Are fixed hides/blinds as useless as they seem?

[JJBandit]

Hi folks,

this is regarding the fixed hides/blinds, not the place-able DLC ones.

So, i read a few posts/discussions about this some time ago, and they suggested that the placement and optimal direction of the fixed blinds were, on large, pretty useless.

During my time in the game, i'm also starting to find that the vast amount of them seem to look over areas that look like prime hunting grounds. for example at the top of a hill, looking into a clearing, with clear sights of a nice area. But they often seem to be dead areas.

In fact a few times i have decided to scout the area they look into and there simply aren't any need zones or even tracks in the area. and if there is its usually behind the hide/blind in a blind spot that you can;t easily see into from the hide/blind.

I'm aware that need zones have a large area. so the ones behind the hides/blinds can produce animals to call in.

So i was wondering if this was still the case? and if anyone knew of some really nice hides in any of the reserves? I'm aware some of the newer reserves have better hide placements.

On a side note, what do you do with your dog whilst in a hide? Mine seems to get bored quickly whilst i'm in a hide/blind, and even if i tell him to lay down, he seems to spook animals sometimes. Do you leave the dog behind when hide hunting? or make him lay down/sit in bushes?

Thanks

[Pinger]

Most are not put in places that are useful due to need zones, a lot have been put in classic positions at the top of a open fields to catch animals going by them as you would at dawn/dusk in real life, but not all as some can be useful if you don't have a tent handy to plant to get a tripod out.

Biggest issue with them is poor design, far too easy to hit the window shooting from inside especially with a bow and with most it's only 180 degree view, not 360 or even 270 would help.

[Nightwalker]

A large number of the pay to build stands/blinds look like they are in dandy spots but in actuality there is very little reason for animals to be in those areas. They are not in high traffic areas, there are no need zones nearby, animal pathways either don't cross into the field of view afforded to an occupant or pass behind the stand/blind in a direction you cannot shoot. Many are placed so the prevailing wind blows our scent directly out into that field of view. In RL it's best to thoroughly scout an area before putting in the time, effort and expense of putting in a blind/stand there. In this game it's best to do so before paying to construct them. Don't get me wrong, some of the pay to build stands/blinds are actually in fairly decent spots. The majority of them are a waste of money.

[Lakel]

i just pay to build them for the exp personally. one in twenty have turned out to be actually useufl.

[yogisgoat]

I just consider them suggestions where to put a tripod or treestand. Some of them are in good locations but 50m or so from where they should be.

[cuzinfred]

I'm in the minority, I use some of them quite often and have shot quite a few animals from them. Sometimes it's good to get above the brush and get a clear view. I don't carry tripods with me and they make too much noise when you set them up.