Building a box blind

[Joeambro25]

I am looking for some ideas for an elevated box blind. I will be building it this winter and will assemble it in my spot come spring. Please share your blinds or idea's. Thanks, Joe (include pic's if you have)

[dave6x6]

Sat in our latest box blind tonight. I'll try to restle up pics but here's how we do it. First the box blinds that we are building now are ladder type set-up, that are secured to a tree as opposed to four legged, self standing blinds. You can take some of this info and use it for a free stander if you want. These are 2 person, 4x8 blinds. The first thing we do is go to Gander mt. and get the platform brackets. They are not needed but they give you the perfect angle for your 4x4 ladder and the platform itself. We use 16 ft. pressure treated. We have been stockpiling Composite decking from the cull wood at Home Depot or from job site rejects and have been using that for all our platform flooring. We also put rigid board Insulation under floor for warmth but mostly for sound dampening. Then we raise the stand in place and build the walls seperately and install them while the stand is up. The stand is a bear to raise even without walls and roof. We use a pulley attached above on tree and carefully use tractor to pull very carefully to get it in place. Notice i said carefully now 3 times. LOL Stand will probably weigh more than 500lbs. You can attach the base to the tree using timberlocks but i would suggest not.. We use a heavy duty ratchet strap or cables that can be adjusted as the tree grows. A simple slanted roof with ice and water barrier and rolled roofing. Different style window depending on how elaborate you want to be. Be careful to position window openings so that you look where you want to when you are sitting. Ive sat in blinds where the window is eye level when you sit and therefor only see the horizon while you hunt. Very annoying. Plexi-glass sliders, hinged cut outs, ect. We have been toying with a free standing blind for a client where we want to have wheels attached either perminent or removable. Many times you think you have it in the right spot but after a season or two you wish you could tweek the location slightly. Still in the proto- type stage though. I'll see what i can find for pics.

[Dinsdale]

Not to many plans but some ideas including a hybrid of mine(wood and pop-up tower)

http://blaserbuds.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=4818

[dave6x6]

Dinsdale, Love the fiberglass gas tank blind. LOL. Those platform-pop-up sets are slick. Hunted out of those in Wyoming except they use all natural materials from the forest. Usually find 4 trees the right distance apart, attach two footer logs parrallel to each other and then run smaller logs lenghtwise for the flooring. Cover that with pressure treated plywood and then pop the blind. Were thinking of doing a platform or two like that at camp.

[tughillhunter]

I used 4 telephone poles, and framed out the rest. Used old barnboard for the siding. Lean to style. 9' in the rear, 7' in the front. The dimensions are 8'x9'. I used some old driving range carpeting for sound reduction to move around in it. I'll try to get some pics up. I pre built the walls in the garage. 1 inch pine for the sub floor, plexiglass windows.

[Suilleabhain]

Dave I have been working on a plan for one and what you describe and how to get it up is exactly what I had figured on. I have to check on those brackets and thanks for the HD lumber idea. I have Lowes and HD within a stone's throw from me. Instead of straps I was going to use chain and damn if I can think of the name, those cable tightening thingys. Old-timers disease must be setting in.

Edited December 17, 2011 by Suilleabhain

[tughillhunter]

Dave I have been working on a plan for one and what you describe and how to get it up is exactly what I had figured on. I have to check on those brackets and thanks for the HD lumber idea. I have Lowes and HD within a stone's throw from me. Instead of straps I was going to use chain and damn if I can think of the name, those cable tightening thingys. Old-timers disease must be setting in.

turnbuckles

[Suilleabhain]

<p> Thank you</p>

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[dave6x6]

Chain would be great and we do have one platform where we use the turnbuckles. They worked real slick but the last time i sat in it the wind was blowing and for some reason the cables kept making this "twang" sound when the tree moved just right. Super annoying so i got to re-do it in the spring. The chain i think is the way to go.

[Cabin Fever]

Here are a few pics and ideas. http://huntingny.com/forums/topic/4908-lets-see-your-hunting-tree-stand-pictures/page__hl__elevator