Hunting From An Elevated Stand
I mostly hunted deer and bear from a ground stand for decades. Been relatively successful on deer however the bear never seems to walk buy during bear season. For several seasons I hunted from a climb stand a Summit viper. Then one season I went to my climber at O’ dark 30 to find the cable cut and the climber gone. Back to ground hunting again.
Ground hunting I used a Eastman Undertaker pop-up blind unavailable at this writing. If you can find one or two, buy them. They are awesome. Along with the pop up blind, I would build ground blinds in the summer with available vegetation. By center-fire rifle season the first week of December, they were part of the forest. Often if I wanted I could reach out and touch passing deer.
Several years ago, I wanted to hunt an area of our property that overlooks a power-line that runs south for a mile, east and west a couple hundred yards, and behind me a small patch of nasty briers. The challenge was getting up above the brush level to see deer and bear. It was time to build an elevated blind.
First, I looked at buying a factory made solid walled elevated blind but the cost was prohibitive. In my neck of the woods they were starting at around $1,000- and going on up to $1,600 for what I really wanted. The decision was to build one.
First, I stopped by my local hardware store that sold the elevated hard sided blind that I really wanted buy tape measure and pad & paper. I drew the blind and then measured everything out. Sat in the truck to figure out my buy list and then went into the hardware store and ordered the supplies needed for the blind to be delivered to the cabin.
Once home I went online and found exactly what I was looking for, 4×4 elevated brackets for elevated blinds and play houses.
The total cost for the lumber, fasteners, hinges, and brackets was under $500-.
A level location in my yard was found and the floor was begun. The size was going to be 4 x 8 feet with a slopping roof 6-feet in the front and 5-feet in the back. There was going to be five shooting windows. One for the front (South 1-mile over look) and each side (east & west with 100-yard overlook) plus two in the back on either side of the door (looking into a brier infested swampy area).
Once completed the bare wood did not look very natural so in a last ditch effort, I took some camo spray paint to the walls of the stand. I might as not bothered as the dry plywood soaked up most of the paint. Another lesson learned.
To move the stand, I asked help from my neighbor and his 95-HP New Holland tractor. We took off the tractors front bucket and installed forklift forks. He picked up the stand with the forks and off to the top of the power lines with me following in my orange steed with the rest of the parts – 4″x4″x8′ weather treated posts, chain saw, screws and screw gun, bolts, rigging wire, et cetera.
Once on the site I laid gravel down where the four posts holding the stand up would go. Then my neighbor lifted the stand platform as high as the forks would go and I inserted the four 4″x4″x8′ posts. Screwed them in place at the purchased corner brackets and my neighbor set the stand down. The elevated stand tilted a bit to the east, so we cut off a few inches of the posts on the west side.
Now level I sank one 4-foot long length of rebar on the east side and one on the west. These lengths of rebar I hooked up wire rope attached to a turnbuckle and snugged everything down each as extra protection in case the elevated stand wanted to tip over with me in it.
Once that was done, I put on cross bars between the posts.
Last I built stairs from the ground to the back door of the stand.
The end result was a great two-man elevated deer stand for under $500-. Since it is usually just me in the stand, I added a small side table a folding camp chair, and yes a propane heater. Although I have the heater, I never use it as the fan is noisy as all get out on the heater but it is there. To keep things quiet, I also put down a hank of carpet.
Now I see deer, mostly does, going back and forth across the power line all day long. I typically do not harvest a doe anymore mostly looking for antlers BUT with the troubles coming I may put a few in the freezer this year.
Freedom Through Self-Reliance ™
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Coming from a carpenter with many licenses/cert.s(all useless!)that tis some nice work Johnny.I will say neighbor with larger tractor a stroke of good luck,while certainly doable building from ground up would be ,well…..,a bear(see what I did there!).
I have always been a spot and stalk kind of guy who feels he prowls the woods with the silence of a hunting cat but to the deer probably sounds like Godzilla strolling thru Tokyo,probably why I do not get too many deer,which is allright as I have no at moment solid need for them and in my area for some families makes the difference as to eating well that winter.
I do have a area where I have been prone and watched over 20 deer go thru a well traveled ravine,literally a fish in a barrel shoot,times get tough will then make use of it,till then,let em travel and enjoy the day/fill a families freezer ect.,good luck this season.
Thank you Brother.
73 & God Bless
Johny, thanks for the suggestion regarding the elevator plates. Looks like I’ll have another project to do, once lumber prices drop back down a bit. So, how is the elevated stand for taking naps? Also, how stable is it in high winds? Take care, and say “Hi” to the XYL and W0OF.
Oh nooooo, naps? That has never happened to me – LOL. I have to admit I have dropped off a few times while in that elevated stand.
Because of the wire rope attached to the four steel corners then down to a 4′ rebar rod pounded into the ground prevents ant swaying.
73 & God Bless Brother!
5
Nice handmade blind! I will say that modern factory made blinds (typically molded plastic and wood) now have corner vertical windows that allow for both archery as well as gun hunting. I’ve rarely seen a handmade blind that provides the openness that allows for effective archery hunting. Those vertical windows also provide far greater 360 degree visibility compared to a gun hunting blind with horizontal windows only.
Yeah WIHunter, you are right. I am a black powder, and center fire hunter mostly with a crossbow when I want to keep my signature low. ;-)
God Bless Brother
We needed some blinds at our place and there was no way we were spending $1500 apiece on them. I found a FACEBOOK marketplace ad for 4 Semi Sleeper Cabs. Bought the whole lot for $200- guy wanted them off his lot. PERFECT blinds. They won’t rot- made of fiberglass and aluminum and they are MADE for living in.
The big hole up front that accesses the drivers seat etc…was sealed with a single sheet of plywood and windows added. Two of them had secondary fold down bunks….Stripped them down, added some old carpet….We have used them for a long time, often sleep very comfortably in them- they’re insulated…crack the skylight and turn on a small Coleman heater every once in awhile and you have all the comforts of home. We have elevated two of them using telephone poles and some salvaged, treated deck 2×8’s. Don’t have $75 apiece in them.
Man O’man Will, you scored!
God Bless
Great post Johnny Mac! I have been wanting to build one of these on my place for years.
What thickness plywood did you use?
Thanks Brother
5/8″ exterior grade plywood. The 2×4 and 4×4’s where all weather treated. Hinges, brass as they do not rust. Screws were * screws of differing sizes. Paracord to raise the shooting ports.
As a side note: When I went down to take the pics there were two spots where deer had bedded down for the night right to the west of the stand. \”/
73 & God Bless Brother.
Elevated blinds in south Texas are a long time tradition. It doesn’t get as cold as it does up there so our challenges are wildlife that intend to make the blind their home. Illegal alien traffic often use them to sleep and stay concealed, so they often leave the blind windows open. Locking them only produces damaged property. We opted to replace the windows with hardware cloth. This stops birds of prey (mainly owls) from entry and yellowjacket wasps consider it too cool to stay in long term and rarely stay long. We offset the windows on opposite wall panels so that human silhouette does not produce movement when getting ready for a shot
Anchors are metal ‘T’ posts pounded in opposite corners, then wired tight. A very peaceful way to keep watch. Hope your hunt goes well.