Shooting House Ideas before building

Jillbo

A good 3 year old buck
So before we even start to rough out plans for building a shooting house I thought I’d ask the forum here for “must-haves” and “avoids” when building our 8x8 shooting house in SE NE -windy whether hot or cold. We will be using pressure treated wood, tin-wrapped legs and will have either a small wood stove (lots burn in our area so not worried about the smell) or a solar panel for a heater (bc we don’t enjoy the cold like we once did). We bow & rifle hunt so vertical & horizontal windows will be needed. Below will be storage & hold mouse proof containers. Thoughts? Suggestions? Thanks in advance!
 
One thought is with a 8x8, make sure the windows are positioned correctly so you can see decent without having to move around. If the land if flat, it is less of an issue, but if the land is contoured, hilly, putting the windows at the correct hieght with that big of a stand is a must.
 
Use deck screws rather nails. Will reduce noise and squeaks that develop over time.

Go with 3/4" treated 4'x8" plywood, not OSB, as it will age and stay stable far better.

Add lower & upper vent holes to reduce moisture build-up.

I would go with propane space heater like a Buddy space heater attached to a 5 gal propane tank. Wood is a pain and you can have potential issues with CO2. Plus you can move the propane tank whereas wood stove is fixed.

Big windows mean lots of light and exposure to movement that deer can detect. I would go with 18" high horizontal windows.

Metal roof with over hangs to allow for rain run-off. Metal siding really improves weatherability of stand.
 
Use deck screws rather nails. Will reduce noise and squeaks that develop over time.

Go with 3/4" treated 4'x8" plywood, not OSB, as it will age and stay stable far better.

Add lower & upper vent holes to reduce moisture build-up.

I would go with propane space heater like a Buddy space heater attached to a 5 gal propane tank. Wood is a pain and you can have potential issues with CO2. Plus you can move the propane tank whereas wood stove is fixed.

Big windows mean lots of light and exposure to movement that deer can detect. I would go with 18" high horizontal windows.

Metal roof with over hangs to allow for rain run-off. Metal siding really improves weatherability of stand.
Thanks- Screws, plywood, & metal siding are a definite. We had talked about the roof overhang in regards to sunlight during bow season so that will help with rain as well & with the angle we will put the roof, it will keep runoff from muddying the entrance.
Great thought on venting, hadn’t considered that yet. 👍🏼
 
Not sure of your age, but I built stairs on mine. I am up about 12 feet, and the stairs sure are nice to walk up and down, rather then climbing a ladder. I figured if I am spending the money on a nice heated shack, with windows, I want convenience.

I am also a fan of 3/4 inch treated plywood on the floor, I also insulated the floor, it helps with keeping your feet warm, and cuts down on noise.

I also use a boat seat and pedestal for my chair, I can spin around, I can adjust the hieght, all quietly. I also use marine carpet inside the deer stand, on the floor. Helps with noise.
 
Thanks- Screws, plywood, & metal siding are a definite. We had talked about the roof overhang in regards to sunlight during bow season so that will help with rain as well & with the angle we will put the roof, it will keep runoff from muddying the entrance.
Great thought on venting, hadn’t considered that yet. 👍🏼

you can also use a piece of metal corner flashing and add above the windows to create a drip ledge.
 
What will the roof be made of?
We are going to use tin and use spray foam insulation to cut down on noise and heat loss.
 
Not sure of your age, but I built stairs on mine. I am up about 12 feet, and the stairs sure are nice to walk up and down, rather then climbing a ladder. I figured if I am spending the money on a nice heated shack, with windows, I want convenience.

I am also a fan of 3/4 inch treated plywood on the floor, I also insulated the floor, it helps with keeping your feet warm, and cuts down on noise.

I also use a boat seat and pedestal for my chair, I can spin around, I can adjust the hieght, all quietly. I also use marine carpet inside the deer stand, on the floor. Helps with noise.
Thanks!!
Stairs are a yes & like one we’ve seen here, partially inside if not all inside. Indoor outdoor Carpet and insulating the floor are great ideas!
We use armless wheeled office chairs that spin & have cushioning.
 
you can also use a piece of metal corner flashing and add above the windows to create a drip ledge.
Good idea thanks!
 
What will the roof be made of?
We are going to use tin and use spray foam insulation to cut down on noise and heat loss.
Yes Tin & spray foam insulation for us too.
 
Spray foam insulation or carpet walls and ceiling.
 
Just dont make it air tight! You dont want to wake up dead.
 
Just dont make it air tight! You dont want to wake up dead.
Now that would be some trick to wake up if dead! But I get your point, the venting I hadn’t thought about was for condensation bc we are humid. But yes, venting for fumes is very important too! 👍🏼
 
I don't think you can heat with solar out there. I'd lean towards a 40 pound LP tank and a small wall mounted blue flame heater. 10,000 BTU propane furnace would last you 87 hours on a 40 lb tank. It'd go even longer on a lower setting. FYI though, those things used to be almost impossible to get since the great reset began.
 
My land came with some box blinds already and they are freakin noisy to get into, noisy to open windows, and suck looking out of. Cant even hunt them without alerting every deer around you're there so I dont use them. I had convinced myself that if i wanted a box blind I would just pay for a 360 blinds model because of how much slicker their window set up looks. Silent tinted windows that you can open when you see a deer and be hard to see from the outside. Anyone rigged up a window system like that? I'd hate to go through the time and effort trying to build something similar and end up unhappy.
 
Why 8' x '8? There is a point of too big. We build 5 x 6 and find it about ideal. Even in a 5 x 6 you have to move some to see out all the sides. You will have to move a lot to be able to look out all sides of an 8 x 8. We build ours from insulated, double-faced, garage door panels. We use double slider windows with curtains to cut down all the light and view from outside. Airtight and insulated is your friend, we put ours mainly in spots with tricky winds, we no longer get busted. We rarely use a heater in NE MO, but keep buddy heaters in the stands. We get a little fog on the windows, more when using heat. Keep a bottle of Rain-X in your blind and spray the window, wipe lightly and let dry. It doesn't eliminate window fogging, but makes a hell of a difference.
 
I installed Deerview windows, pretty silent.
Thanks, I might have to give them a try. Are they the tinted ones or clear? I like the idea of a tinted window to conceal movement.
 
I had put some of each. If your stand faces a dark area, and you have the window closed, it gets darker quicker in the darker areas. If you have an open plot, the tinted windows work perfect. I placed the tinted windows all facing the food plots, and clear facing the trails to the food plots. Just like wearing sunglasses.


I also painted the inside of the deer stands black, makes it darker, and less of a silhouette.
 
Why 8' x '8? There is a point of too big. We build 5 x 6 and find it about ideal. Even in a 5 x 6 you have to move some to see out all the sides. You will have to move a lot to be able to look out all sides of an 8 x 8. We build ours from insulated, double-faced, garage door panels. We use double slider windows with curtains to cut down all the light and view from outside. Airtight and insulated is your friend, we put ours mainly in spots with tricky winds, we no longer get busted. We rarely use a heater in NE MO, but keep buddy heaters in the stands. We get a little fog on the windows, more when using heat. Keep a bottle of Rain-X in your blind and spray the window, wipe lightly and let dry. It doesn't eliminate window fogging, but makes a hell of a difference.
8x8 bc we are together a lot of the times & will soon have grandkids coming with us. We also want to be able to have “sleep overs” in order to not be loud walking in with kids. Room for spotting scope set up to give them more to do as well.
We had windchills in single digits during landowner special season so we want to be prepared.
 
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