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Post by steiny on Jun 25, 2019 15:49:21 GMT -5
Can't believe I'm still building deer blinds for my dad, but at 89 he's still deer hunting (I'll soon be 60). Hope I'm so lucky.
I shut him off on using the ladder stands a couple years ago for safety reasons and told him to just use the shooting houses as they are much safer and easier to get in and out, etc. He's a crossbow hunter and complained about the difficulty in shooting out of them, so I'm building a couple new stands custom built for him.
5' x 5' Platforms, 8' above ground with shooting height rails all around and a plastic swivel fishing boat seat mounted in the middle. No roof so he can shoot any direction and benchrest lean on the rail. Wrapping the entire perimeter from top of rail to platform with "fast grass" material like they use for duck blinds and mounting a nice permanent stair to access.
Everything is treated lumber. Building them in my shop, then we'll take them back on the farm with tractor to a couple locations he can slip in and out of easily without too long of a walk.
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Post by featherduster on Jun 25, 2019 15:57:49 GMT -5
Your a good son!
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Post by mgderf on Jun 26, 2019 6:10:21 GMT -5
Did the same thing for my uncle last year. He is 83 this year and still gun hunting.
He purchased 50 acres of prime wooded bottom land last year and put my brothers and me on the deed.
We built him, and ourselves, some shoot houses. They have an 8'x8' platform. There is a 5'x8' "house" on top with a 3'x8' "porch" on one side.
These do have roofs, are completely enclosed, and I put a small Mr.Heater in mine. Uncle said he didn't want heat?
Our shoot houses sit a little over 4' off the ground but are all situated overlooking a hillside.
I harvested the largest buck I've ever seen in the wild this past season from my house.
The uncle did not shoot a deer last season, but I hope he can get a decent shot on one this season coming up.
He has about 125 yards for an open shot.
I also hope I'm that agile and rambunctious when I reach that age.
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Post by Woody Williams on Jun 26, 2019 7:22:35 GMT -5
I just turned 80 and am still using ladder stands and hang on stands..
I do walk-in iand out slower than I used to and that is good.
Befire climbing up or down a ladder I stop and remind myself - Take your time..
The property I hunt is not mine so building a box type blind is out of the question..
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Post by jbird on Jun 26, 2019 9:16:37 GMT -5
I try to build mine in a modular fashion. The two I have I built and put up all on my own. A modular plan helps and it's just a big puzzle that gets screwed together. II am currently using old metal scaffolding for the support system...so that makes things easier as well. Where there is a will there is a way. I would not want to put one up and take it down every year, but because of the modular concept maybe it makes things a little easier.
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Post by steiny on Jun 26, 2019 9:20:40 GMT -5
I just turned 80 and am still using ladder stands and hang on stands.. I do walk-in iand out slower than I used to and that is good. Befire climbing up or down a ladder I stop and remind myself - Take your time.. The property I hunt is not mine so building a box type blind is out of the question.. Be safe Woody ! Those hang on stands scare me. I cheated death for years using hang ons, nailed up stands and various types of climbers, lucky I never had an accident. Still feel safe in a climber and ladders, but I'm done with hang ons, climbing sticks, screw in steps and all of that stuff. |
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Post by Woody Williams on Jun 26, 2019 14:58:47 GMT -5
Thanks Steiny..
I am moving more and more to ladder stands. I quit screw in steps altogether. I only use sticks now and they extend above the stand so I just step over into them.
I’m tied off at ALL times too.
Like I said previously, I’m half monkey ... as a kid we practitically lived in trees.
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Post by mgderf on Jun 26, 2019 16:33:20 GMT -5
... I’m half monkey ... as a kid we practitically lived in trees. If I only had a nickel for every time someone called me a monkey... |
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