I am looking to build an elevated hunting blind so that I can hopefully get my wife to join me on some hunts. I also have young boys so it will help in that regard as well. I think I want to do a 6x5 that I can also bow hunt out of. I am planning on elevating it 10� off the ground using 4x4 elevators. Does anyone have any good thoughts or plans that they can share. I have googled the crap out of this but have not really found anything that will get me from start to completion. I am not a carpenter so the simpler the better  I am looking to be able to build it for less than $500. I simply can�t afford one of the nice fiberglass stands. If you have any plans, thoughts, or can even just point me in the right direction it would be much appreciated.

just start nailing some chit together

plans are for pansies

or.....get yourself a defunct handicapped porta potty

dig holes drop 4x4 in them nail a rim joint around the 4 posts and joist between posts slap down plywood and walls up from there .


ML

Slumlord ~ Unfortunately I am one of those guys that take the approach of �if it�s worth doing, it�s worth doing right and unfortunately I have zero construction experience so your approach + my skill set = disaster. Unfortunately I am going to require a well thought out plan.

First make your floor (base), using 2x4's and 1/2-3/4" plywood. The make your walls using 1/4" (or 3/8) plywood and 2x2's. Make a roof that will sit on top of the walls(as light as possible). Use a couple drywall screws with the hex heads to secure the walls to the base and roof to the walls. Disassemble the stand, take it to your hunting location and put your legs on the base. Brace the legs with boards horizonally near the bottom of the legs. Stand it upright and bring the wall componants up, one at a time and secure with screws. Put the roof on last. (duh). After the stand is assembled put cross braces on all four legs.

5x6', 10' tall, is a big stand, and dangerous to move in rigid form, unless you have heavy machinery.

I just finished building one thats 4'x6'. The bottom of the stand is 8' off the ground. Total cost was $250.
I used 2x2' for the walls and 2x6's for the floor and OSB board for the floor, walls and roof.

There really not that hard to build. Go for it.

make it too shaky, and your wife won't go in it, anyway.

I've got two, one was built, one was bought. Neither are elevated very high. For 10 feet off the ground, you do need to know what you're doing as far as the build, and have help tilting it up.

I'll probably build the next one, but it will be different than the first

Here is one resource:

http://www.freedeerstandplans.com/

That budget sounds a little low to me for what you want. You might be able to do it for that if you just build a bare bones box and use a ladder. But if you want to use stairs and have it last for more than a few years you will have to spend a little more, unless of course you can get your materials really cheap. If your 10 feet in the air you wouldn't want to skimp on bracing and support.

Get one of these. It's portable. Paint it camo. Done.



I want one for jackrabbit shootin'. All I gotta do is win the lottery. Oh, wait, I gotta buy a ticket first.

Tom

Justin10mm ~ I think that a ladder will be sufficient. Don�t really want to mess with stairs. I am sure that I will be the one hauling all of the gear up and down anyway and then following each child or my wife up the ladder in case of a slip (they are all pretty small�including the wifey)

I like my blind at least 100 yards from the shooting area.
That's not bow friendly. Get a pop up for the bow.
Only hard part of building any box with windows and a door is the framing for these items. I just had a friend that was a retired contractor help. I was the go get this guy, he built.
Find one of these guys.
Neatest stand I ever saw and hunted out of was built on scaffolding. trap in the floor.

A quick search turned up this. Looks pretty good to me.

here is a mobile blind



hunt from your camp

I built a 4X8 on 16' 6 x's set 3' in the ground. All for under $400[including stairs]. Built my walls and roof on my carport as this stand is on a field edge where I could pull my truck to/under.

Your budget is too low to build something nice that will last a long time. This is what my son built for his Eagle Scout project this summer. He made it for an Environmental Learning Center that also has public hunts:

Also, these guys make a useful product, that makes it easier to connect the legs to a platform. They sell a compound angle version, that will improve the stability of the stand once all four legs are mounted. Cost is about $90. Sold at Home Depot and Gander Mountain.

http://www.elevatorsllc.com/

They suck compared to these:

http://www.e-ztower.com/

See the picture above with them in use. More money but worth it.

I put together this stand from some plans I generated after looking at a pic or two of a stand PeteE, one of our members, hunted from in Scotland.



I put it together in my Implement Shed and then tipped it over into my old Chevy two-ton and hauled it to where I wanted it.



I then carefully used the hoist on the truck bed...



and caught it with my scoop and used the scoop to ease it down.



It did some very mild damage to the structure doing it this way, but was intact.



Later I nailed some tin siding/roofing to the roof so it wouldn't rot out. I have intended to take some camo paint down there and paint it, but it has held up pretty good thus far.



The tin covered the damage.

[img]http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m8/kiddglock/2010206.jpg[/img]

That's one of the areas it covers, but it looks like the pic was taken from ground level and is blurry.

Hope this helps.

We built this one several years ago.The big mistake IMO is going too small,I don't mean a condo but roomy enough for several occupants plus gear.Also wise to spend extra for minimum maintenance especially if it's in a remote area like this one.

I like that one Woody.

Many thanks I like that design. I've actually been modifying the Elevators so they would support all 4 corners. The EZtower solves the problem.

Looks about like an over-sized chicken coop.

