tower blinds and scent control

[Bszweda]

Just trying to get real life experiences / expectations with them? I am about to put one over looking a valley food plot, hoping it will stop the swirling winds and thermals. I am sure I'll find out this year if they work. Just trying to set my expectations and if I am setting myself up for failure.

 

[omicron1792]

Just trying to get real life experiences / expectations with them? I am about to put one over looking a valley food plot, hoping it will stop the swirling winds and thermals. I am sure I'll find out this year if they work. Just trying to set my expectations and if I am setting myself up for failure.

Definitely helps. I still use an Ozonics and face it in downwind direction.

 

[Bill]

My experience is that if you put a box in a bottom where the wind swirls, the wind still swirls.
The box helps but won’t eliminate it. Sounds like you’re putting one overlooking the valley. That may be better. Our box is “in” the bottom.

 

[Mtyhunter]

I still use hangon stands for bowhunting, but my platform stands are easily my favorite. 7' tall platforms with a 60'"x60" hunting blind on top. I even have a funnel inside, hooked to a hose going down into the ground, so I can pee when I need to, and stay in the stand. I have max 60 yds shots, 360 degrees in both stands, so I still have to get em close. I still de-scent myself and gear when I use the stands, can't compromise on that. After 10 years, I've found its much more about the visual of this type of stand than it is the scent. No matter how much you brush it in, or camo material you buy, you can't hide it. The older does are on you like a rat on a cheeto, usually will keep a 40 yd distance, but I consistently have bucks walk right by these stands and act like you're not even there.
With all the cameras I have around these stands, and the amount of time I've spent in them, I've not noticed any issues with scent that had to be addressed.

 

[Oklahunter]

I was in my elevated box blind with about a 10 mph wind. I opened a downwind window to see if the does at my neighbors feeder 500 yds away could smell me. It only took about 5-10 seconds and they bolted like they were on fire. I now keep all windows closed until I get ready to shoot.

 

[omicron1792]

I was in my elevated box blind with about a 10 mph wind. I opened a downwind window to see if the does at my neighbors feeder 500 yds away could smell me. It only took about 5-10 seconds and they bolted like they were on fire. I now keep all windows closed until I get ready to shoot.

Ozonic

 

[Bszweda]

Thanks... right now I know if I hunt from a hang on stand now the wind will curl back into the opposite direction and I get winded. I am going to try carbon fiber filters. I've also thought about using negative pressure from a wood stove.

 

[Foggy47]

We try to place our box blinds so they can work with different wind situations. All of mine are about 10 feet high at the platform....and we have heaters during the MN rifle season. I think having the heaters on helps with the scent rising with warm air. Also have 3 blinds now that have vented stoves. The vent goes up through the roof and with the stove lit and windows down.....all the scent must pass through the hot stove and out the chimeny at about 18 feet high. Not sure it always works in every situation.....but I know it works quite well to contain and disperse our scent.

 

[Tree Spud]

The vent goes up through the roof and with the stove lit and windows down.....all the scent must pass through the hot stove and out at about 18 feet high.

Would like to see pics of those 18' high stands and how you built them.

 

[Foggy47]

Would like to see pics of those 18' high stands and how you built them.

We do not go that high. The stands are about 10 feet high at the floor......but the chimney for the stove is another 8 feet high through the roof. The heat from the stove draws all the air from the blind thru the stove and out the chimney.... the warm air continues to rise out the chimney......thus lower scent.

 

[Foggy47]

A picture is worth 1000 words. I have these Nu Way "fish house stoves" in our Redneck blinds. They exhaust through a 4" pipe up through the roof. The windows can be closed and will stay moisture free unlike when we use Buddy heaters. Some guys swear by the scent control in this set up. Warm air rises. It makes ssents to me. (pardon the pun). I put a ceramic floor tile under the stove to prevent fires....and I bolted the stoves to that tile.

 

[Bszweda]

I think that's the huge advantage of fiber glass blinds is that you can put a stove in them. I am getting bank blinds so I'll need to be careful with them.

 

[Foggy47]

I think that's the huge advantage of fiber glass blinds is that you can put a stove in them. I am getting bank blinds so I'll need to be careful with them.

Not sure why you have concerns about the banks blinds and heaters? I have 3 wood frame blinds and 3 rot0-molded blinds.....and we use Buddy Heaters in those. No issues due to heating. My wood blinds have a "doghouse" built into them to serve as a spot to hold a Buddy Heater. I do use a bit of aluminum sheet spaced away from combustable surfaces in those doghouses. We keep windows cracked or open when using those blinds.

 

[Bszweda]

you can't us a chimney in the root molded blinds right? So you'll have to end up with dealing with condensation instead of venting through the chimney?

