New Deer Blind

[foggy1111]

I recently built a 4x6' two man deer stand to use with my grandsons. I first built it in sections on the garage floor and pre-painted the whole set up.....then hauled it to my land and assembled it in about two hours. All the dimentional lumber is treated.....and the plywood sidewalls are 1/4" luan with a good coat of paint (I hope it holds up). The door still was not painted when I took the last photo. It's sitting on 12 high 4x4's and we used elevators for attaching 'em. The lowest point on the roof (inside) is 6'4". The windows are 37" high at the bottom (after much research....just right).

 

[foggy1111]

A few more pics...... I used adhesive and screws or ring shank nails for all assembly to keep down the squeaks. It was a challenge getting the two roof pannels up on the house with just me and my wife.....but the winch on the 4 wheeler and the tractor loader got 'er done. I later bent a 12" wide x .019 aluminum flashing for a ridge cap. At this point I am relying on treated plywood and paint for my weather proofing on the roof....but may shingle next year (?). The total cost with elevators and paint and fasteners was about $600. .....which is more than I figured. I have bought some pre-fab houses for similar prices (as shown)....but I like the size of this one....especially for two people. The fold-down plexi glass windows will be installed soon. (and are included in my cost)

 

[foggy1111]

Ooops....pic of pre fab house didnt go with last post. I am going to add a brush pile to help "camo" this stand. Note the "trap door" set up. Pretty safe for the young kids......and us old duffers too.

 

[Thomas]

Like your idea only one problem tho,eyes lids may get little heavy setting in such comfort.

 

[foggy1111]

Like your idea only one problem tho,eyes lids may get little heavy setting in such comfort.

LOL....yup. Therefore I need to get some carpet on the floor....in case I tip over. Seriously tho.....I do need to get carpet in all the stands and find a deal on some swivel office chairs. (I'm looking for some used ones - garage sales and such). The window heights make for a good rifle rest too.....especially good for kids.

 

[spruce Deere]

Thats a pretty nice set up foggy. We just have ground blinds at strategic locations. A sky blind like that would be awesome to ad to the mix.

 

[JC-jetro]

Hey Froggy,

you're set up looks great. In my case I did not have to go hight as my shooting lane gently slopes to about 7 feet in 200 yard, so basically at about 7 feet off the ground and I'll be shooting in to the dirt. I made mine same 4'x6' foot print. With one of my boys is okay but once I took two boys (a little guy) and we could hardly move, shoulder to shoulder.

I made mine mobile on a trailer, with 3/4" OSB, wrapped the whole thing with EPDM, and By the way I have wall to wall capeting.. the only thing missing is cable and running water

JC,

It took two weeks to build on my driveway , couple hrs a day.

I drove it to my place and permanently parked it.

I ripped out some 2x4 and made windows on three sides using Plexiglas.

windows:

 

[foggy1111]

We need to get over the brush when hunting in the woods up here in the north country....which is where the big bucks STAY....at least during daylight hours....IMO. Also, I have about 8 elevated stands (some are box blinds and some are ladder stands) on my land....perhaps 1/2 of them are used at any one time. They are all elevated so that all shots are directed to the ground.....much safer with that many hunters in the woods.

To get stands up to 12 or 14 foot heights you need to keep the weight down.....or go to larger timber to support the house. I used 2x2" lumber for all roof and sidewall construction along with 3/8" treated plywood for the roof. Also, you need to stake it down to prevent tipping in high winds.

Truth be known.....I would much rather stalk or do some western-style, open-country hunting (I like the wide open spaces ). But in this part of the world it's pretty hard to do....especially for young hunters and/or on public land.

So, these elevated box blinds are the real deal up here in the woods (on private land). But....'ya still need to be quiet.....and patient....and hold the gun steady as you squeeze. Good training for young hunters.

 

[Western]

Nice blinds guys! Only thing I see missing is the coffee pot connections.

Seems when the weather starts to cool, I get the "bug" myself, but since I don't have a deer lease anymore, I will probably have to just sit on the back porch and glass my whole 15 acres, maybe get lucky.

