Criticism welcome, Ideas appreciated.

LeeB · December 19, 2020, 07:06:05 PM

Started on a deer blind. Yeah, I know it's a little late in the season but here it where I'm at so far. What do you think? And, what else does it need. Still have to put on a door and thinking about removable window cover or shutters of some type. Haven't quite decided if I want to add a stand yet or not but probably will. I moved it to where it will be for right now before it got too heavy for the tractor.

WV Sawmiller · December 19, 2020, 08:14:59 PM

My crystal ball is cloudy right now. Maybe a picture or two would help? :D

LeeB · December 19, 2020, 08:24:36 PM

Pictures added. Got ahead of myself and then had to go fix dinner.

Southside · December 19, 2020, 08:38:48 PM

Well the fact you can't see it makes it a great blind!! :D

From what I have read on here I would not recommend any sort of flammable curtain type of material. Perhaps WV can make some suggestions on alternatives. :D

Tacotodd · December 19, 2020, 08:53:27 PM

It's perfect as it sits. Just give it time to start to smell like it's surroundings and it will only get better but do try to think of something to keep those wasps and such out. Those guys hurt on chance encounters with you, but they're not to bad when it's cold out.

WV Sawmiller · December 19, 2020, 09:05:31 PM

The design looks a lot like the one (6'X6') I hunt out of in my Deer Tale thread (only much prettier/better built). The windows look big for rifle or crossbow hunting, as are mine, which makes it hard/impossible to heat and does not leave you as much of a corner to hide in but is necessary for bow hunting. If you have it very high above ground check the angle you can shoot a bow out of. I often have deer right under my blind and can't shoot till they are 10-15 yards away as too steep an angle.

I built one for a customer in September and built 16" T X 20" W windows and made them on tracks where I could raise them. Another option would have been to hinge them with a string over a nail/eyebolt or such to lift on demand. There are pros and cons to both. How far away do you expect to shoot the deer? My problem is I am too close to my feeders and the least bit of noise or creaking of the wood alerts a spooky old deer. I used plexiglass for the windows and did a terrible job cutting it. In the future I may make a solid window with a 6-8 inch peephole and just open the window when I see something coming. It would be much cheaper, easier to build and hide.

I have a door design just like yours and my blind is 8-10 ft above ground so I made a landing about 18" wide X 30" long out of treated 2X4's and plywood and lag bolted it to the floor frame under the door then put a couple of locust poles for uprights and to make my ladder and connected to the the other end of the landing. Leave the uprights 3' or more above the landing to hold on to while climbing and on the landing. This is critical for safety if any distance above ground.

How long is your season? Ours goes out 31st but many states have longer ones. My customer set his out on 26 September and they killed a nice little crossbow buck out of it a week later. It will be even better next year so still a good investment.

It not done yet build yourself a shelf or two or 4 above the windows especially on the wall opposite the door and high side. A 1X8 will be adequate and hugely handy for storing everything imaginable. Put nails or screws on the uprights to hang stuff. Put some carpet or old rubber matting on the floor if you can get it to muffle sounds.

I wish I could have a hinged roof on mine to dump the leaves as both are in heavy hardwood growth and collect leaves which holds snow and water and seeps through. I put metal on top of shingles on one last year and will the other one if I can ever get the metal up there.

Looks real good and I expect great things out of it. I'll try to get some pictures of mine if I go up there tomorrow.

EDIT/ADD-ON: BTW - if the door opens in it is less likely a deer will see it than if it opens out especially if they are real close. May not be an option at this stage. I have one of each style but inward opening is more discrete

Magicman · December 19, 2020, 10:04:11 PM

I like it!!

I recommend windows that raise/lower rather than slide. Shutters are nice when you get ready to button it up after the season closes. Whatever you do, make it wasp proof so they won't build nests in it next Summer.

Dave Shepard · December 19, 2020, 10:06:03 PM

Wood stove and internet and it's done! 8)

rjwoelk · December 19, 2020, 10:12:18 PM

A retired sofa, perhaps a periscope so you don't need to get up to have a peek around. :D

WV Sawmiller · December 19, 2020, 10:30:46 PM

Dave,

He does not have room for a wood heater because of the hot tub. :D If above ground dig a pit, fill it with gravel, run a hose and a funnel to it ...

LeeB · December 20, 2020, 03:37:52 AM

It's sitting on the ground at the moment but i plan to build a stand for it soon. Our bow season lasts until the end of Feb so maybe I can bag one that way. WE have another modern gun from Dec 26 - 31. I have a ladder stand also in another spot so will also try there. Got two already this year. One small buck and a nice 8 point. Well, would have been an 8 if one of the tines hadn't been broke off. still a few more nice 8's showing up in my game came and plenty of does. I'm not really a antler hunter and have no issues with taking a fat nanny.

thecfarm · December 20, 2020, 10:41:20 AM

At my place I would pick the deer blind up in the air with the tractor. Keep the tractor running and I would get a deer for sure. :D
As I say, I see more deer when I am on my tractor than walking.