 

[Brian662]

I plan to put a redneck in the bottoms of my bluff country property this summer. It will be a rifle/muzzle loader shot to the food plot, about 125 yards away and will have a water hole about 25 yards away at a trail intersection for an archery shot.
The access is down the center of my property and as such I plan to only hunt the blind on very windy days which should push deer off the bluff tops and also help my scent control in/out. Also may hunt it on rainy days as well.
I really hope the blind will control my scent from swirling once inside, I plan to keep windows closed until a potential shot opportunity comes up.

 

[Foggy47]

you can't us a chimney in the root molded blinds right? So you'll have to end up with dealing with condensation instead of venting through the chimney?

I cut 6" diameter holes in my Redneck blinds and installed a chimney via a kit sold by NuWay. My chimney's go straight up thru the roof. I used a 6" hole saw on my battery powered drill for the roof jack set up. I have not had any leak issues with this set up. I dont know why that would not work with a molded blind. Just takes a bit more elbow room to have the stove more or less "permanently" mounted in the blinds. I have the 5x6 Crossover blinds and they work fine with the heaters. You do need to plan for the heater location some.....but it has not been a huge issue for me.

 

[rocksnstumps]

I think that's the huge advantage of fiber glass blinds is that you can put a stove in them. I am getting bank blinds so I'll need to be careful with them.

Folks have been putting stoves in wood ice fishing shacks longer than anyone has been alive on this forum. Just plan to have a corner/spot dedicated for it. Expect the same can be done for plastic. Before all the ventless designs of stoves today the wisdom back then was to have a small say 3" screened opening down low by the stove and if no stovepipe like an old propane design to also have a screened opening high on the wall above the stove. Allows fresh air to be drawn in by the stove and to vent above as the warm stuff rises. I do the same thing even with the so called ventless buddy heaters.

Cap hole with something like this

 

[omicron1792]

Shipping Container Vent (Gray) https://a.co/d/6xrCuA1

These work well too. I like to put some high and low for circulation of warmer and cooler air.

 

[bigboreblr]

I do this with wooden built box blinds. I put a roof vent pipe in,much like you have for your plumbing system. Try to get about 3ft above the roof. ON the insideHave it comeabout 6 inch or so below the top of the ceiling. This allow the hottest air up top to stay in, but still getting circultation. Cut a slit in the pipe, so you can use A piece of plywood to choke the airflow, or make a woodstove type damper.

IF you use a buddy heater in there, put the vent behind the heater. Like the roof vent, make a way to regulate the airflow.

Far as heat goes, all you really need to do is insulate the floor and maybe where your back is. We usually input more heat than we need in those little spaces.

 

[Mtyhunter]

some more observations on platform stands...
my 5'x5' blind heats up very quickly w/ a mr. buddy & one of those thermal fans, but, rarely have single digit temps during the deer season in oklahoma, so i rarely use it.
couple of yrs ago, had the heater fired up late november, had a nice buck come in facing straight at me, downwind, windows open but netting over the window. he stopped at 20 yds staring at my blind. took him 5+ minutes to finally turn & give me my shot. point is, either his nose wasn't working, there was no scent to be had, or he didn't care, but scent was obviously not an issue. Once again, it was all about the look of the stand. This scenario is common for me.

I'd also caution about going to tall with your stands. Mine are only 7 foot to the floor, but, that's the max height to have a shooting lane under the undercover of the trees. I built one on a 14 foot tall tripod stand that someone gave me, so i could put it on a field edge. Worked perfect by tucking it into stands of blackjack oaks to hide it, with 3 four foot stakes to keep it planted. Come back week later, it's down and tangled up in the oaks. Righted it, secured the legs pads with 2 t-posts & rope. 2 weeks later, it's down again, pulled the t-posts out of the ground. Got serious the last time with more t-posts and ropes. Now that it's not going anywhere, the wind destroyed my blind. I even slipped on the steps one time during a frosty morning, and almost fell off the ladder. 14 foot is too far for me to fall, so have a safety harness attached to it now. It was a ton-o work to be schooled like that, and I won't build another one that high for sure.

I know you all likely hunt deer as hard as I do. And like me, most of you are older w/ a ton of experience. I do believe when you all when you say you have scent issues when hunting out of these, but I haven't noticed any of it. These stands have made me a really lazy hunter, but, I do de-scent just like I do when bowhunting out of a hang on, and I don't like to use any scent at all, including ozonics.
Wait, I just lied. Got talked into trying EverCalm a few years ago, and I'll be damned if deer (and hogs) will hang around longer, and even lay down in the areas I've used it in, but, that's another topic!