My New Big Blind

I posted these pictures in a different thread under Deer Hunting yesterday, so I am sorry if you are seeing the same pictures twice...

The last few years I have been hunting out of a plastic 4'x4' blind or a pop up for one season. I hated the plastic blind! I am a little over 6' tall and fairly good size and the whole time sitting in a 4' blind I am uncomfortable! I can't extend my legs so my knees start hurting, with an office chair to sit in and try to be somewhat comfortable, there is no room for getting in and out of the blind without making a bunch of noise. There is no place to put things and to be able to get to them while you are hunting...shelves? ha yeah right! The pop up blind I hunted out of in 2012 was comfortable because it was big and I could stretch my legs out, but I would put it up the day I got to the ranch and take it down the last hunt before I would leave. While I did shoot the world record Aoudad out of it, I also missed the opportunity of the biggest white tail of my life because the pop up spooked the doe he was chasing and off they went before I could get my rifle .

It never fails, year in and year out I find my self day dreaming about a big blind every single time I am hunting. I thought about buying one of the big fancy rigs that would set me back a few thousand dollars, but could never bite the bullet and spend the money on one. My old man did before last season and it is nice. I think it is 6x6, all metal construction, bada$$ windows, carpet, the fake leather interior wall siding, full size locking door, etc. It is NICE!!! I think the retail on it was something like $3800 and they were asking $3000 for it to get it out of their inventory and he chewed them down to something like $2200. Still a lot of money but it is big and nice and will last him probably the rest of his life time and then some plus he can take the grand babies hunting with him and that's all that matters to him. Sorry, I am getting Him buying that blind was the motivation for me to get something bigger for me this off season. It has been a busy off season with other things and I still wasn't able to talk myself into spending that kind of money on a new blind.

So after a couple of weeks of planning the build in my office in Colorado, I flew home for a weekend about 6 weeks ago and bought all the lumber I needed to build an 8'x8'x8' deer blind sitting 4' off the ground. I was able to get some good deals on some of the lumber and the exterior pre-hung door off of craigslist, and the rest I bought from Lowes and Home Depot. I had intended getting the whole thing framed and sheeted with the roof on it the during that weekend. Well, many unforeseen issues arose and I didn't quite get as far as I wanted. Here is how I left it after the first weekend:





Working in Colorado makes it hard enough just to get the ranch often enough to keep things going and occasionally try to have a weekend to relax and do some hog hunting, let alone trying to complete a project! I had to wait about six weeks before I could head back up there weekend before last and got it looking a little more like a deer blind.





I still expected to get more done last weekend, but it was raining like all get out Friday afternoon when I got there. All day Saturday was devoted to getting all the feeders back operational (we have the best luck with all of our feeders liking to act up right before deer season). Sunday was an all day event with just my oldest brother and I (our helpers either didn't make it to the ranch or had to leave early) finishing the walls and getting the roof on. I had a flight to catch Monday afternoon so I was back up there as the sun came up Monday morning and with the help of my awesome mom (we were all that were left at the ranch) we got it to this point. While I finished screwing the walls down, she started painting and once I was done caulking and spray foaming everywhere, I grabbed a roller and we left in the nick of time so I could catch my flight.

There are still some things I need to do. I need to finish touch up on the paint, install windows, build some steps and a porch, install shelves on the inside, insulate and finish the interior walls, and put down indoor/outdoor carpet.

I am going up this weekend for my final weekend before rifle season starts to do a general clean up of the cabin and the trooper and the atv's and top off the feeders one more time. While I am there I want to finish the painting, install the windows, and build some shelves. I am picking up the carpet next week so I will put that down the first week of deer season. All the rest can happen over time in the future.

