Tower deer stand project

As I age (knocking on the door of 50) and as my Dad gets older (76 years young) and as I have been helping more and more new hunters get into the sport, comfort has been more of an issues to extend time on stand. I have several locations in funnels on farm land that would work well with an enclosed tower type blind since I have already had success year after year with ladder stands in those locations.

I plan to build some tower type blinds but would like to make them dual purpose stands that work for both gun and bow hunting. I scanned the web for ideas and designs that are commercially available. I quickly learned that manufactured blinds are very expensive (from $700 to $1,500 and that’s just the blind without the wooden structure that gets it off the ground) So I set about designing my own.

My objectives were to have a stand that can be enclosed for really foul weather, that could seat 2 people comfortably, elevated at least 10 feet to the platform meaning a seated person’s eye level would be about 14 feet off the ground, has horizontal windows for gun hunting and lower, vertical windows for bowhunting.

I then used a CAD design software to model the stand. Here is one of the early versions. It does not yet have the roof or door designed but I have since worked out those details.



The stands will be built from treated lumber but I want to build a prototype out of regular pine to work out the bugs and make improvements. Here is enough lumber to build the entire stand with the exception of the plywood and window materials.



I priced this amount of treated lumber at Home Depot and its around $250 and includes

4) 4 x 4 x 10 long

48) 2 x 4 x 8 long

6) 2 x 6 x 8 long

7) 2 x 4 x 10 long

The design has to be 76 year old friendly which is why there are more rungs that are closer together on the ladder than need be for strapping young folks. The internals of the box are 41 by 64 by 75 tall.

Here are some pictures of the prototype during construction. (I have already begun making changes from the CAD model. )





The walls being framed up.



Here is a wall with the sheeting on and painted (I figured the inside of the blind should be dark like most pop-up blinds) The dotted lines indicate a potential location for bowhunting, vertical windows but I am reconsidering their locations at this point.



A few views of the framed up box.









I think I need to make the porch larger and change the swing of the door. I also plan to install safety rails around the porch.



As long as I have a black stand, I will have to (during the firearms season) use a black gun. I dont have an all black bow or I would have used it for the picture.



To be continued …………………….

 

Awesome stuff. It looks really good!

 

Nice. I recently build a tower stand my self and plan to build more. I try to pick up ideas from everyone elses as well.
Thanks for sharing.

 

Awesome stand RC!! Can't wait to see the finished product!!

 

Cool stand, I started building my son a tree house like that once to save some $$$ and ended up way in the hole Just curious though, what if you put the hinge on the other side of the door way? That way you wouldn't have to knock yourself off to open it. Really cool design I am thinking I might make one just like it.

Disregard about the door... I see you already posted about that. I am guessing that didn't take long to figure out..... aaaaarrrrrrggggghhhhhsplat!!!!!!!

 

looks great! What will you do with the unpainted supports?

Not being critical, but what not camo colors?

Is this it's final resting place?

 

Way to go Rancid! I sure could use one of these stands up in the Northwoods of Wisconsin during gun season.

 

Looks good RC! I built one kind of like it, but I didn't build it from scratch. I had an old playhouse/eagles nest in the back yard, and I built a roof and put flip up windows in it. Its pretty nice.

 

I am hoping to build one or two of these next year. Please stop back and update us as this progresses. Thanks.

 

I added a 2nd support under the outer corner of the porch and redid the bracing. I also added a hand rail around the porch. I think I am about finished with the prototype stand as far as improving the design and construction. I need to work out the window details now.

 

that's awesome!

 

Here is a crude sketch of what I am kicking around for the upper sliding windows. Lower windows will most likely be removable panels or hinged.

My thought is to pre-make the window units and install them in their frames after the blind is up.

 

I used the long sides of some storm window frames to use for slides for plexi glass.Used 1 piece of plexi and the slides were long enough that they held the plexi when open also,not super quiet but works well.One thing I am doing this year is wrapping 12" piece of flashing around the legs to try to keep the mice from climbing the legs and getting in the blind

 

Way cool, RC!!!

I need the specs when you are done, please

Also, how do you secure it so it wont blow over in a strong wind?

 

So I have had inquires about what I plan to do with this prototype tower blind and is I would be willing to part with it. The answer is yes but you have to get past the helpers I had making it. Here is Joe guarding the stand. He wont let anybody near it. He is guarding it now with the rifle I posted earlier and has set up his own "occupy" camp.



He only lets his other friend Joe near the stand. Both are ex-military and have bad attitudes. I thought the photo of the rifle in the blind would have tipped some folks off since it has two triggers (the second one being for the grenade launcher)



Plus they have this huge guard dog named Roscoe patrolling the perimeter.



They are all jacked up on Soda in massive quantities.



If you haven’t figured it out by now, this is a 3/16 scale prototype model that I built to help me address all the design concerns ahead of time rather than after spending much $$$ on treated wood when I build the real stands. Here is one of my “Scale” 2 by 4’s on a real 2 by 4.



Here are the scale sized nails I used.


Here is Joe taking a break after helping test the stand.



The lumber I cut and stacked for that first photo was all cut on my table saw. The banding on that stack of 2 by 4’s is just a thin strip of black electrical tape I cut with a razor.

 

Great work on the project. I know you will have some good times in that stand. It wouldn't work for me though. If I got in that before dark, in 15 minutes I would be curled up in the courner asleep.

Good work and thanks for sharing.

 

Rancid, those pics and posts with JOE are priceless and hysterical! hahahaa

 

haha you're good at photography as well!

 

This was by far the best thread ever you got me

 

Thats pretty good. when you go to build the real one are you going to build it where you are going to hunt with it.