Dave Shepard · December 20, 2020, 11:46:46 AM

That's because they are hoping you are going to cut down a hemlock for their dinner.

doc henderson · December 20, 2020, 01:27:37 PM

If you oriented the skids the other way, might be easier to pick up with forks from the tall wall side. if you make another one. unless those are unattached. it looks to be longer in one direction, but maybe I am seeing it in the picture wrong. I like it, with natural break up ERC camo.

doc henderson · December 20, 2020, 01:29:50 PM

insulation and carpet will help keep noise down, and make it easier to heat. I know you are not done yet, so my apologies if that is part of the plan.

WV Sawmiller · December 20, 2020, 01:34:17 PM

Okay here is my blind along the same design as yours (only mine is B&B). Note the ladder made from about 4" locusts and the landing in front of the door is lag screwed to them too. This blind is located on the point made by 2 draws with a bench (flat area) on the other sides and a natural crossing for the deer anywhere in the area. I almost cut the uprights off on the ladder poles even with the landing but thank goodness I left them and they are handy grabs for safety and stability when climbing on, off or standing on the landing. I had 8 turkeys roosted over the blind this morning and they pitched down 5 minutes after my 7:00 a.m. feeding and I shooed them off 4 times before they left. Once I stuck my broom out the window shown to scare them and a grey squirrel had climbed up on top of the left ladder post and I almost swept him off.

This is the shelf made by a 1X8 I suggest you add, maybe several. This one is on the wall opposite the door. Note the new military grade, fire retardant camo netting covering the window now.

You can see my feeder out the window on the same side as the door. About 10 yards from the stand and probably too close but that is where there were convenient trees. It is on a cable between the 2 trees with a scissors pulley on the cable and note the old boat winch about 4:00 in the picture attached to the small beech tree. The aluminum flashing on top of the feeder is needed to keep squirrels and coons from chewing up/into the plastic barrel. The 15 gallon barrel holds right at 100 lbs of shelled corn. The feeder has a mount on the bottom of the barrel so with 1/4 turn counter clockwise you can remove the feeder at the end of the season and leave the barrel in place.

mike_belben · December 20, 2020, 01:36:14 PM

Howard ive figured out a solution for you. Diving board and a rambo knife. Probably legal year round in WV! Or you could get an oversized feeder and just jump out of it and grab em. Surprise!

WV Sawmiller · December 20, 2020, 01:41:00 PM

I don't need the Rambo knife - remember I have spears here from the Maasai, Samburu and Pygmy tribes. My son wanted to try them when he was in college and the deer kept coming in his back yard.

BTW - catching deer, turkeys and bobcats are not advised. I have family and friends who have caught all of them and to a man they advised it would be the last one they ever tried to catch.

SawyerTed · December 20, 2020, 04:05:16 PM

That's a fine looking blind. We built our first blind from sawmill lumber this year.

The mistake we made is we didn't integrate a "porch" to enter and exit.

I'm redoing a couple of my blinds. My brother had a a metal utility building 8x12. It ended up at my house and he more or less abandoned it.

So my hillbilly self cut it in half and made box blinds out of it.

They were on 5' posts. We will be planting treated posts this time and building porches and stairs instead of ladders.

WV Sawmiller · December 20, 2020, 06:51:27 PM

Here is my first deer blind. It is 8X6, the other is 6X6 which is a better size. 8X6 is too big unless you plan on overnighting in it. This one is built on a steep slope with 3 poles in the ground and the short one on the front left corner is resting on the big rock as a footer. The ramp is the 2X8 piece of treated plywood left over from the floor build. I nailed it to 2 treated 2X6's for runners then added the post and rope as a guardrail. I tacked a couple of old shingles on for traction. For example that is ice on it now. I looked at my list today and see we have shot 17 deer out of it in the 9 years it has been up. We had killed 10-12 there before we built the stand.

These 2 gobblers came out about 3:30 pm. They look to be about 2 years old with 6" beards so no longer jakes. I think they are the same ones who roosted above my other blind last night. I thought the trees were falling a few minutes after my feeder went off at 7:00. These 2 and 6 hens came crash landing right outside the feeder and they make an awful racket. The 6 hens came here about an hour later from the opposite direction this afternoon so they know where the feeders are. I had to chase them off 4 times this morning before they stayed gone.

Walnut Beast · December 20, 2020, 07:27:19 PM

Pretty Awesome Condos guys. 8x6 would be a great size for a bigger bow hunter. I had a Redneck that was 6x6 that was to small for me to bow hunt out of. But worked for my wife that ended up getting 3 does out of it amazingly. Not bad for her after she pulled the bow out the next year and said. Is this how I hold it. BACKWARDS 😂. I said you shot three deer and you don't even remember how to hold it 😂. She's not able to hunt now but she really enjoyed it and was a pretty good shot

LeeB · December 20, 2020, 07:41:15 PM

Quote from: doc henderson on December 20, 2020, 01:27:37 PMIf you oriented the skids the other way, might be easier to pick up with forks from the tall wall side. if you make another one. unless those are unattached.

They weren't attached, just under it to make it easy to get forks under it. I actually started it up on sawhorses and moved it to the 4x4's to finish it as far as it got done before moving it to the back.