Towers for ground blinds

j-bird

Moderator
I am sure this has been tried so I want to know what others have experienced... Because I am cheap....I am considering building wooden towers and putting soft sided ground blinds on them instead of building a more typical wood framed shooting house or commercially available hard sided blind. My local retailer has ground blinds on sale for 30% off and I am eyeballing some normally $250/$350 blinds.

So the plan would be to build the tower and still enter via a trap door. I would NOT leave the blind out all year....only a 3 month window (Oct, Nov & Dec). They would otherwise be taken down and stored inside. We receive 18" of snow annually on average and most of that come in Jan and Feb.

Some of my concerns and feelings:
#1 - saves me some money. My shooting houses cost me roughly $500 just in metal and windows. I could build 2 of these for the price of one metal box blind
#2 - Still keeps me out of the cold, wind and rain...for the most part.
#3 - concerned about wind damage/durability to the blinds or even destroying them (how do/would you anchor them to the wooden tower?)
#4 - Not as well sealed as my shooting houses (so would certainly have to pay attention to the wind, but we tend to do that any way).
#5 - camo blind will blend in better in a wooded setting where some of these will go vs the big white metal box I have currently.
#6 - a shooting house I get a good solid rest to shoot from...not so much with a soft sided blind.
#7 - my metal blind - I have had no issue with mice or other critters making a mess or chewing things or....not sure I will have the same luck with a soft sided blind.

Hit me with your feedback and what has worked for you and what has not.

Just for reference...this is what my current "metal box" looks like...very "hiding in plain sight" so to speak... I am taking steps to hide the lower portion to hide when we enter and leave and would do the same regardless of what sort of blind I would use/make.
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I looked at this hard a few years back. In fact, I sort of tried it. I planned to build an elevated wooden box blind and only got part way done. I put a ground blind on the platform for the season and then finished it the next year.

I'm not up north, so folks up there may have different requirements. Before I build an elevated box blind, I usually put a portable ground blind at the at location and hunt it for several years. This gives me a feel for how deer move during hunting season. In some cases, I've abandon the location as it just did not produce as expected. In other cases, it helped me refine the exact spot to build the permanent blind.

I do a lot of archery hunting and I find that deer are more wary when a blind is first erected. Eventually, they get used to it. If I put up and take down portable blinds this effect continues. So, I leave my portable blinds up all year. I've been playing around with putting in supports after the season to keep snow from collapsing them. When I look at differential cost of finishing an elevated blind or just building a platform and adding a portable blind on top, I don't find it worth it. I'm fairly big and I find I have more maneuverability in a permanent blind. Being seen in a blind is a function of how much light enters it. With a popup blind, that is addressed with shoot thru netting which needs maintenance. With my blinds, I use push out windows and curtains. The push-out windows act as shades reducing light entry and I can hid behind curtains. I can put the windows exactly where I want them. I build my blinds with 4x4 posts on all 4 corners and no framing. I use T111 type siding. My roof is just purlins with Ondura as a covering. Again, I'm far enough south that heat is an issue for more of the season than cold is. We don't get too much below freezing and our highs are rarely below freezing. With my box blinds I have a nice solid window seal as a gun rest. You need a monopod or something similar if you want that solid rest in a popup.

All and all, I could not talk myself into it. That is not to say that it won't work for you in your circumstances.

Thanks,

Jack
 
I like the redneck gillie blinds,I have one on a hay trailer and one will be on a tower.Sportsmans guide has the elevator brackets
 
I have a couple one is about 3' and the other is 8' off the ground. The 3' is 6' x 6' platform and the 8' is 6' x 8' and the ladder is on the outside ( thinking of changing it to the trap door style like you were talking about ) 2' is not really enough platform to get in and our especially if the platform is wet/icey. My platforms are all treated 4x4's, 2x6's and 3/4" plywood with elevator brackets made by a dock company here. I went with the Redneck soft sided with a metal frame, with the metal frame it is screwed to the deck. My 3' platform has bunge cords that hold the blind on where you'd use stakes.

And yes will have animals in there and you'll probably want a shooting stick for a rest.

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I have been interested in doing something similar for the last two seasons, so im curious to see the responses here.

You may want to check out Millennium's new Buck Hut as it is pursuing the same outcome . They are currently all on backorder but I plan on picking up at least one next year: https://millennium-outdoors.com/product/q200-buck-hut-shooting-house/
 
I have been interested in doing something similar for the last two seasons, so im curious to see the responses here.

You may want to check out Millennium's new Buck Hut as it is pursuing the same outcome . They are currently all on backorder but I plan on picking up at least one next year: https://millennium-outdoors.com/product/q200-buck-hut-shooting-house/

I'm almost afraid to look a the cost of that. I find that 4' is too narrow for me. For taking a novice (2 person) I like 6x8. For just myself, 6x6 is a minimum. My target is to build them for $500 in materials but I have not quite hit that yet. Depending on size, my come out to somewhere between $500 and $1000. Of course, they do take some time to build. I love my Millennium ladder stand, so I'm sure their buck hut is top quality.
 
I did this once with a Primos double bull blind. Wind tore it up in a couple of months. Was fine to hunt out of. You may want to get a adjustable shower curtain rod to support the middle of the roof when your not there for wet snow. With wood towers it is always a crap shoot if it doesn't squeak to much. Even when screwed together.
 
Not my idea, but it looks like this could help with the wind problem.gaf-ground-blind-11-Brickhouse-1.jpg
 
I tried the pop up on elevated platform twice. They were put out in Sept. and destroyed by the end of November. Wind was the culprit. They had trap door entrances also. I used a pole in middle to hold up and they were attached to blind via screws with large fender washers and the string pullouts on the side were tethered to keep it popped out.

