Creating my "Over the Top" Deer Blind

[JC-jetro]

Now that my food plot is planted, I've started work on my deer blind. I'm calling it "Over the Top" because I'm going to make it allot nicer then what most would expect ouf of a deer blind. Based on my drawings and, Steph and I are already joking about renting it out and how often her Dad will spend the night in it.


Eddie

Hey Eddie,

From rags to riches and my deer blind.

JC,

 

[JDeerekid]

Hey Eddie,

From rags to riches and my deer blind.

JC,

Significate improvement Very nice indeed

 

[JC-jetro]

Significate improvement Very nice indeed

Yep, any time I go hunting I sing "moving on up" to the tune of "jeffersons" to a Deluxe shack in the woods...

JC,

 

[EddieWalker]

JC,

Very nice. That was very similar to my last blind. Your windows look nicer then what I had, and on mine, the wasps were a real problem. This time, I'm going to have insulation, house windows and a door that is weather tite. It will be easy to spend the day and even the night in it when I'm done.

Eddie

 

[EddieWalker]

Steph took some video of me on Saturday while building up the pad for the deer blind that I'm posting on another thread.

Video of my Dozer in action - Page 2 - TractorByNet.com

In order to figure out where and how high to make the pad, I had to rough in a two lane road that will go in front of it for the RV Park. That meant putting in two 15in culverts, then cutting and crowing the road first. Once that was done, I was able to tie it all together so it looks like it belongs there. I also had to clear the road that goes behind this area. Eventually it will be part of the RV sites, so where the pad ended was also a big deal.

Now the dirt work is all done, I'm finalizing my shoping list for the bottom half of the blind, and will go shopping this week. If it's dry out, we'll start building it on Saturday.

Eddie

 

[EddieWalker]

We started building the deer blind by drilling holes and putting posts in the ground. This part of it will be build like a pole barn. I'm paranoid about this holding up and being able to handle any amount of weight from people filling it up when it becomes part of a kids playground when I open the RV Park. Because of this, my spans are all under 4 feet. The middle post is a 4x6.

It's a few hundred dollars more this way, but there is no doubt in my mind of failure under commercial use. That was very important to me in the design.

Eddie

 

[EddieWalker]

Today we put on the purlins, cut and installed the stairs, installed the floor joists and then glued and screwed the 3/4 PT plywood decking.

Eddie

 

[jk96]

Looking great Eddie. Keep the pics coming. I was going to do the same thing this summer but put it off until next spring so I'm looking for ideas. I'm looking to build a place so my 4 year old can start joining me on a few hunting trips without worrying about the cold. It's for his sake - I swear. I'm tough and can handle the cold. Really, its for him, not me.......

 

[Tororider]

Looking great Eddie. Keep the pics coming. I was going to do the same thing this summer but put it off until next spring so I'm looking for ideas. I'm looking to build a place so my 4 year old can start joining me on a few hunting trips without worrying about the cold. It's for his sake - I swear. I'm tough and can handle the cold. Really, its for him, not me.......

Hey, I am going to admit it, my idea started out as for the boys, this year 4 and almost two, to be able to go out in the coming years, but after getting poured on all morning on Saturday it is now officially for me. Either way we should all enjoy it, I hope to get mine built inside this winter and then early spring move it to its location.

Eddie,
Looks great. You are sure building it like a tank, and I understand why with many kids playing in it in the future. Thanks for sharing your progress with us.

 

[txdon]

Eddie, just go ahead and add a slide and a couple of swings and call it a wildlife viewing and play station!

I was wondering at what point they tax deer stands in my county, I was thinking of building a 2000 sq. ft. one.

 

[EddieWalker]

I've hunted in allot of places and endured some pretty miseable weather, but when the house is just ten minutes away, it's VERY HARD to stay out there suffering if you don't have to. This blind should make it pleasurable to stay out there all day, regardless of the weather. In fact, I'm excited for a big storm to come through while were in it!!!!

With the short days and I'm putting in a little extra effort to clean up my schedule, I'm not getting anythind done on it during the week. I'm taking next week off and might even get friday off if I can get everything done on tomorrow.

In the evenings, I'm cutting wood to fit in my shop. The ceiling will be 7 feet tall, so I'm cutting down a bunch of studs that I had saved up down to 79 1/2 inches for framing studs and king studs. The jack studs are cut to 71 inches and my headers are at 39 inches for the doors and the windows are cut to 27 1/4 inchs for the 2030 windows that I'm putting in.

Window sill height will be at 3 feet for a comfortable shooting rest and good viewing.

My son is having fun helping me and I'm doing everything I can think of to keep him busy. Today it was nailing the headers together. It was fun to see him struggle with his arm getting sore, but he never quit or even complained!!!

Here's a few pics.

