Showing posts with label ground blinds. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ground blinds. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Panel Ground Blind
I finally got to go cut some trails, check my stand and build a new blind on my 30 acre spot. I was happy to find that everything I left last year was still there, my ladder stand, blind and seats. I was really happy to see the work trimming trees and bushes over the last few years has cut down on how much I need to do each fall. It only took a couple of hours to have 90% of the trails cut plus a new blind built after finding some new trails. I want to go back to remove some bigger stuff, mainly privet which has invaded. While I was building my blind I thought some of you might like to see how I do this type. It takes a little work at home but is fast to set up, inexpensive to build, last for years, we even used a version of this type for duck hunting way back when.
As kids we came up with this idea for portable, light weight duck blinds. We didn’t have much money but bought some 8 foot 2x2 lumber, built a tapered frame about 6 feet long by 4 feet high maybe 4 feet wide at the bottom and 3 at the top, which we covered in chicken wire. We could put a couple of these on our boat, take them to where we wanted to hunt and quickly brush them in and have room for two hunters in each. After a hunt we stored them in the woods till we hunted that spot again. They were light enough for one person to carry by simply getting inside, picking it up and walking off. This is the idea behind this quickie deer blind build, not portable but cheap and easy to use.
If you look around you may find a construction site that has a junk lumber pile, most will let you take scraps good enough for this project. Grab any 2x4 or larger lumber they will let you have. For wire I used fence wire with 2”x4” openings rather than chicken wire because they were built for something else and chicken wire wasn‘t strong enough. I decided to use the ones already built rather than build new ones for my new blind since these are so simple to do I can replace them if I need more. Here is how to make your own.
If you buy the wood just get 2”x2” in 6 foot lengths, you need 3 for each panel along with 3” and 2” screws, chicken wire or fence wire 3’ high. If you use scrap lumber you will want to rip it to width to get your 2x2s. Cut the 2”x2” pieces so you have two pieces 33 inches long and two 6 feet long. They don’t need to be perfect a ¼” won’t make a difference. Use a drill bit smaller than the diameter of your screws to predrill holes in the sides of the long pieces near the ends and into the ends of the short pieces. This will keep it from splitting. I made some gussets for the corners out of ½ inch plywood to strengthen the corners. Predrill these and the 2x2s. Now just screw the parts together. After I have the panel made I use a staple gun to attach the wire to the frame. You can use scrap wire, zip ties, twine or whatever you can think of to attach it. This should give you a panel 6 feet long by 3 feet high, it will take 3 or 4 to build your blind in most spots. You could make them half as long to build a blind with more angles which would work just fine.
Once I get them to the woods I look around for trees close to a trail where I can attach them. The panels in the pics are formed into a triangle using three trees, two panels and a couple of pieces from an old blind. After I tied them to the trees I started to cut my shooting lanes I used whatever I cut to brush in the panels. You can weave pieces into the wire or use string or zip ties to hold them in place. The more brush you add the more places you have to easily weave more in. It took less than 30 minutes of leisurely trimming lanes, brushing in while checking trails to have it finished.
One good thing about these panels is you can adjust the height by attaching them higher or lower to the tree. If you wanted to make a narrower panel you could add these above the lower one to create a shooting window and give yourself more cover. There are several ways to add a roof if you want one. In other words it can be as simple or elaborate as you want it and still be able to tear it down to move it in very little time. From using trees in the area to driving some metal posts as corners this blind has tons of possibilities.
As kids we came up with this idea for portable, light weight duck blinds. We didn’t have much money but bought some 8 foot 2x2 lumber, built a tapered frame about 6 feet long by 4 feet high maybe 4 feet wide at the bottom and 3 at the top, which we covered in chicken wire. We could put a couple of these on our boat, take them to where we wanted to hunt and quickly brush them in and have room for two hunters in each. After a hunt we stored them in the woods till we hunted that spot again. They were light enough for one person to carry by simply getting inside, picking it up and walking off. This is the idea behind this quickie deer blind build, not portable but cheap and easy to use.
If you look around you may find a construction site that has a junk lumber pile, most will let you take scraps good enough for this project. Grab any 2x4 or larger lumber they will let you have. For wire I used fence wire with 2”x4” openings rather than chicken wire because they were built for something else and chicken wire wasn‘t strong enough. I decided to use the ones already built rather than build new ones for my new blind since these are so simple to do I can replace them if I need more. Here is how to make your own.
