Creating my "Over the Top" Deer Blind

[EddieWalker]

Now that my food plot is planted, I've started work on my deer blind. I'm calling it "Over the Top" because I'm going to make it allot nicer then what most would expect ouf of a deer blind. Based on my drawings and, Steph and I are already joking about renting it out and how often her Dad will spend the night in it.

My goal is to make it nice enough for the two of us, buy easily 4 people, to spend the day in it and be comfortable. I've left blinds before because I was just too cold to care anymore. This time, that will not be an issue.

Another important consideration is that when the RV Park opens, I'll be able to easily convert it over to part of the kids playground. Some parts of it won't make any sense at all if you didn't know this.

For those that have been here, the location of the blind is between my food plot/pasture and Lake Marabou. With all the tracks and activity that we get around the lake, I want to be able to see it at the same time I'm watching the food plot. At the far end of my food plot is my corn feeder. Mostly hogs eat the corn, but with about 3/4 of an acre planted in oats and peas, things could get interesting.

These pics are of the area after a few late evenings of tree removal. I would take out a few with my backhoe, then drag them to the burn pile with a chain. It's slow going, but eventually, it works.

Eddie

[EddieWalker]

This is the link that chronicles the creation of my food plot. I'll update it when something starts to grow.
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/r...food-plot.html

I now have a grapple for my loader, which is really something that I should have done years ago. Today, I started taking out trees. I would make small piles and then move to another area and do it again. When I ran out of room, I just turned around and started picking them up and driving them to the burn pile. It really was the most simple thing in the world!!!!

Here is the link to my grapple.
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/a...e-my-555e.html

I'm not just clearing enough room for the blind, but for the entire playground and a road that will run along the side of it. Once this is done, I'll have to add hundreds of yards of dirt to build it up and create a gentle slope all around it. Before I can move the dirt, I'll have to put in two culverts to cross the road. I'm using top soil and "dirty" dirt for the fill on the playbround, but then need to lower the road two feet so it ties into the rest of the road on the other side of the culverts. This will be good "clean" dirt, so that's the rush for the culverts. Since I'll be moving all that great fill dirt, I really should have the culverts in place.

Here's some pics from today. The oak tree is ten inches thick, and I have no idea what it weighs. I can say that it was real easy to move with the grapple!!!!

Eddie

[JDeerekid]

Eddie you better slow down or you wont have anything else to use that new grapple for. I know you will never run out of projects to use the grapple now you have.

Really looking forward to seeing what you come up with.

my neighbor Built a nice one in the back 40 of his farm that was around 8' x 16' that was around 10' or 12' off the ground that he put windows all around and a little deck off of one side. He had a couch in there a little propane heater for when he took his afternoon nap and to keep the chill off. He wouldnt come out of it until dark sometimes. Well he had it up for one season and a teenage hunter that wasn't even suppose to be on the property came by it and burned it to the ground and he never rebuilt it.

I have asked if I could build a smaller one that I could move with the tractor to put out for the season and move it to different locations.

[Tororider]

Eddie,
I am waiting to see what you come up with. I wanted to get a 4'x8' raised deer blind built this year but it just didn't get done. Hopefully next year.

I, like you, want to build something that I can convince my wife to join me in and my son when he gets a little older. I still have to convince my wife to hunt, how did you do that with Steph???

[3RRL]

Hi Eddie, me too ... I want to see what you come up with.
I wish I could send you Wesley's tree house with the tree !!
I'm sure yours will be a lot more comfortable though. You should have a great view with multiple shooting lanes from what I can tell. It would be great if you could get some power to it for some creature comforts like a heater or fridge. But there's a lot of stuff out there to make blinds more comfortable now.
I'm looking forward to your updates and photos.

[schmism]

I always love your theads man....

but dude, you got to get a better camera. that one with the pink sky sucks man!

[czechsonofagun]

Originally Posted by schmism

I always love your theads man....

but dude, you got to get a better camera. that one with the pink sky sucks man!

Or do a small touch up in Photoshop

[WayneB]

Hey Eddie,

Here is a link that has a sood starting point for building that Tree Stand!

Deer Stands of The Rich & Famous AlphaTrilogy.com

[yzbdsbp]

This is a stand me and my hunting buddies I have been working on little by little this summer. Its almost complete. When finished it will be 4x8 indoors and 4x8 outdoors. It will include windows that open and close, patio furniture, a bathroom with complete septic system, movie viewing area, high back reclining leather seating, shelves for accessories, magazine rack, Hooks for hanging un-needed clothes, a heating system for indoors, a copper clad standing seam roof system, stairs with hand rail, indoor carpet, custom paint work, Drink Holders, and a gun rack. This is no exaggeration, it will have all this. its been a fun project...Open House to be announced at later date! HAHAHA

[EddieWalker]

I was hoping to have some pictures of the pad all leveled of and ready for drilling holes for the posts.

First issue that I had to deal with was a small mistake that I made a few weeks ago. I was pushing some dirt with the dozer and trying to get done before dark with very little fuel in the tank. I pushed it too far and ran out. So for kicks, I got to blead my fuel lines in order to get it started.

Then I drove it over to where my deer blind is going to be and started pushing dirt. I was having fun and enjoying myself.

After just a few pushes, I changed directions to work in my drainage area, and while in the bottom of the drainage ditch, something went "BANG!" I turned off the engine and found that the fan had broke off of it's mount and taken out part of the shroud.

As you can see in the pics, I need a new fan.

Today, I learned that Case no longer makes or supplies my fan. There are several different tractors that used the same engine, but it appears that each had a differen sized fan. If they had one, it costs $1,050 because it's reversable. If we can find a standard pushing fan that will fit, the cost around $280. The base is another $250 and the shroud is $450.

After two visits, much conversing with the parts guys, mechanics and anybody else that came by, we're stuck.

I've been searching the net and might have found a used one from a salvage yard in Florida. We'll see what happens tomorrow when I talk to them again.

If not, and none of the other models are able to adapt to my dozer, I've thought about searching for an electric one. The opening in front of the shroud is 26.5 inches. Of course, finding a pushing electric fan that big is probably easier said then done.

Until I find these parts, everything else is on hold.

Eddie