This weekend I came home from school for the weekend, so while I was here I decided to do a little final stand prepatation before I finally get to hunt next weekend. Basically just trimming a few twigs and making sure all the ratchet straps are tight, you know, the usual:d While me and my buddy were making our way to my first stand, I looked south across the alfalfa field and noticed something strange. My ground blind was gone. Now, let me take a moment and tell you guys about this ground blind. It is no Double Bull lol. I am currently 18 years old, and me and my buddy built this blind, yes built, when we were a mere TWELVE years old. We were too young to hang treestands and we wanted something to hunt out of. Me and my friend approached my dad one day and told him we wanted to build ourselves a blind. He said ok, and brought us home a stack 1" x 4"s and 2 x 4"s. It was a scary scene in my driveway for a couple day while these too middle schoolers got let loose with a skil saw and a power drill. Long story short, it got built wihtout any amputation and placed on a field line between a bean and alfalfa field overlooking a creek. MANY memories and good times have come from that little shack. Coutless turkeys have been slain, and just this past fall during rifle season my buddy took his biggest buck ever. Of course when we noticed it was gone, we went to investigate. When we walked up to where it had once been, there was not even a trace of it left. My first thought (and words out of my mouth:d) were, "What the hell??" There was the skull from the small buck we had found while shed hunting once upon a time still lying on the ground that used to be hanging on the wall inside the blind. We began looking around the area and it wasn't long before I found a piece of a 1" x 4" that obviously was part of the shack. We looked around some more and soon found pieces of it EVERYWHERE. "Splintered" would be a good term to describe it. So we wondered....."What happened?" Then I remembered. A small tornado had come through our area about two months ago. The same one that blew over my grandmother's hay barn and ripped the roof off my boss's overhanging pavilion for his tractors, and this spot was pretty much in that direct path. And it was pretty obvious, since pieces were scattered in all directions, that it was the tornado instead of just strong winds. This baby has stood up to many rough storms, but it just could handle a twister:d. We had actually been pretty proud of some of the storms it has made it through in the past, but this one was just too much. Needless to say we were pretty bummed, and even kinda sad when we realized there would be no hunting out of the shack this fall, or ever for that matter. But we picked up all the pieces and tossed them aside so they wouldn't cause any problems with the combine while they were cutting the beans (Bols you should appreciate that) I realize I could probably build another one of these in a few hours if I wanted to, but it just would be the same. The Shack is no more. Here is a picture I took of it last February while we were out shed hunting. RIP "The Shack" 2002-2008:d
I am sure the operator of the combine will appreciate you picking up the pieces of "The Shack". Nothing is worse than running something through the head and potentially into the expensive guts of the combine. I bet you are glad you snapped that photo last year. The Shack seemed so young, yet full of potential. Sorry to hear the Big Bad Twister blew your Shack down. I dedicate my 500th post to "The Shack"
You know in Oklahoma everything needs to be made out of brick.You must of did one heck of a job building it if it lasted this long in tornado alley.
That is a great looking photo and a great memory to have with you the rest of your life. I would definetly blow that picture up and get it framed. Something to remind you of your youth!!!! PS: Bols nice to see you are finally "Hardcore" LOL
That really sucks Will! Are you guys gonna have another one built and ready to go for turkey season in the spring?
now that's americana. That pic says it all. at least you have the great memories & some pics, along w/the skull. Sorry to see that happened. It is a bummer when you have something for that long from when u were a kid and then it's gone. But one good thing, at least it was from a tornando, & not some halfwit vandal.
Who knows. I doubt it, since we seem to be mostly runnin' and gunnin' these days. Plus we've started using pop-ups so.... Hey Ben, I got the "Shack 2" right here:d http://www.jemsite.com/forums/f13/the-ultimate-deer-blind-65166.html
Heck if I saw that picture and someone told me it was in Oklahoma I would have guessed it was the Governors mansion! LOL! just kidding, I hope you get the chance to put up another soon and get just as many memories out of the new one.