 

[JC-jetro]

Groggy and western,

I have taken at least 15+ deer out of the same blind. I have a mix between wooded and open area. I basically watch the trail along the creek in the back of my 20. They have absolutely no clue I'm there. There is no sound and squeaks when I move and I suppose rubber keeps my smell within the box. My safe shooting lane is about 210 degrees wide and anywhere from 85 to 235 yards or just 10 feet on the other side of the creek. I walk the deer trail and glass my blind and make me feel sorry for the deer.. One thing, they drop without knowing what hit them. There is future park ground nearby and a portion of railroad right of way that will keep area adjacent to my ground choke full of deer. I wished they left my garden alone. In my part of county one could get up to 5 tags unlike other counties in Kansas.

JC,

 

[Willl]

and we used elevators for attaching 'em.

Did what ?

 

[hobie]

Foggy, Nice work! Really like the way you planned it out: building in the garage, and then assembling on sight. Would love to have a trailer like yours! Brian

 

[foggy1111]

Did what ?

Elevators are a product brand name for the metal connectors that allow 4x4 legs to be attached to the platform (base) as shown in the pictures. This joint can be a little tricky to make without a good connector like "elevators". Google the name....they make some other hardware too for tree stand and swing set purposes (etc).

 

[radman1]

I have 2 Big dog tripod 16' tree stands. Just put second one up today. Bought the at Menards on clearance. One has been up for 3 years. I got them for about $170 each and a cheap solution for a free standing deer stand. I am sure they are not as deluxe as a hand built stand but they are light enough to be moved by either 2 people walking it or by laying on a trailer and moving it. I also have a couple of ladder type stands which are tied to a tree. 360 degree view is really nice with the tripod and I can rest the gun on the rail for a steady, long shot.

Like someone else mentioned, the deer have no clue you are in the elevated stands. I leave the stands up year around and add the camo a few weeks before the season. Remove the camo when the season is over.

I feel much safer in the stands than on the ground. My friend is usually hunting a 150 yard away on another stand. I feel it is much safer to shoot downward rather than on the ground where that bullet can travel a very long distance.

 

[captjack]

we keep ours portable - we can hunt geese/duck and deer - just depends on where we take it. haha hunted this at a friends farm - killed several deer

 

[2manyrocks]

I was in the lumber supply place this week, and they had camo painted OSB siding. Seems like the plain stuff was $5.90 sheet and this was $11.00 sheet. I thought it was interesting that they had it in stock.

 

[Rice Rider]

"and the plywood sidewalls are 1/4" luan with a good coat of paint (I hope it holds up). "

Nice design, I too hope that luan holds up to the elements.

 

[foggy1111]

"and the plywood sidewalls are 1/4" luan with a good coat of paint (I hope it holds up). "

Nice design, I too hope that luan holds up to the elements.

One thing I wish I could have found was a good lightwieght siding (like 1/4" treated plywood....which is NOT available) or some other weather resistant lightwieght material for use on this deer stand. I did use 3/8" treated plywood for the roof....but felt this was too heavy for the siding. The guy behind the lumber desk reccommended the luan....which seemed like a fair choice with a good coat of paint....but I really wonder how welll this stuff will hold up for exterior use. Anybody know???

 

[studor]

I used some old luan 1/4" on a duck blind thinking that it would at least last the season -- quick coat of stain and it is still there three years later. As long as water cannot accumulate against it and it is not touching soil it will last a long time.

 

[Old Paths]

Captjack, your avatar is not green, but your John Deere stand is...


I am looking forward to deer season here, but the cost of a license is now $88 for super sportsman (NY) which gets small game, big game, fishing, and antlered deer. Doe permit is $10 (gets at least 2 in my neck of the woods), and muzzleloader another $21. Here in NY, very few people hunting this year, seems the governor has chosen fees and other such "I didn't raise taxes" taxes to balance our budget. I went to town hall last week for a building permit for my new pole barn (YAY) and that was first day of license sales, noone there at all...

Great workmanship all, I admire enterprising individuals who learn what works, work hard at their craft , job, hobby or sport...

By the way, I have seen a lot of young bucks this year, even with all the corn fields so tall. Seems everyone is planting extra corn this year, as we have an ethanol plant here, second year of operation. Deer like it I guess.