I built enclosed blinds for them the next summer and haven't looked back.

My dad would put a popup on a platform each fall and each year he would have to replace. I bought a redneck blind mentioned above for him last year and we erected it in August. We took the skin off a couple weeks ago. It was in the same shape as when we put it up. Dad really liked the blind and was impressed with its quality. I got it on sale for roughly 350. I don't recollect the exact price but it wasn't more than some of the popups that are sold today.

Set up and take down wasn't difficult but tedious. I recommend having someone to help out. It can be done by oneself, just easier with two. The height of the blind is 6' so a ladder was able to be used. I'm not sure if it was taller than that, how easy it would be to put on. taking off can be done from the inside but being able to be outside of blind to put on was a huge benefit in my recollection.
 
Brother even installed a garage.
But Like others have said the wind beats it to death..

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I'm almost afraid to look a the cost of that. I find that 4' is too narrow for me. For taking a novice (2 person) I like 6x8. For just myself, 6x6 is a minimum. My target is to build them for $500 in materials but I have not quite hit that yet. Depending on size, my come out to somewhere between $500 and $1000. Of course, they do take some time to build. I love my Millennium ladder stand, so I'm sure their buck hut is top quality.
Most places I called had them priced at 650 or 700. The issue was supply. I'm going to purchase one this spring and will report back.
 
The wind is not only a problem with damaging the blind, it is also very noisy. The other issue is if aa internal support fails, you lose the blind and any excessive snow build up can be a problem.

I have tried several and my best solution was to build a short elevated blind, maybe 4-6', with a 6' x 6' platform that I could relocate as I needed to. It was primarily for bowhunting in areas where I not put a hang on or ladder stand.
 
I tried the pop up on elevated platform twice. They were put out in Sept. and destroyed by the end of November. Wind was the culprit. They had trap door entrances also. I used a pole in middle to hold up and they were attached to blind via screws with large fender washers and the string pullouts on the side were tethered to keep it popped out.

I built enclosed blinds for them the next summer and haven't looked back.

My dad would put a popup on a platform each fall and each year he would have to replace. I bought a redneck blind mentioned above for him last year and we erected it in August. We took the skin off a couple weeks ago. It was in the same shape as when we put it up. Dad really liked the blind and was impressed with its quality. I got it on sale for roughly 350. I don't recollect the exact price but it wasn't more than some of the popups that are sold today.

Set up and take down wasn't difficult but tedious. I recommend having someone to help out. It can be done by oneself, just easier with two. The height of the blind is 6' so a ladder was able to be used. I'm not sure if it was taller than that, how easy it would be to put on. taking off can be done from the inside but being able to be outside of blind to put on was a huge benefit in my recollection.

I’ve got 2 of the redneck soft sided blinds up. Both on 8’ high platforms. I’m leaving the whole thing out. Got them all on sale this year. Great deals, imo. Can’t build a wooden one in same size/configuration for less with price of wood these days.

That said I’m building one on a similar design using 3 original deer blind windows facing a field food plot. No windows anywhere else. I can guarantee it will be way more than the $350 I paid for the redneck. Don’t care though, I’ve always wanted to build one with windows like this.
 
I did this once with a Primos double bull blind. Wind tore it up in a couple of months. Was fine to hunt out of. You may want to get a adjustable shower curtain rod to support the middle of the roof when your not there for wet snow. With wood towers it is always a crap shoot if it doesn't squeak to much. Even when screwed together.

I've been using those adjustable bars you put in the back of a pickup to keep loads from sliding as they are a bit heavier duty.
 
Not my idea, but it looks like this could help with the wind problem.View attachment 32984

Although taller, that is sort of what my partially built box blind looked like when I realized I did not have time to finish before the season. So, I used a blind like that. I found the cost differential of adding the T111 and Ondura roof was not large enough to justify replacing the blind when weather does them in.
 
So my concern was wind damage and that sounds like it’s justified. My towers will be roughly 6 feet square and 6 to 8 feet high. I am not sure where or how you all got soft sided rednecks so cheap - and if I’m gonna spend $500+ I might as well just build a regular shooting house. I may still do this as a temporary thing prior to see how a spot works out or so, but it sounds like tried and true spots are getting a traditional shooting house.
 
So my concern was wind damage and that sounds like it’s justified. My towers will be roughly 6 feet square and 6 to 8 feet high. I am not sure where or how you all got soft sided rednecks so cheap - and if I’m gonna spend $500+ I might as well just build a regular shooting house. I may still do this as a temporary thing prior to see how a spot works out or so, but it sounds like tried and true spots are getting a traditional shooting house.

That is exactly where I ended up...
 
I'm almost afraid to look a the cost of that. I find that 4' is too narrow for me. For taking a novice (2 person) I like 6x8. For just myself, 6x6 is a minimum. My target is to build them for $500 in materials but I have not quite hit that yet. Depending on size, my come out to somewhere between $500 and $1000. Of course, they do take some time to build. I love my Millennium ladder stand, so I'm sure their buck hut is top quality.
I'm hunting out of the Buck Hut this year and I love it. It's in my pines so pretty protected from wind. But for the price and quality, I couldn't turn it down. There is some expense to a tower, and when you add a blind, you don't save much. My other thought is that once you have to replace a soft sided blind, there go all of your savings. Build that blind and you won't have to replace it. Buy once, cry once.
 
I am not sure where or how you all got soft sided rednecks so cheap -
I somehow got on their email list and get a promotional email every once in a while. If I get one again that has those prices, I'll post here.
 
I’m not on any list but they’ve been on sale for the last 6 months or so on their website. Bought them right off their site. Free shipping to boot. All out of stock now. Have been for awhile.
 
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