Need some help with a box stand build. First let me say i am not a bow hunter, i do shoot a crossbow, but not a compound. I build box stands for my retirement hobby and i had a man ask about building him a box stand 4x6 on a 5' base that he could shoot a bow out of or a gun. What i don't know is how low to start the vertical shooting windows, how high, and how wide? I build the gun windows at 40" from the floor, below is a picture of one of my stands.

There are lots on the market nowadays. If you have a place nearby that sells "nice" deer blinds they probably have a few with bow windows in them. Just get a tape and measure one. I wish I knew off the top of my head but I dont.

Not sure either on height in inches but consider a bowhunter may shoot at deer waling right next to the stand out to 40ish yards typically. If I were building it I would get inside your rifle model and draw and imaginary bow to see how low you need it to shoot at a deer walking close to hte stand. If you are going to apply a shoot through mesh then the window can be lower without comprimising the concealment that a blind provides. I hunt out of a ground blind that has mesh and it is great at letting me see without being seen.

Also keep in mind the blind may need larger dimensions than the rifle blind in order to accomodate a hunter drawing a bow. How hunting in a small blind is like playing billiards in a room too small to shoot!

Post pics of the build as you progress. Good luck

The Hunted on here should chime in

I used his windows on one of my stands and just ran the window vertical, roughly 10" from the floor up.

I don't have a drawing but you can make you existing stands a combo blind by installing a vertical window and making your existing windows a "T" style window. I would start these windows at aprox 2' and run them up to the bottom of your horizontal windows. Nice looking blind as well.

My windows in my combo blind have a 1 ft wide x 2 ft tall openning. I sit down and shoot and the blind is 30" off the ground. If it is going to be in the air they need to be taller/Longer windows. My blind is a 6'x6' 6'2 tall slanted roof to 6'. Send me a phone number and I will send you a picture of the one's I have. 6x6 alows for the deer to not see you as well, when you open the window, my opinion 4' wide is to narrow unles you are going to shoot out of the 6' side. also 6x6 allows for a buddy or a wife to hunt with you. My windows stay closed until I'm ready to shoot and in 2 years in these box's, I haven't been pict-off yet. my first year with out the rifle windows, I left the bow window open and I was pict-off every hunt by a scent seeking doe who would walk until she smelt me. My rifle windows have curtains that cover up half the windows. I killed a 9pt and a 8pt this year. I have lots of chances to shoot deer and pigs in this blind set up. It almost seems like cheating with a bow.

AMEN ON YOUR SIGNATURE SPORTSMAN!!!

Is that blind 4'x6'?

If so, I would highly recommend starting with nothing less than 5'7'. Otherwise, I would only make the window on that short side and get rid of the window on the opposite short side. You do not want to have any light behind you when drawing your bow and that deer is 10' from your blind. Just my opinion. 4'x 6' is just not enough room and I personally can't stand drawing back and having to change my form because a blind is not big enough. Bow hunters typically like a larger blind to hunt from than a standard rifle hunter blind accomodates.

I can build the blind any size. I just posted one of my standard blinds. Are you saying it needs to be 5 ft. square, or 7 ft. square?

5' square would work. But I had a typo on there, sorry about that. It was supposed to say 5' x 7'. Personally I need more room for when I am bow hunting then a 4'x6' provides unless I am shooting my bow out of a window on that 4' wide side. I do not like to adjust my form to fit for the blind that I am sitting in and a 4' blind is just not big enough without my elbow hitting the back wall. I don't like putting the bow right up against the wall when I draw back either and I prefer to sit far back in the shadows when I shoot. So 5'x5' or 5'x7' works best for me. I find many bow hunters have different opinions on what they want in a hunting blind as such. I like at little light as possible coming into my blind. This gives me more freedom for movement and less chance of being seen.

24" from the floor of that blind should be low enough. Maybe try cutting that first and if you need to go lower, you can always make it bigger. I would suggest making it 12" wide as well. One hole in the center of that side and you should be good to go.

If your going to have windows on all the other sides, I would suggest telling your buyer that he may want to put some dark curtains on the inside or a window tint on the window panes(if you plan on installing windows).