Hello all:

Looking for suggestions in a getting 3-4 new box blinds. I am looking for hardened permanent blinds that can hold at least two people. One will probably be raised 8-10 feet. Others on ground. Any suggestions on already manufactured ones, or plans that you can build on your own are welcome. With the price of lumber, the grief to green ratio from building your own to buying already manufactured has moved. I am open to both options.

Others notes:

It needs to have actual windows that you can open/close.
I live in a cold climate so it will be heated at times. Doesn’t have to insulated, but it’s a plus.

Thank you
RAS

My advice would be to go look at the different box blinds. Check them out on the net and narrow it down to 2 or 3 and go to a dealer and check them out. The really good ones are expensive, but as usual you get what you pay for. Also read their reviews. I'm on old man and we put up 2 Redneck 6x6's this summer. I'm adding one more this summer and I should have most wind conditions covered.
Have a great day.
Jim

I've got my eye on Sportsman Condo. Much cheaper than the redneck and others alike.

I’m another fan of rednecks. I use 5’ stands for bowhunting sets, and 10’ stands for everything everywhere else. If you’re higher than 5’, you’re really limited to the diagonal bow windows. With our winds, I would not mess with the 15’ stands.

They are quiet and really retain scent well. I’ve hunted out of and use a number of other blinds. We are up to 5 and are contemplating a 6th.

Antler shed blinds …watch the YouTube videos in them.


https://www.theantlersheddeerblinds.com/

At my age, box blinds are all I hunt from. 5’ to 6’ off the ground, or depending on location, on the ground. I’ve got several…..from personally built to store bought. Always big enough for two hunters.

only hunted out of box blinds a couple times. Didn't feel like I was in the woods, almost claustrophobic. I mostly just sit under trees. Anyone else feel like that?

I hunt a club that has box blinds all over it on the food plots along the atv trails of two mountainsides and ag fields between the mountains. It's been a couple of years since I've hunted out of one. Like you I don't like the closed in feeling. I'd rather still hunt, hunt from a tree stand, or sit on a bluff and watch the flats below. There's no shooting houses in the hard to get to places I like to hunt anyhow. I'm not making an argument against them, they are a good way to hunt, but from experience bigger bucks don't frequent those places in the daylight as much, probably due to the hunting pressure and high use.

I'll probably hunt out of one Thursday evening as I'll be getting there late and they are great for a quick hunt right before dusk when I won't have time to make the hike to some of the places I like to hunt.

Our lease in Alabama is the same. The shooting houses are all on the food plots. Small bucks and does will be out on those but if you want to hunt big bucks you best be in the woods not on the plots. Most of our houses are built with plywood and lumber. Only a few are plastic. The plastic ones are not lined and are load as well as claustrophobic for me. I prefer a stand either a ladder or climber in the woods or at a timber company road crossing. Shooting houses are nice in the the rain. If I was just buying one or two I would pony up for Rednecks or equivalent in a fiberglass with some quiet durable lining in it.

We have a redneck buck palace and a redneck big country. Like both pretty well.

I would also check out...
https://ultracomfortblinds.com/

And Texas Hunter. I have two of their fish feeders that are high quality; but haven't seen their blinds.

I would definitely check whichever you are looking at pretty thoroughly. Some pretty common ones have flimsy plastic over particle board. My experience with particle board and wet weather isn't reassuring.

because it can get real cold by the border in Northern Minnesota been using stands we built with heat and homemade wood ladders and what pain to get into, but 2 years i purchased a 8 ft. high green factory box blind made for bowhunters / rifle hunters with steel stair case ,rails , and a 4 ft. platform at the top stairs so a person get open door easy and just step in. this is a great stand stand but the stair case and platform sure make it so easy for us old guys ,ladies and young people. wish you the best on what stand you purchase ,Pete53

Build them out of plywood, keep them painted, they will last 20 years. Built this last year

Thanks for the tips!!

I like to hunt out of a nice box blind. But I don't care for some of the cheaper plastic ones. A wood blind with a piece carpet on the deck is much more quiet. He!! for the price of a good one I could buy a real nice rifle. I just finished this one today. Already had some leftover plywood and 2x4's at the house. I needed to buy a few things. I got $167 into it. I got some Plexiglas for the windows just needs paint. I'll put it up on 6' 4x4's

I made my own over 10 years ago. It measures 4ft.x 6ft. and is somewhat small for 2 people but a 6'6" person can easily stand up in it. 4x8 would have been allot better. The windows fold out and can be made to stay open. I also made some windows out of plexiglass that slide up and down and they are made so I can keep them open too and the larger frame closed. In cold weather that's how I use it. Just keeping the wind off yourself is a big help, let alone heat. I have a Buddy heater in it but rarely use it. As you can see it's mounted on a trailer and the floor is about 4 ft. off the ground. I hunt on my friend's farm and like to bring it home after the season is over so it's not in his way for haying. If I were to make another I'd make it 6ft.x8ft. and likely will as I have some grandsons taking up hunting.

Jim1611, I like that trailer mount. Might use that idea.

a bout 20 yr. a go i made one on a trailer that had a boat winch that stood it up .4/4/6 house with 8 ft. legs for a old guy made it from 1/8 alum angle & thin sheet alum.

I’ve built several. Metal legs and frame. Masonite for walls. They’ll last awhile.


If was looking to buy a ready to go, it’d be the fiberglass ones. I’ve looked at them at hunting shows. Really nice.

Should last forever...


Guy i worked with offshore knew of a boat repair shop that made them on the side.

Frame it with R-board. Then spray fiberglass inside and out.

Thanks. It's a boat trailer one of the local dealers had sitting out back and it was allot cheaper than buying the steel to make the entire thing from. What I did add was what I had around here.

Looks good, I think wood is the way to go

I as in the market for a blind and was about to pull the trigger on one of the ones that’s plastic on some sort and a person bolts the two halves together, or bolts several pieces together.
I had a chance to see some on display. They were $800-1000, depending on which one. They were quite flimsy and had very cheap windows and hinges. I doubt they would last very long at all. So I passed.

A good thing about building one from wood is you can repair it. Mine was under a good size pine tree after a tornado this past summer and I was able to fix it back up as good as new with a few hours work. The commercial ones would not be that easy to repair, if at all.

Built my lifetime blind in 2003. Separate panels that create a 5’ x 7’ aluminum framed individual panels. The 24” door is fiberglass in an aluminum frame. The blind is currently on a 5’ platform. It will be permanently mounted to a 5’x8’ utility trailer this Spring. The aluminum framework adds infinite take off points for shelf brackets, clothing hooks, hangers, etc.. It has a solid aluminum roof.

I built the platform today. I also built the box in four sections for transporting. Its easily put together at the feeder. Oh yea, added a little something to help break up the outline of the box. All four sides look pretty much the same.

Platform.

I’ve built a couple like this that are insulated and have vented heaters. They are very nice and seem to help with sent and noise but with the cost/time associated, I will not be building anymore. I’m thinking of a 360 blind or Redneck for this year. Good luck.

Looks nice! We send a lot of time on deer hunting stuff. I like building blinds etc

I enjoyed building these a lot but material costs and limited time make is harder to build more. I find all my free time is in food plots and timber stand improvement. Wish I lived closer to my hunting property. The Nu Way stoves are awesome when the kids are with me.

We've got a redneck blind on our property, very well built and though out . Only down side is they ain't cheap. But the are built to last.

Why the huge windows? I"ve never seen a blind with windows that big

Got any Amish by you ?