If you buy the wood just get 2”x2” in 6 foot lengths, you need 3 for each panel along with 3” and 2” screws, chicken wire or fence wire 3’ high. If you use scrap lumber you will want to rip it to width to get your 2x2s. Cut the 2”x2” pieces so you have two pieces 33 inches long and two 6 feet long. They don’t need to be perfect a ¼” won’t make a difference. Use a drill bit smaller than the diameter of your screws to predrill holes in the sides of the long pieces near the ends and into the ends of the short pieces. This will keep it from splitting. I made some gussets for the corners out of ½ inch plywood to strengthen the corners. Predrill these and the 2x2s. Now just screw the parts together. After I have the panel made I use a staple gun to attach the wire to the frame. You can use scrap wire, zip ties, twine or whatever you can think of to attach it. This should give you a panel 6 feet long by 3 feet high, it will take 3 or 4 to build your blind in most spots. You could make them half as long to build a blind with more angles which would work just fine.
Once I get them to the woods I look around for trees close to a trail where I can attach them. The panels in the pics are formed into a triangle using three trees, two panels and a couple of pieces from an old blind. After I tied them to the trees I started to cut my shooting lanes I used whatever I cut to brush in the panels. You can weave pieces into the wire or use string or zip ties to hold them in place. The more brush you add the more places you have to easily weave more in. It took less than 30 minutes of leisurely trimming lanes, brushing in while checking trails to have it finished.
One good thing about these panels is you can adjust the height by attaching them higher or lower to the tree. If you wanted to make a narrower panel you could add these above the lower one to create a shooting window and give yourself more cover. There are several ways to add a roof if you want one. In other words it can be as simple or elaborate as you want it and still be able to tear it down to move it in very little time. From using trees in the area to driving some metal posts as corners this blind has tons of possibilities.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Huntography Deer Tour Sets
With the upcoming Huntography Deer Tour many of the hunters are talking about what we are doing to get ready. Many are on Twitter, showing pics of plots, stand locations and gear, others on their blog or youtube. I have no plots this year, all of my cameras were destroyed in a flood so no trail cam pics for me. Most folks have seen pics of my spots but I have never taken time to explain why I hunt them. Same with a lot of my gear, you see it in pics but I haven’t gone into much detail about what I hunt with or why. Time to fix that. Here is a first installment on where I hunt and the stands I use.
First the spots I have ready. The main one is 18 acres on the mountain. Monteagle mountain in the edge of Marion county in Unit A which has a smaller deer limit than Unit L where I live. This is big hardwoods full of oaks the deer love. One problem, oaks are everywhere so critters feeding on them can feed all over the woods. No real way to pattern them so I hunt trails at junctions and crossing points. Trails are everywhere you look, crisscrossing the woods with little rhyme or reason. I have found a few spots deer use repeatedly so set up on them. My favorite is halfway down a hill on an old stagecoach road. Deer come down a hill from the property next door, cross a tiny creek to wind up within 35 yards of my stand. Another trail comes in on my left. It just goes right through the middle of the woods within 20 yards, another comes out another 20 yards above it. This spot has given up 8-9 deer so far with hopefully more to come. I plan on taking a look at a couple of stand locations a bit deeper into the woods but this spot is hard to beat.
If these trails seem close, they are. I take most of my deer with a bow so most of my stands are in places where I can get that type of shot. No need for 300 yard shots where I am mainly because you can’t see that far. This property has great climbing trees literally everywhere you look. I keep a ladder stand in my favorite spot but use my Summit climbers to stay mobile and hunt other spots. While this is a mountain the land is gently rolling, heavily wooded and very rural. In fact Great Granpa Tate’s old still is still visible up one of the hollers. Yes we say holler. The area is very old growth timber that is open enough to see a good distance with small heavy thickets of laurel.
What some folks can’t believe is my stand height, a whopping 8 feet off the ground. Yep that is all I use of my ladder stand. I leave the last section of the ladder off and this has worked fine for years. Deer will walk within yards of that stand and not pay any attention to it. Even when I use a climber it rarely goes over ten feet but it works for me.
The other place I have to hunt is in Marshall county just minutes from my house. 30 acres of fairly thick brush that has no food to offer. Deer use it for a bedding area mostly when pressure on surrounding farms gets too heavy. I didn’t see one deer on this place last year but have taken several off of it. It has almost no place to put up a ladder stand or climber so most of the hunting is from blinds. Part of the property backs up to a subdivision but here it is legal to hunt wherever I want on my property as long as shots don’t go toward homes. I know more deer use this spot than I see but because of the thick brush visibility is only 40-80 yards in many places. Yes it is a tough place to hunt but it is the only private land close to me where I have permission. With a lot of work and money it could be made into a good spot but that may never happen.
