Deer Stands

[Missouri Pioneer]

Last Friday we acquired two old truck sleepers to make into deer blinds and spent the weekend gutting them (hard, dirty work). Monday we ordered two 48x12 and two 12x12 Deer View fold up glass windows for each. The units are each 5'x8'.

One is planned to go on an 8-10' tower, the other on a trailer. Each has a locking door.

We're a 62/59 couple and I love that she likes sitting in the stand with me (unlike my first wife). We'll be comfortable, regardless of the weather, with a heater and swivel/tilt office chairs.

The adventures continue.

 

[forgeblast]

I was just thinking and planning out two stands for next year. I want to make one close to the house, for a tree house/deer stand for my daughter and I want to put another box stand where I hunt.
the links that I found helpful so far are
A DIY guide on building a box blind - hunting blind, deer blind
Anyone build their own elevated box blind?
Elevated Deer Blind
Need help with an elevated hunting blind

If anyone has anyother helpful links please post them, I am finding a lot of rifle, but I am getting stuck in planning the openings for archery.

 

[Missouri Pioneer]

Those Deer View long fold back windows can be mounted vertically for archery.

http://http://www.deerviewwindows.com/index.php

 

[jeepcj7]

If you have a place near that buys up warehouse fixtures pallet racks are cheap. A pair of 14' x 8" x 2ｽ' racks with stringers cost me $100. Basically I built a garden shed and but it on the pallet rackes. Locked the stringers in place o nthe uprights with bolts and anchored the building to the stringres with L shaped brackets. Very sturdy and quite (a have a little boy that likes to move around a lot too)

 

[forgeblast]

Nice idea with the pallet racks!!

 

[cgooch]

I have a little over twenty acres in Pennsylvania behind my house. When I bought the place my neighbor already had a deer stand in the prime location and I let him keep on hunting there. He passed away a few years ago and I am finally getting to hunt there. I decided I wanted the deer stand of my dreams and I have got a good start on it. It is 16 feet high and 8 foot square.

 

[Missouri Pioneer]

Looks good.

 

[HCJtractor]

If you have a place near that buys up warehouse fixtures pallet racks are cheap. A pair of 14' x 8" x 2ｽ' racks with stringers cost me $100. Basically I built a garden shed and but it on the pallet rackes. Locked the stringers in place o nthe uprights with bolts and anchored the building to the stringres with L shaped brackets. Very sturdy and quite (a have a little boy that likes to move around a lot too)

How do you anchor that to the ground?? Just curious as I am planning one with similar pallet racks.

 

[Davidgm]

Cajunpride,

Would it be possible to see some pics of the 4x6 boxs that you built? Thanks!

David

 

[Poncho]

Hi,
I've been looking to build a elevated deer blind to comfortably fit two people for next deer season. My son is getting old enough to come hunting and i need a stand he can hunt in with me. I've looked at the two person ladder stands but i feel like i can build a more comfortable blind for the price of one or cheaper. Does anyone have any pictures or any ideas for building one. I've got a basic plan but any input would help. Thanks, Josh

Wilkesjb10... I did the same thing recently. I built a 4' x 8' box frame using 2"x6" PT frame and then 2"x4" PT joists. The flooring was 3/4 CDX plywood. The walls were basic framed 2x4 framing studs and were 6' high to allow me to stand up and stretch. I have a 30" wide door in the center on the back side. There are shooting windows all the way around the hinge up to provide shading and protection from rain. The inside is carpeted with black executive back office chairs. The roof is a brown Ondura that has about 14" overhang front and rear... not real noisy during rain like tin would be. I did use the Levolor brackets and used 12' PT 4x4s for height. The windows are 14" in height (only planned to rifle hunt out of). I painted the bottom of the 4x4s with exterior green paint. To anchor the stand I installed forged eye-bolts through the levolor brackets and linked chain coming to a center point underneath and then used a huge camo ratchet strap (30k lb I think) to a 4' hurricane anchor sunk in 800 lbs of concrete.

 

[kyburly]

This is my shooting house 8x8 over looking a alfalfa field and a vetch,buckwheat,groundhog turnip,and clover food plot.

 

[mvwicker]

Here is mine, also 8x8, tarp walls and roof stretched over a wood and EMT frame:


Construction is described in
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/projects/259234-enhancing-tree-platform.html

 

[BayouMan]

Thought I would share a couple of pictures of my dream deer stand. Hunted it last year and was it ever comfortable! I welded up a metal frame out of 2" pipe and anchored it in concrete. I then built a 5' x 8' box with a 2' porch. Base is treated 2 x 8 with 3/4" plywood floor. Used 2 x 3" studs from Lowe's to frame it up. Put 1/2" plywood roof and covered that with a fire & ice like stick on rubberized material and then put 29 gauge metal roof over that. Since the picture, I added railings to porch area. I put a Mr buddy heater inside with a 5 gal propane bottle on the porch. Found 2 office chairs for $40 each and put carpet on the floor and shooting bench. The windows are sliders from an outfit that I found in the Louisiana Sportsman magazine. Got about $900 tied up in the stand. Base was notched to accept my forks to lift the stand onto the frame and then bolted it down. Plan to use this one for a long time.

 

[Missouri Pioneer]

BayouMan, exceptional job, especially at that price.

My two big ones still in progress, took awhile to get the aluminum welder lined up.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

Here is the thread of my tower build http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/rural-living/154791-started-my-tower-stand-today.html

It is 8x8 and is set about 7.5' to the floor. Just high enough to see the entire field.

 

[vabiker23518]

Son and I built this 4X6 (with a 2' "porch") on the ground and then pulled up into position. Finished with guidewires and ground anchors. Overlooks a 75'X100' food plot. Took two nice bucks during blackpowder (rut season) from it. Seats two but it's a little tight.

 

[Dan Hunter]

I've taken grief about the total lack of camouflage but the deer are used to it and it's not likely someone would shoot at it not knowing what it was. The first one doesn't provide a lot of leg room but is comfortable for two, is carpeted and has a heater.



This one went in last summer. It is quite comfortable with a lot of legroom while sitting in the shortened office chair along with a battery/solar powered blanket.



It has a nice view as well.



I took a deer out of each blind this year.

 

[Avondale]

Here is one of mine. It overlooks a hedge between two bean fields and also has a food plot beside the main fields. The Mrs got a nice doe from it in it's first year of operation.

 

[wngsprd]

Most of our stands are simple ladder stands, or built into the tree with no walls or roof. But, we had some surplus scaffolding that we used to erect one about 15 years ago in southeastern Virginia. We built a sturdy floor, and wrapped the top in burlap. A hurricane blew it over years later so we rebuilt it 3 years ago. This time I anchored it, and used guide wires from each top corner since the floor is at 15'. We added walls and a roof (extra heighth to allow bowhunting) by building each section on the ground and hoisting them up - wasn't easy. These photos were taken before we added some camo to the walls. It has survived 3 major hurricanes since rebuilding it. Several "monsters" have been harvested.

 

[Ted Summey]

I bought an 8x12 used storage metal building (a Leonard building) then cut it in half, enclosed the open side and installed windows. Then I raised it on to 5 foot legs. It is light enough to move with the loader on my tractor but with a 5 degree tilt on the legs wind doesn't blow them over. It took half a day to move and half a day to construct each. With a small heater they are toasty in cold weather. I don't have photos but can get some in a coupe of days