Self built deer blinds

[Landslide]

Any of you smellers build, built your own deer blinds?

Sooo… we have a bunch of old deer blinds we built years ago, like over 20 years plus ago. Some are a bit dangerous but most are uncomfortable when you have things like a backpack and well, for me leg room now that I deal with a prosthetic leg.

The majority of our deer stands are built on top of double stacked end to end old 1980’s - 1990’s John Deere compact utility tractor crates. Basically angle iron with goofy cross braces. They work ok and held up great for all these years. The boxes built on top are a bit over 36” (don’t know exact measurements) but they are really too small.

Moving forward we’re going to build several new ones this year starting this spring. Main driver is making them safer then what they are as well as some are really done.

Plan for the two I’m building for on top of my hill, only one other guy hunts up there with me and we have a couple hundred acres up there from part of the farm. The new stands will be built wide stance at the bottom tapering towards the top. Current field stands are guy wired. I have a bunch of well water pipe I’m going to use for the frame which will be around 20’ tall to the bottom of the blind. We have pretty steep hills to look over is the main reason for needing the height.

All of our current stands are just open boxes with a roof on a couple of them. New stands will be enclosed with windows and foam board insulation and steel siding. We have a bunch of left over pole barn steel siding to use. I plan on building a small landing to make it safer to gain access inside the blinds.

Question I have is what’s a good size for a single person blind needing 360* visibility. Room for backpack and a small space heater? In my head I’m thinking around 50” and plan on building makeshift short walls in my shop with a chair to test sizing but I thought I’d ask y’all what you have and what works good for you.

I’ll see if I can dig up some photos of our current stands.

 

[TRINDU]

Single -> 4x4

Double -> 4x8

 

[aczlan]

For your framework, it might be quicker and easier to find somebody selling a bunch of old mason scaffolding, three or four sections should get you up where you want to be and give you a decent size platform to work off of to get in to your enclosure.

Aaron Z

 

[Landslide]

 

[Landslide]

For your framework, it might be quicker and easier to find somebody selling a bunch of old mason scaffolding, three or four sections should get you up where you want to be and give you a decent size platform to work off of to get in to your enclosure.

Aaron Z

That’ll put us back into the guy wire thing we have to get away from. I have all the pipe to use and I’m making this at my home shop in a prefab type setup. Welding tabs to bolt the cross members too then set it up on site.

 

[aczlan]

That’ll put us back into the guy wire thing we have to get away from. I have all the pipe to use and I’m making this at my home shop in a prefab type setup. Welding tabs to bolt the cross members too then set it up on site.

Use the pipe you have along with connecting pins to make an adapter to go from for uprights making a square for the bottom section to a standard pair of uprights, that way you have a larger than base to keep it from tipping over.
Then you don't have to try and figure out a way to put in a ladder to safely climb it

Aaron Z

 

[Landslide]

Use the pipe you have along with connecting pins to make an adapter to go from for uprights making a square for the bottom section to a standard pair of uprights, that way you have a larger than base to keep it from tipping over.
Then you don't have to try and figure out a way to put in a ladder to safely climb it

Aaron Z

That’s the plan I laid out in my earlier above post as far as the wide stance goes.

 

[M92PV4U]

I would use angle iron for the uprights, you could probably salvage the old stands for the bracing.

 

[animator]

4x4 is plenty comfortable for 1 person + gear. I usually have my backpack, 6pk cooler, and buddy heater and still have plenty of room to move. I built a 4x8 so we could double up and I can lay down and take a nap in it if I want.

My 4x8 is up on some 10’ 4x4s, using those brackets you can buy at academy. Cross-braced and sunk a few inches in the dirt. I made my own swinging windows, and gave it a roof with enough overhang that rain doesn’t blow in. 2x6 for a shooting platform across the front. I could probably live in it if I had to.

 

[Texas97]

i built my last one a few years ago. almost had a heat stroke doing it too. made the mistake of mixing a big jug of gatorade powder and not enough straight water. vomiting all the way home.

anyway. .... i used two old scaffolds with 2x12's across them as a platform. then built a 4x8 blind frame out of angle. bolted the plywood to the inside. caulked the whole thing. used the deerview windows. it doesnt suck.

 

[gunracer1]

My buddie, a big job got cancelled that he had already bought the materials. So company paid for the materials. Told him to just keep it.

 

[Landslide]

Got a bunch of windows ordered from this place.

Deer Blind Windows | Cleburne, TX - The Original Deer Blind Window Co.

 

[Aggie06]

Don’t have pics anymore, but I used some old dog kennel panels to build a ground blind. Wired them to t-post and brushed it in.