I build blinds rather than use popups here this way there is nothing to steal and rebuilding one takes very little time. For some I use whatever is on hand but more and more I am using panels I build at home then take in. Built from 2x2 lumber I make by ripping a 2x4 then cutting to length and cover with fence wire, they are light, easy to set up and brush in. You can use string or zip ties at corners to have one ready to brush in minutes. Covered with local foliage they blend right in. I have additional panels made if I want to add a roof but rarely do. I attach the roof panel to a couple of trees at the back, add a couple of poles at the front corners to hold it up, some plastic on top then pile on some brush. These are handy on private land where they can stay in place and cheap enough to replace or fix if needed. Many can be built from scraps you can pick up from a building site throw away pile. I do have one ladder stand on this property set up at a creek crossing. I am thinking of maybe adding one or two more but it is tough to do here.
So there is a quick look at the spots I hunt. A couple of ladder stands, a couple of more ground blinds, two Summit climbers, an old Cobra and a Viper X4 and I am pretty well good to go. I will post about my bows and pack next so stay tuned.
Check out last year's tour and pick up the DVD at Huntography
First the spots I have ready. The main one is 18 acres on the mountain. Monteagle mountain in the edge of Marion county in Unit A which has a smaller deer limit than Unit L where I live. This is big hardwoods full of oaks the deer love. One problem, oaks are everywhere so critters feeding on them can feed all over the woods. No real way to pattern them so I hunt trails at junctions and crossing points. Trails are everywhere you look, crisscrossing the woods with little rhyme or reason. I have found a few spots deer use repeatedly so set up on them. My favorite is halfway down a hill on an old stagecoach road. Deer come down a hill from the property next door, cross a tiny creek to wind up within 35 yards of my stand. Another trail comes in on my left. It just goes right through the middle of the woods within 20 yards, another comes out another 20 yards above it. This spot has given up 8-9 deer so far with hopefully more to come. I plan on taking a look at a couple of stand locations a bit deeper into the woods but this spot is hard to beat.
If these trails seem close, they are. I take most of my deer with a bow so most of my stands are in places where I can get that type of shot. No need for 300 yard shots where I am mainly because you can’t see that far. This property has great climbing trees literally everywhere you look. I keep a ladder stand in my favorite spot but use my Summit climbers to stay mobile and hunt other spots. While this is a mountain the land is gently rolling, heavily wooded and very rural. In fact Great Granpa Tate’s old still is still visible up one of the hollers. Yes we say holler. The area is very old growth timber that is open enough to see a good distance with small heavy thickets of laurel.
What some folks can’t believe is my stand height, a whopping 8 feet off the ground. Yep that is all I use of my ladder stand. I leave the last section of the ladder off and this has worked fine for years. Deer will walk within yards of that stand and not pay any attention to it. Even when I use a climber it rarely goes over ten feet but it works for me.
The other place I have to hunt is in Marshall county just minutes from my house. 30 acres of fairly thick brush that has no food to offer. Deer use it for a bedding area mostly when pressure on surrounding farms gets too heavy. I didn’t see one deer on this place last year but have taken several off of it. It has almost no place to put up a ladder stand or climber so most of the hunting is from blinds. Part of the property backs up to a subdivision but here it is legal to hunt wherever I want on my property as long as shots don’t go toward homes. I know more deer use this spot than I see but because of the thick brush visibility is only 40-80 yards in many places. Yes it is a tough place to hunt but it is the only private land close to me where I have permission. With a lot of work and money it could be made into a good spot but that may never happen.
I build blinds rather than use popups here this way there is nothing to steal and rebuilding one takes very little time. For some I use whatever is on hand but more and more I am using panels I build at home then take in. Built from 2x2 lumber I make by ripping a 2x4 then cutting to length and cover with fence wire, they are light, easy to set up and brush in. You can use string or zip ties at corners to have one ready to brush in minutes. Covered with local foliage they blend right in. I have additional panels made if I want to add a roof but rarely do. I attach the roof panel to a couple of trees at the back, add a couple of poles at the front corners to hold it up, some plastic on top then pile on some brush. These are handy on private land where they can stay in place and cheap enough to replace or fix if needed. Many can be built from scraps you can pick up from a building site throw away pile. I do have one ladder stand on this property set up at a creek crossing. I am thinking of maybe adding one or two more but it is tough to do here.
So there is a quick look at the spots I hunt. A couple of ladder stands, a couple of more ground blinds, two Summit climbers, an old Cobra and a Viper X4 and I am pretty well good to go. I will post about my bows and pack next so stay tuned.
Check out last year's tour and pick up the DVD at Huntography
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About Me
- Tommy Ellis
- Born and raised in middle Tennessee.I'm a working wildlife and landscape artist specializing in watercolors. Now making cedar lures and custom turkey calls.
