I just finished this project last week and placed it in the field the other day. I think it will work well for both deer and turkeys and will fit two hunters very comfortably. I made it to just fit onto a golf-car trailer so I can easily move it around in the fields with an ATV or pickup. I covered it in heavy black plastic so it is wind-proof and water-proof. I used erosion control matting for the straw and then covered the entire thing with chicken wire to hold the straw in place. I have about $200 in it.
Looks good, I'd love to make something like that and it's lot cheaper than some blinds on the market. How much time do you have in it?
I really don't know. More than I would like to admit. I had no plans and just went by the seat of my pants. I think I could build a second one in 5 or 6 hours.
Real nice fletch...looks roomy.....I might be pulling a copy cat on this one Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk 2
Very nice!! I'd like to see the window openings and how you made those work. We started building one last year and didn't quite get it done LOL.
It is definitely roomy enough to bow-hunt out of. I used bolt cutters to cut the panels for window openings. Two on each side and one of the ends. After cutting through all layers, I used zip-ties to "sandwich" everything together. The chicken wire on the outside is stiff enough to just fold the opening inside and turn up however much you want. I think I may end up covering the openings with a shoot-through mesh also. I am afraid that deer may bump off the black holes left from an open window. I would guess the windows on the two sides are about 10" wide and 14" tall. But, like I said, you only need to roll up as much as necessary. I used three 16' cattle panels. Two for the round sides and one cut into pieces for the ends. The floor is two pallets tied together with 2 x 4 skids and a partial sheet of treated plywood on top.
I helped a buddy put 2 of these together and they work great. In fact the other day when my buddy went to one we have on a hidden food plot a 160 was bedded next to it!!
Cover the outside of your windows with black plastic. That way the deer get used to the black spaces there. When the windows are open, they won't even think twice about it.
Ya, I considered that when I built it. But, I really don't want people to know it is a blind either. It gives me another tool to fight trespassers that way. I think I will put the shoot through netting on the inside and then I can drop the flaps of straw covering the windows to leave it looking more natural. Right now, if you drove by, you would have no clue that it is a blind. There are other bales nearby.
