.  As new blinds are built, the four straps will be installed.)  However, we found that clipping a clump of whoop grass on the bottom of each of the viewing holes worked really well without obstructing  the view of working birds out the back.  You will want to attach camouflage tape to the 18-inch section of the poles that hold up the awning section, since they shine.  This is no big deal.  I would also like to see the “awning” have a little more length on the sides to keep rainwater from blowing back into the blind.  These are not major problems, and do not detract in any significant way from the performance of the blind.  Our blind had fixed lower frame bars that fit our boat well, but with narrower or wider boats, the blind might not seal so well.  Again, the good folks at Mudbuddy listened to feedback from customers and this year’s blind will feature an adjustable frame that allows the blind to fit the exact width of the boat.

All things considered, the Mudbuddy Quick-Flip is a quantum leap forward in lightweight, easy-to-deploy boat blinds.  Mudbuddy is known for innovation in the waterfowl industry, and this blind will show you why.  It is one of the toughest, best thought-out pieces of hunting equipment that it has been my privilege to work with in the last five years.  It simply solves the biggest problem of concealment at an affordable price with exceptionally high standards of quality in construction and design.  I strongly recommend that any hunter who works out of a boat and needs a canvas-type blind to take a long, hard look at the Mudbuddy Quick-Flip blind.  You will thank me after the next duck season.  Your dog will love it, too. 

The Mudbuddy “Quick Flip” blind is available directly from www.mudbuddy.com for boats 14 to 24 foot, in prices from $559 to $959, depending on the length of the boat.  Each blind comes with a waterproof and breathable travel cover to keep the blind from blowing when hauled on a trailer or running a boat at high speeds.