PS That's not a put down, by the way. There are some very nice chicken coops.

SWEET!

Well done, Mark. That'll do.

Just built one myself.
It's 4'x 6 1/2' long and 18 feet off the ground.
6 1/2 feet tall at the front wall and 6 feet at the rear.
There is about $700.00 in lumber in it.
I used the elevators brackets so add another $95.00 or so.
Not really crazy about them, won't use them again.

Nice. Is that painted battleship grey, or did you up-armor it?

It's OD Green.
Going to the lease this weekend to put the finishing touches on it.

I have to suggest this strongly. I bow hunt frequently out elevated blinds. The new one is not home made it's a "Redneck" blind" Although the platform is all made here of wood.

It needs to be anchored with cable well staked well away from the sides. Elevated blinds will blow right over regardless of the width of the bottom. I have been in Elevated Blinds in Texas that were 3-4 feet away from the original position during a wind storm. I have seen many blow over. They do not land well by the way.

I learned from this and now I stake them in with cable on all four sides and a cable tensioner. The Anchors I use ar 6foot "t" posts hammered in flush with the ground at an angle. They are drilled through the tops and the cable connects there.

Just this week we have had two really powerful storms taking down 100 year old Sycamore trees at my neighbors. Wind speeds meausured well in excess of 50mph for about an hour each storm.

My Elevated blind is still standing thank goodness! However the cable tensioners are loose. Easy to tighten them up, but to have come loose means that they were stressed a lot. Thankfully This thing is anchored as tight as it was!

All I'll add to what Pat said is :

A sheet of 1/2 plywood is cheaper and stronger than a bunch of dimensional lumber for your bracing. Cot 6" wide strips and use LOTS of the screws Pat mentioned to attach them to to the legs. Diagonals are your friend when it comes to bracing.

I'd use tin for the roof. Cut 10' sheets half in two and it will give you 6" of overhang on the sides and you'll need no ceiling joists.

Put a trap door in, keeping it at least 6" away from the end wall. A slanted ladder will make it easy to get into.

Unless you just have to have 10' to see over obstacles, I'd go with 7 or 8 feet to the floor. Even then, I'd guy it out to steady it in the wind.

I must have built a dozen enclosed blinds over the years and no two were alike. I seldom hunt out of one anymore except when there is falling weather.

Don't forget carpet.

I build base first, then walls and roof. Haul to site and assemble.

Edited: post hole digger to drop in ground and for bracing supports. Stand must be secured against wind gusts.

Camo corrugated fiberglass? Where's ya get that, Woody? I need some!

A suggestion to the OP:

Find a copy of Reader's Digest's "Back To Basics" for a primer on some good basic construction skills, and lots of other good stuff, besides.

And remember, it ain't furniture.

Wow!!! Tons of great information guys please keep it coming. I guess I am mostly concerned about the door and windows. I want to construct them to be as water tight as possible and I don�t want hornets taking up residence in there either if that is avoidable.

htduck: What did you not like about the elevators? I was planning on using those.

curdog4570: Why don't you hunt out of them anymore?

No pest strips.....no wasps.

Here is a guy who does things right, check out the build thread:

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/rural-living/154791-started-my-tower-stand-today.html

Doc it's just ordinary galvanized corrugated steel siding.We primed it well and worked a little spray paint camo magic that's all. Prefabricated all the panels,hauled it to the river slough and assembled it on site that's why zero maintenance was #1 priority.

A guy from chitcago would build one like this.

Great stuff guys

What's the weight of that steel siding compared to plywood? Must have been a laborious assembly job out there in the swamp!

I don't really know the wt per panel but they're standard size for out bldgs etc. Five of us did the work, we set up two squares of scaffolding,had a portable generator for drilling bolt holes and used the tractor bucket for assembly.Fortunately we were in a bad drought at that time.Since then we built another bout twice this size but its close to an old river road so project logistics were held to a minimum.

A couple of other points for the OP:

1. Either get plans, or some other experienced help building it. I've seen people who were actually pretty knowledgeable about building try to throw one together, and they wind up wishing they'd done things differently.

2. If it's going on a lease, or other land you don't own, then think about how you'd take it down to move it. I've had to leave leases several times because egos clashed and the landowner kicked a whole group of people off.

Have fun

I hunt brush country with a few senderos. Too many times I've gotten a glimpse of what MIGHT be a shooter buck just as he goes back into the brush. Ain't no way I know of to get out of an elevated blind quickly and quietly to follow up on him if the wind is favorable.

Also........ it doesn't take long for an older deer to associate the blind with humans. If an older doe in heat stops and looks at the blind - and they will - a sure enough trophy buck ain't gonna follow her into the open.And those aluminum window frames show up like a diamond in a goat's ass. I've never found a paint or tape that will cover them a full year.

I like tinted plexiglas cut to size and made to slide open instead of swinging up. It's cheaper as well.

But....... for women and kids to join you, a blind is just about a necessity. I'm fortunate in that my WT hunting pasture has ridges where I can place a ground blind and still have the benefit of elevation and that's where I take the Grandkids.

I've got a couple of 16' tripod stands that I move around depending on signs of a good buck using a place. I've put the oldest Grandson in them and he's killed deer each year.