A little about the specifications of the blind: 8'x8'x8' wood construction on a 4' platform. The 4x4 platform is all made from treated lumber and has been sealed with water seal. Wall construction is 2x4 studs on 24" centers and the interior painted green like the outside on the sides and the back and sealed with water seal on the front. Corrugated tin for the roof. Windows are going to be simple flip up plexiglass windows for this season and I will save some money to buy the raved about Deer View windows for next year. The window location (height) was determined in the field so they would be right where I wanted them; one of the reasons I wanted to build it in place. Door is a pre-hung exterior metal door with solid wood core. The carpet that I will be putting on the floor and up the walls to the windows is an indoor/outdoor rubber backed marine carpet; it retails for $14.75 a square yard and I am getting it for $2.25 a square yard (craigslist is completely worthless!!!). I have a basic drawing of the blind that I developed while planning the build I would be willing to share with anyone interested. It is not exactly how the blind ended up since I made some adjustments to the design in the field, but it is pretty darn close.

I will get some more pictures of the interior as I finish things up and post them so there are more pictures to go with all these words!

Sorry it was a long post about a deer blind, but I am excited about it. I will have the space I need and then some to make my hunting experiences much more enjoyable, plus I will be able to take the kiddos hunting with me and we won't be all over each other!!! 38 days till

I built a 8x8 a couple years ago, you will love the room! No problem playing nerf basket ball if you get bored
Easily could do an all "nighter" as well.

That's exactly what I was thinking Dennis. I can bring a cot up there so if the kiddos get tired and want to lay down while we are hunting and could easily pull an all nighter hog hunting/sleeping when the kiddies aren't there with me. And have plenty of room for a big cooler when I'm up hunting for a week, then I just need to bring up a bag of ice every few days!

Eventually I want to hook up a little solar panel so I can charge a cell phone or run a little fan when it's still hot early in the season.

Nice blind

Thanks!

Nice blind!

Where's the trampoline to get in that bugger?;)

Russ

Looks good and looks like you have a pretty good view also .

I like the idea of a trampoline!! I'll get some pictures of the interior and the views this weekend and post em up next week. It's a pretty good view!

Nice blind! How is anchored to the ground or is it?

It isn't yet...I have been debating how to do it since driving anchors into the ground isn't really feasible. I think I am going to build "sleds" out of 2"x4"x8' on each corner going both directions with a diagonal brace in the middle back to the top of the platform for stability. That will make the base a lot wider and should be sufficient for wind. I might also try to weigh the bottom down with either big rocks or bags of concrete giving it a lower center of gravity. It is pretty heavy, but that is a lot of sail for those few days a year we get heavy winds.

If I were you I would get some really strong good steel eye bolts and drill holes in the corner posts and bolt them through. Then get some fencing wire and wire all four corners to the nearest cedar trees wired around the bottom of the trunks. Do it soon or you will be crying over seeing such a nice blind broke into pieces when the wind picks it up and slams it.

You could use a hammer drill, 1/2" bit, drill into the rock epoxy several eye bolts in then cable to legs on stand

I'll pay rent so I can make sure nobody is messing with anything!! Haha but seriously, that thing is sweet!!

Dang that thing is huge does it have a couch in it ?

That is what I am going to do after all. I bought about 110" of 3/16" cable and a bunch of crosby clamps and turn buckles. My brother is going to borrow a hammer drill and I will get it secured next time I am up there.

haha I wish I could do that myself!!! Thanks!

Not at the moment, but it might once I get some windows in it!

Here are some shots from the blind:





This is looking to the left, can see better in person than the pic.



I also put in a pig pipe when I was up there weekend before last. I am not trying to attract pigs as much as I am trying to give them something to do so they won't try and take my feeder to the ground again!!!







I also installed an Inhawgnito feeder light.



It works pretty damn well! My feeder is about 100 yards from my blind and with the red light on I can see probably 5' outside of the feeder legs, with the green light on I can probably see closer to 15' outside of my feeder legs. Since I use Texas Hunter Products timers instead of All Seasons, I had to cut the wiring so that the remote would activate the timer. If you install the light on an All Seasons timer it comes with all the right connections to plug n play that option. I used it that night for some hog (or hawg) hunting and I was very pleased with it! I didn't see any hogs, but I did put a lot of pressure on the area that day installing the light, the pig pipe, and a new camera.

see any deer??

Nice set up. I wish I had that view.

Nice blind.

Ross, how many RedBulls had you consumed when you made that first post???? Where are the rest of the interior pics at you slacker??