 

[Landslide]

Don’t have pics anymore, but I used some old dog kennel panels to build a ground blind. Wired them to t-post and brushed it in.

Years ago in my youth I used to just set on a stump or on the ground next to a big tree, I killed most of my deer like that. Now I have several places I’ll set on the ground but in my low profile turkey chair with a nice back. But we’re building new blinds with comfort features as I’m tired of freezing my ass off hunting

 

[Landslide]

Whelp, I aired up the very sketchy tires on the hay wagon, I’m not sure how one of them hasn’t decided to leg go while airing it up, a bunch of tread and sidewall is gone and nothing but nylon cords showing I’m looking for some good used 14” tires for it

Anyway, I moved it out of the woods and up behind my shop for better access for the steel pipe.

I have enough for four stands to be built. There’s plenty and some extra for the main legs which is 1 3/4” or close to it and then a bit extra to do X bracing between the legs with a horizontal brace.

I’m not real crazy about the galvanized coating but I’ll grind away the areas being welded.

Not sure when we’ll start on this but it’ll be in the next month.

 

[Seubs070]

Built this one a few years ago. It's 4'x6'. Happy with the size, but not a fan of the windows. The two side windows swing in and the big front window swings out. I'd like to swap the windows out for sliders that I could keep closed and slide open just to shoot out of.

 

[Landslide]

Built this one a few years ago. It's 4'x6'. Happy with the size, but not a fan of the windows. The two side windows swing in and the big front window swings out. I'd like to swap the windows out for sliders that I could keep closed and slide open just to shoot out of.

The landing is what we’re incorporating into our new blinds. I’m looking for some steel cat walk to allow snow to fall through and not be dangerous with ice as much as treated lumber decking.

 

[Seubs070]

The landing is what we’re incorporating into our new blinds. I’m looking for some steel cat walk to allow snow to fall through and not be dangerous with ice as much as treated lumber decking.

That's another issue with mine. The roof pitches to the back and drips on the deck and ices up. Just a frost on the roof melts when the sun comes up, drips on the deck and freezes. One of these years I will put a section of rain gutter up.

 

[Landslide]

That's another issue with mine. The roof pitches to the back and drips on the deck and ices up. Just a frost on the roof melts when the sun comes up, drips on the deck and freezes. One of these years I will put a section of rain gutter up.

I’m looking for the no maintenance once it’s up like cleaning clogged up gutters.

 

[Landslide]

Finally got started on the pipe leg sections of the stands. I have 8 total sides to fab up then install the other two sides cross pipes making them a square platform for the deer blinds to set up on top. This one is 13’ tall and three stands will be this tall and the last being 18’ plus tall.

 

[aubigmac]

Here are some plans for one I built a couple years ago. Size wise it works out well and I sized the windows to use the same Deer View windows you said you ordered.

I recommend double checking the window height and make sure it is a height you are comfortable with.

 

[Landslide]

Here are some plans for one I built a couple years ago. Size wise it works out well and I sized the windows to use the same Deer View windows you said you ordered.

I recommend double checking the window height and make sure it is a height you are comfortable with.

Very nice drawings. They look very close to what we’re building but a bit smaller.

 

[InDaRed2]

I built mine 6x6. Roomy for one person but a bit snug with 2. If I were hunting 2 people I would go 6x8.

 

[Landslide]

Been busy doing other things but got back on this last couple weeks. Got all the tubing cut to length and notched so all to do, is lay out in the jig and weld the sides up. Not all the notched tubes are in this photo, they’re outside on the rack.

I have to put another hold on this for possibly two weeks as I need to use my shop to repair my truck. Once that’s done then heavily back into these deer blinds as I’m out of time on getting them done.

 

[Landslide]

I had a bunch of projects that superseded this one, but I’m back on it and running short on deadline time.

Started on the blind steel foundations. One of four

 

[Landslide]

This is number two of four. Got the handrail on and aluminum catwalk which was free

 

[Landslide]

Got all four bases built and ready for the enclosures to be built.

 

[Landslide]

Started on the legs and have two of four built.

 

[Landslide]

Whelp, got all four leg sections done. Three 13’ tall and one 20’ tall.

Now it’s time to start on the blind enclosures phase.

 

[Texas97]

Whelp, got all four leg sections done. Three 13’ tall and one 20’ tall.

Now it’s time to start on the blind enclosures phase.

can i give some constructive criticism? weld atleast one horizontal brace between your side node and the other side nod, parallel with the ground. those things are going to twist, its happened to me. you can also use it with a duckbill anchor to tie it down in the middle.