# Want of a home made potable deer blind.



## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

For years I spent 2 of my 4 weeks of vacation with the family doing things intresting to the family. But the last 2 weeks remaining were mine alone. They were for deer hunting on land I owned or family owned so I never had the nightmare of having a deer blind taken/taken over by another hunter. 
Since My hunting property is a 6 1/2 hour drive, for years I would go into the cedar swamp with a roll of builders twine, a folding pruning saw and hand pruning shears and build a blind to hide my human form. Then I decided that keeping the rain drops off my head were something to think about so started carrying a 6x6 sheet of plastic sheeting, I never left the sheeting in the woods when I stopped hunting. 
I also did several in the hard woods this way but found the cedar swamps more productive. Some of these quick build blinds are still in good shape even after 10 years. 
We all get older and wadeing the ankle deep water across the cranberry bogs got tireing as did the getting the deer across them. 
There are several fingers sticking out in the cranberry bogs which are easy to get to so we decided to build high rise perment stands in 2003. 
We built four of them for next to nothing from old scrap lumber given to us at home building sites just for cleaning the place up. I built two more from wood given to me by some one tearing down an old barn. All I had to buy was nails and lag bolts to put the sections together once I got them to the site. 
I asked around at work about old paint and stains people might want to get rid of, after seeing a story about recycleing on a news program. I got lots of half full gallon cans of deck stain and exterior paint free that way. 
This one is in the hard woods over looking a narrow spot in the cedar swamp and is very productive. 
We heat them with back packing cook stoves. 









Here is a link to boughten deer blinds too. Scroll to the bottom to see the blinds. 
http://www.ehuntingblinds.com/ 
Doing a google search for home made deer blinds didn't turn up much either. 

I did at one time have plans from Outdoor life for what they called portable but the cost was $300.00 plus and was only portable if you had a 25 horse power tractor to skid it around with.
Yes it is time to start thinking about hunting deer.
 Al


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## hunter63 (Jan 4, 2005)

I hear ya, mine ahve been tree stands, and a couple of round hay bale blinds, but I think that an elevated box blind is the way to go.
SIL has several on a lease in La, and are quite comfortable. Gotta watch the wasps, though.
Couple are actually recycled pot-a-potties.
I'll see if I can find some pic's.
I like yours, and am getting the itch my self.


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

By the time the season rolls around where we use the box blinds the wasp have been froze out.
This nest I left to get latter. Some tresspassing jerk came by and shot a hole in the floor of the blind shooting it down. I use them between the powder and bullet in my muzzle loaders.










I have also used hay bales but like the box blinds are not very portable.

Here is a early morning view from my favorite blind.









 Al


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## jross (Sep 3, 2006)

I have been using the Doghouse portable blinds that Dick's put on sale for around $40. They are lined with carbon and can be set up and taken down in seconds. I heard you have to be careful shooting a muzzleloader through the see thru mesh since it seem to set it on fire.


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## hunter63 (Jan 4, 2005)

ally, the pic's are just plain beautiful, you can almost feel the cold and freash air.
I lost some fanstic pic's when the hard drive crashed, but did find this one forn La.









They do stuff a little different than MI, or WI, but it's all good.


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

:happy: Oh yes it was cold that morning I took that picture from my blind faceing the bay. I keep a log book which includes the temp on my weather station and what the local radio station there said it was. mine said 18F with a wind chill of -2F, Local (Escanaba) radio station said 22 and a wind chill of -4F.

Wasn't the coldest it has been while I was hunting there though. Dec 5th 1995 during Muzzle loader season it was 18 below when I woke up. Was still 16 below when I finished breakfast and stepped out the door. The pressure cracks on the bay sounded like a rifle shot then a semi runing down a wet road.

I feel that a 4x4 blind is as small as I want to be in all day. A porta potty I would have to rework in more than just one way but they would make a nice blind I bet.

I have Ameristep dog house blind made right here in Michigan town of Clio. Light weight, has the blackout stuff inside, leaks like a boot with out a sole at all the sew seams untill you seam seal it, sets up in seconds and has exposed fine tooth zippers that freeze up so you can't get in the blind in the morning and some times can't get out in the evening.I coat mine with a good layer of bees wax.
It also cost 60.00 at Dunhams on sale after the season was over.










Would really like some thing just like it but with the seams already sealed and some type of zipper guard so they didn't freeze up.

 Al


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## jross (Sep 3, 2006)

Thanks allyooper. I never thought of seam sealing and zipper lubing. It normally doesn't get that cold here in Jersey, but once in a while I could run into freezing problems. BTW, I have most of the songs put out by the Yoopers. Everytime I think of "All around the deer camp, there's a ring of yellow snow", I crack up.


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