Eddie

 

[jinman]

My son is having fun helping me and I'm doing everything I can think of to keep him busy. Today it was nailing the headers together. It was fun to see him struggle with his arm getting sore, but he never quit or even complained!!!

When he gets older, he'll really appreciate a nail gun.

 

[czechsonofagun]

When he gets older, he'll really appreciate a nail gun.

That brings an interesting point. Last summer I was back in Czech for two weeks and near my parents cabin they were working on a roof of an old/rebuilt stone house.

Beautiful full beam rafters, joints and roof windows; it would be in the timber frame category in the USA.

Anyway, rafters in place, they were nailing on fraser fir (the most common wood there) tongue and grove boards in place of sheathing. The sound of it was very typical - just hammers in the same and stable rhytm; nobody uses compressors for driving nails over there.

Not trying to steal your thread Eddie - your tree stand is coming up very nicely and I am curious to see the final product.

 

[EddieWalker]

I had a littel time yesterday to get started on the walls, but first I wanted to make sure to get all the carriage bolts in. I knew that if I didn't, it would just be something that kept getting put off. Most of them are 1/2 X 6 inch galvanizid, but the oned down the middle are 8 inches long. I put two on each post except the middle post, that one got three.

Then it was pretty standard framing except I used three inch screws instead of nails. I'm sort of expecting this to get allot of use and over time, being out in the elements, I'm just paranoid about something coming loose. Screws should make sure this doesn't happen. Being somewhat tall and thin, I also worry about movement from a storm, so just another reason to over build!!!!

There are six windows and two doors. One door will be sealed off for now, but easily converted back to a door when I start building the playground.

The last picture is from the food plot. You can see the oats, which are what I was standing in while taking the picture, and then the rye grass. All the deer tracks are in the oats.

Eddie

 

[Flatheadyoungin]

that's stout!

if you have a good heat source in there, i can see a good many naps..........is it big enough for a hammock? "well, honey, i'm gonna go take a, well, er, uh, put food on the table....."

talk about some good sleeping, by yourself, back in the woods, a secure and warm area!

what will you charge per night for the theraputic sleep # shack?

I had a littel time yesterday to get started on the walls, but first I wanted to make sure to get all the carriage bolts in. I knew that if I didn't, it would just be something that kept getting put off. Most of them are 1/2 X 6 inch galvanizid, but the oned down the middle are 8 inches long. I put two on each post except the middle post, that one got three.

Then it was pretty standard framing except I used three inch screws instead of nails. I'm sort of expecting this to get allot of use and over time, being out in the elements, I'm just paranoid about something coming loose. Screws should make sure this doesn't happen. Being somewhat tall and thin, I also worry about movement from a storm, so just another reason to over build!!!!

There are six windows and two doors. One door will be sealed off for now, but easily converted back to a door when I start building the playground.

The last picture is from the food plot. You can see the oats, which are what I was standing in while taking the picture, and then the rye grass. All the deer tracks are in the oats.

Eddie

 

[3RRL]

Starting to really shape up Eddie.
That is built pretty sturdy and should give you years of good comfortable service. Your food plot is starting to look pretty good too.

 

[LarryD]

Eddie, I felt your goals list needed some adjustment.

My Goals for 2008

1. Fishing and Hunting with my kids.
2. Build my storage Shed.
3. Put my outside access bathroom together.
4. Fence in a quarter acre for Turkeys.
5. Build my gazebo for my front pasture.
6. Finish back pasture and plant it in Bermuda.
7. Start my food plots.
8. Build a luxurious deer stand for six.
9. Build a wood burning fireplace in my home.
10. New flooring in my home.
11. Build a pasture sprayer.
12. Get my old jeep running.

 

[EddieWalker]

Thank you everyone for the encouragement.

Larry,

I was going to title the thread with Luxurious, but didn't know how to spell it, so went with "Over the Top" instead. hahaha

One of the many goals out of this, and why I'm building it the way that I am, is to create a small cabin type building that my FIL can come and spend the night in. He's probably more excited about this then we are!!!!!!

I just ordered the flooring from Amazon.com and my weathervane should be here on Monday. Today, we're hoping to get some of the sheething on. Steph has already told me that we're getting up early Sunday morning and spending a few hours in the blind. She didn't ask me, she TOLD me!! LOL

Here's a picture of my gazebo that I built for my hot tub. I'm going to make the roof of the deer blind like this, except for a giant copper weathervane. The siding for the deer blind will also be the same on the top half of the blind. The bottom half will be a board and batton with Hardi that I'll stain like I did on the gazebo.

Eddie

 

[Willl]

Go-carts ?

 

[EddieWalker]

Go-carts ?

It has been brought to my attention that the top half of the blind is for Steph and me, but the bottom half is for the kids. It is officially their garage!!!

Eddie