I've only been hunting the last three years but I really enjoy it. I took my wife hunting in Hill Country for the first time last year with a buddy and his wife and she loved it Link. My son is interested in hunting and went with me a couple of times on some family land in Oklahoma but we didn't see anything the two times he went and we were sitting in a tree stand in 30 degree weather and it rained once. The weather doesn't bother me very much but I could tell it really made the experience rough for my son and it's not really all that fun when you're cold, wet, and not seeing any deer.

So, in hopes that I can make the experience a little bit more family friendly, I built a homemade stand this year and hauled it up to OK. I wish I had taken more pics while I built this in my garage but I did manage to snap a few pics toward the end of construction. I figured this would be a lot better to take the kids hunting in. They can stay warm with Mr Heater, they don't have to stay still all the time, and they can bring their ipod or a book until the deer start moving.

I've got a fairly comfy chair in it right now but I'm going to swap it out for some smaller chairs so we can easily get an adult and one kiddo in there (two kiddos is possible but it would be pretty cramped). Below are the dimensions for anyone interested.

Stand is 6 feet off the ground, total height of 12 feet.
Inside dimensions are 4 feet by 4 feet.

I plan on adding, a funnel and tube "bathroom" to the inside of it and finishing out the trim after this season. I simply ran out of time when I hauled it up to my grandpa's land. Any suggestions or comments for my next blind from you more experienced guys would be appreciated. I'm not a carpenter, but I'm pretty happy how this project turned out. It will be warm, dry, and we have a great view of our hunting area with two windows on the front side and single windows on the left and right.



This is one of the only pics I took during construction while I was taking a break in 100 degree Oklahoma heat.





Finished product for this year. I need to finish trimming it out. I'm not thrilled with the bracing but it is certainly strong and will stay standing through high winds. My Korean War veteran grandpa who is more man then I will ever be installed it while I ran to the hardware store for supplies. I wouldn't dare tell him I didn't want it done that way. The man is in his 80's and out ranching better than most 20 year olds.





Interior pic. All weather carpeting. Nice and cozy.





One of my little helper / hunters who is thrilled with her new "clubhouse."

Looks pretty sweet, I bet the kids will have a blast, but I can't stand sitting around in one place while deer hunting.  I am not sure how you hunt down there, is it mostly blind hunting? Is there any stalking involved?



Its interesting to see how people hunt in different areas. FYI, I am not belittling anyone, just noticing differences in hunting styles.

Looks cozy thats for sure.  Looks like it would beat sitting 20' up in a hang on stand.

Yea most  of the hunting around here is stand and feeder. My grandpa's land is only 120 acres with a river and two large pastures I try and pull the deer out to with feeders and the alfalfa in the area.

The Hill Country lease I just got on here in TX is the same thing, as most of the guys on the lease prefer to pick out their trophy. If we don't shoot anything after a few hours we get out and stalk and I have to tell you, that is a blast. I really enjoy the stalk.

Yeah, I would go crazy sitting in one spot for very long. Walking and stalking is where its at, for me.

I just saw your state. I'm sure North Dakota hunting is outstanding.

Yeah, I love it and am sure you would too. The eastern half of the state is flat, mostly treeless and boring, but the west half (my half ) is rugged, full of trees, and just perfect for me. Its kind of like the beginning of what you find in Montana.



I avoid eastern ND, if at all possible.



I wouldn't mind seeing Texas one day, we have some family down there, but are just to busy to head down there.

looks like a good stand.

It looks good, but 4x4 is a bit on the small side for more than 1 person.  I've got to build a 2 man blind in the next year, and I can't decide if I want to go 8x8 bare bones or 8x12 and have a pair of fold away "Murphy" cots so it could double as an off season cabin.

Looks good.

Are the 4x4's set into the concrete?  I'm guessing not since you added bracing.  I don't have my towers on an sort of pads as we occasionally will move the stands as needed by tipping them over and setting them on a trailer.  

Can you tell me more about the windows? Manufacturer and type?  Are they quiet?  My dad used aluminum storm windows and they are very loud opening.

Yea, I would have liked it a little bigger but 4X4 was certainly manageable for my first attempt. I wouldn't really want to crawl up there with one of my hunting buddies but I don't mind getting cozy with Mrs BiteDog or the kids.

8X8 would be really nice. I would be tempted to throw a couch up in something that big. I probably wouldn't ever leave my stand.




The 4X4's are pressure treated lumber and are standing on concrete landscape pads. I wish I had of taken more pics while I built this. I built it in three seperate independent parts (base, walls, and roof) which made it really easy to load up in a 12 foot trailer and haul up to my grandpa's land 4.5 hours away.

The windows are made by "HR Windows" and I got them from Home Depot. They are aluminum windows with sliding glass and latches on the inside. They don't seem to be loud at all, they lock in to the open position once you slide the window all the way up. I used the same windows on the shed I built in my back yard and they have held up very well. They run about $30 each and they were easier for me to work with than cutting plexiglass and trying to build my own hinged windows. I just framed my walls around them.

Very nice.  I have been wanting to build something like this...

It is so weird to see this kind of hunting, ours is just walk into the woods drinking, smoking, whatever, try to make as much noise as possible until you bump into a deer, pet it a few times, and shoot it.
I have heard of some people using stands here for bear, but for deer it is un heard of.
The stand looks very nice though and comfortable. Where's the coffee pot?

If we talk above a whisper, every deer in the section is long gone... sneaky is the name of the game here.



 

EXCELLENT project.  Good Luck this season...

Nice looking stand, I built my first one this year also 6 &1/2 ft x 6 &1/2 ft. I don't have pic's, good luck huntin

Bite
Spray foam the ridges in the roof or it will FILL with yellow jackets.
Nice project.  This last season in Tx a covered blind was at a premium with all our rain!

P

I'm calling my grandpa tonight.

I had a friend die a few years ago in a hunting accident when he climbed into his stand to check it on a work weekend before the season opened. He was stung by wasps and in an attempt to shake them off, he fell from his stand and was impaled on a t-post.

Wooo, sorry to hear about your friend.  That is awful  Damn is all I can say.

Looks good

We call those "Condo's". Nice!

Excellent job!!! Ya think maybe a couple "swivel" stools would be better? That way you can have easier, quieter shooting access to both windows.

Never mind blinds, it doesn't eve have curtains!  Obama can help you put some up.


BTW good job.

Funny you say that. I just purchased a pair of padded swivel buckets that will work pretty well when I have the kids up there.