IMO, the best way to hunt a great spot.
Take the time to make sure it's completely airtight. The amount of scent reduction you get from hunting from an airtight box will result in MANY more deer sighted throughout the season. It takes about 3 months for the deer to get completely used to it. Once they do, they will travel mere feet from it without paying it any attention.
Just like any other stand, the more you hunt it, the less productive it will become, even if you aren't shooting deer from it. A week or week and a half between hunting it makes a world of difference and like it was never hunted to begin with.
Because you are more comfortable, you can hunt much longer in miserable weather (rain, extreme cold). And they are a Godsend with children. They are difficult to elevate more than 10 feet and be stable unless you opt for the very expensive ones. And the more elevated they are, the more secured they need to be to the ground to prevent high winds from blowing them over.
Most of mine are at ground level, just elevated 1.5 feet off the ground. But even with that small elevation, I find that I spook MUCH less game than if I were hunting exposed.
Build them out of weather resistant materials, and don't skimp on the roof. If you do, they'll last 10-15 years. Heck, you can even get 4-5 years out of non treated materials if the roof is good.
Remember to bomb them for wasps on a cold day in October to be ready to hunt by muzzleloader.
I've built 6 over the past 5 years or so, and plan on adding 2 more before next summer. Once you get the hang of it, it doesn't take long to make one, and I can make a 4x4 house for around $225 in new materials
