Home invented hunting blinds, shacks

[Gm weatherby man]

I was thinking how interesting to see all the different set ups you all use to hide or be comfortable in on your hunts, especially ones design by yourselves . 8)

 

[NYDAN]

There was a time when we could use pistols and shotguns but not rifles to hunt deer in this area of NY. This is a shooting chair I made to put on a 6' x 6' platform that was 20' feet high between two trees. It overlooked a huge bowl area where I might be shooting down or up. I killed a buck from this on opening morning for every season ten years in a row, until I got fussy one year and held off on the first day.

It has counter-acting hydralic cylinders. I would set it in the up position and close the valve. When I saw a deer I wanted to shoot, I opened the valve, let the arm drift down, and close the valve. The taper in the forearm allowed me to slide the pistol back and forth a little to make fine tune adjustments in elevation. Of course, the whole chair swiveled.

The pistol is chambered in .260 Rem. and loaded with 120 gr. BT. It shot MOA. The average shot was 200 yards. My longest shot with this set-up was 237 yards.

 

[DrMike]

Wow! Talk about high tech! Very neat, Dan.

 

[Gm weatherby man]

Very cool set up, that get the creative juices going, thanks for sharing .

 

[cloverleaf]

You cant see much of the inside, but this was a two man platform stand meant for a BIG tree. I I cant imagine hauling this up a 30 foot Ash but I'm told that was its original intent. father-in- law gave it to me for my birthday 10 years ago. I has a small platform on the right (front) side of this pic that I could uses to step up into the thing. Canvas closes all the way around the front. The wheels were an add on to make it easier to move and if you want a load binder can keep her lashed to a tree. The best part is the swivel boat seat bolted the the middle of the floor. It gets me up about standing height to a man and the seat and the rail make it possible for me to turn about 200 degrees. I've shot several deer from this very spot. CL

 

[Gm weatherby man]

Very cool, again thank you for sharing , defiantly a cool set up . 8)

 

[NYDAN]

I posted a couple of these photos on another thread. I have been waiting to find a couple of other photos to add. I found only one other one so far. The third blind is a rebuild of the first blind but from a different angle. Hopefully, I will have a photo of another blind on wheels in a couple of days.

 

[DrMike]

That is just skookum, Dan. Deer would become accustomed to its presence pretty quickly, making for some excellent shots.

 

[JD338]

Very nice fellas!

Dan,

That chair is fascinating!
Nice blinds you have there.

JD338

 

[Gm weatherby man]

Very cool 8) , says this is deer country in a big way .

 

[HTDUCK]

The guys on the lease call this the Taj Mahal.
After pretty much all of them got to hunt out of it at least once this past month they have asked that I build two more.....

It's 6 feet long, 4 feet wide and the front wall is 6 foot 6 inches tall.
Even Scotty could stand up inside it !
I'll be in it this Saturday morning when the sun comes up !

 

[sask boy]

Thank you guys for sharing with photos I wish that I was 1/2 that creative!!

Blessings,
Dan

 

[NYDAN]

HTDUCK, very nice. How high is the floor from the ground? What are the legs - pressure treated 2x4's or 2x6's? Do you think a person could use those brackets to get the floor 22' into the air?

I am looking at building something very similar this spring. I was debating where I would have to use telephone pole legs to get to a floor 22' high.

 

[HTDUCK]

Dan those are 16 foot pressure treated 4x4s.
The floor is approximately 15 feet off the ground.
I used lag screws to fasten the legs to the brackets and the brackets to the base of the stand.
The next ones I build I will drill all the way through and put bolts with washers and nuts in it.
Yes, you could get a stand 22 feet in the air if you could find some 24 foot 4x4s that are reasonably straight.

They are available at Home Depot

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Elevators-4- ... 202560097#

 

[DrMike]

Wow, there are some really awesome blinds being displayed. I can't wait for the next installment of blinds and hides.

 

[NYDAN]

These are NOT mine. I took these photos while snowmobiling in the lake effect area of western NY in 2009. These are all in the area of Bliss, Arcade, Chaffe, NY.

The Hexagon is much larger than it looks in the photo. It appears that there could be a kitchen table and a bed in it. Notice how much bigger the deck is than the house.

The hunting stand that is labeled "Satelllite Dish" actually has a satellite dish mounted on it - and a wall mounted telephone. The snow is pretty much obscuring the dish.

The stand labled "Shooting Stand" would require at least a rig set up for at least 300 yard shooting. It covered an immense field growing up into brush.

I have some other amazing photos from the North Bay, Ontario area if I can find them.

 

[NYDAN]

One more from the Arcade, Bliss, Chaffee area of western NY.

 

[Gm weatherby man]

Thank you all for sharing, all great ideas and workman ship, and very cool 8)

 

[Elkman]

Dan asks, I am looking at building something very similar this spring. I was debating where I would have to use telephone pole legs to get to a floor 22' high

.
Dan being the inquisitive man that I am with very little to do this time of the year I wonder why (22 feet) is the magical number??? I would not build anything 22 feet high with 4X4's, I would go 6X6 or use treated poles as you mentioned. Do you have a one story house you are shooting over????? Also to add a little more coal to the fire, are you putting in an elevator? For those of us elevation challenged, 22 feet is a long way up !!!!!!!!!!!!.

 

[dubyam]

For 22', you'd be wise to follow Elkman's advice and talk to your local Rural Electric Cooperative about getting ahold of some of their scrap poles they're replacing. Cut the power poles to fit (use a good chainsaw, as the poles will likely be thick with creosote...) and use an auger to make the holes. You could set the poles by hand (maybe) with the right crew of guys, or you could use a tractor/loader to hoist them in place. I would use a little Sacrete and set the poles at least 4' deep.