Condo Stand/Shooting House

[CBU93]

I have a spot that I have never physically hunted on my property that I would like to build a nice shooting house specifically for afternoon hunts...here's why:

I want a stand that I can slip into easily without the risk of getting dirty or muddy so that I can slip right out and take my wife to dinner without having to take a shower and change clothes

I have never hunted this spot because all sign and layout indicates it would be an evening stand: food plot on the edge of a thicket, facing northeast away from any houses or barns, sun will be setting to my back, thick ditch running along the edge deer use as a travel corridor, good view in several different directions...

This will basically be an afternoon rifle stand that I will just sit the last hour and half of daylight when I hunt it....

if you read to this point, I have two issues to ask about.

1) should I go ahead and invest the time into building a shooting house now or wait, pop up a tripod (no good trees to climb or put a ladder stand in)?

2) If build shooting house, use existing materials I have access to that are untreated lumber and spray annually with Thompson's Water Seal? Or go ahead and invest in pressure treated lumber when it is higher than it's ever been in my lifetime?

Property is where wife and I will retire in just a few years. I will shoot at nothing but wall hanger bucks from this location.

 

[hillbillyfab]

If it's where I knew I was going to spend my retirement, I'd build what I wanted, how I wanted it.

 

[backyardtndeer]

Have not priced materials lately, but would have to wonder if steel would be cheaper. If you can or have someone that can weld for you, may be worth considering steel framing.

 

[1 good shot]

I built several with truck bed liners.
Most of the places thay do the spray on liners will give them to you just to get them out of their way.
To answer your other question, put it up asap to give the deer time to get used to it. After all it is their living room

 

[gatodoc]

Consider a sportsman's condo. Not much more than a treated wood build and would last for long time...

 

[CBU93]

Consider a sportsman's condo. Not much more than a treated wood build and would last for long time...

Kinda thought Along those lines. But I have a crap ton of lumber I could use to make a wood stand it's just not treated. Ergo my conundrum.

Plus the fact it's an untested area. I had thought about buying a $250 tripod stand. Just to see the deer activity for a season or so.

 

[CBU93]

Have not priced materials lately, but would have to wonder if steel would be cheaper. If you can or have someone that can weld for you, may be worth considering steel framing.

Working on a project at work, took a bit a little over a month ago and still prices have gone up around 30 to 40% in 30 days.

 

[CBU93]

If it's where I knew I was going to spend my retirement, I'd build what I wanted, how I wanted it.

True, but I'm really not all that interested in deer hunting or should I say dear killing anymore. I'm not sure how long this little spike of interest may last.

 

[hillbillyfab]

True, but I'm really not all that interested in deer hunting or should I say dear killing anymore. I'm not sure how long this little spike of interest may last.

Ok, I can understand that. Do you have kids or grandkids that enjoy hunting? Might get many more years of use, when you're taking some with you.

 

[TNCharlie]

Here is something that I have done. Pop-up blinds are available that are inexpensive and and comfortable. Set one up where you anticipate building a shooting house and hunt from it for a season. You will either get excited about building there or discover that you are glad you checked it out first. :) I've had both happen. Good luck.

 

[Korben]

Here is something that I have done. Pop-up blinds are available that are inexpensive and and comfortable. Set one up where you anticipate building a shooting house and hunt from it for a season. You will either get excited about building there or discover that you are glad you checked it out first. :) I've had both happen. Good luck.

Sounds like a good idea!

 

[DoubleRidge]

We had plans of building four new shooting houses on the farm last year. We completed two of them and then stopped the project due to lumber cost.....if I had a pile of materials I wouldn't hesitate to build.....but I would invest in treated post and treated floor joist....then use materials you have to build the house....keep it painted unless your gonna wrap it in metal.....I've done a couple from all sawmill lumber, no treated, and they served us well...but years down the road every one of them needed replacement....so this time we built them where they will last....hard to beat a nice shooting house on a rainy day.

 

[Bucket]

In your position I would use as much existing material as I could, then wrap the exterior in house wrap and clad with metal. Watch craigslist, etc for things like windows, exterior door, metal roof material, and aluminum extension ladder sections.

I built one several years ago and have upgraded it over time. It will fit 2 adults and 2-3 kids. Even has a urinal! Build it - you won't regret it.

 

[BigDave12]

I agree with the pop up blind idea as that is also the method I use.

Another good idea is to build an 8'x8' 2"x4" pressure treated frame (2"x4" boards are plenty strong enough on 12" centers) and go ahead and cover it with regular exterior deck boards (these are cheaper than using 2x4s as decking). If you build this less than 8x8, then you will end up with scrap and at today's lumber pricing is an expensive waste. You have to go down to a 4'x4' size if you want to save costs or reduce waste, but this will lead to other issues you will recognize later in this post.

This 8'x8' size will create an entire weather treated platform that you can place in an area on the ground and level with blocks or rocks. You can even place a small piece of carpet over it for sound dampening, etc if you prefer. Then place a pop up blind on it in the center. This will give you (and any visitors with you) a covered and level place to enjoy the hunt with plenty of entry options around it since the platform is much larger than the blind itself. The extra decking around it also gives you places to secure brush to in case you choose to "brush it in".

By using the pop up blind idea (and floor if you prefer), then it is easier to move it around until you find the perfect spot. Once you find "that spot", you already have the platform to add legs to and build the house on top of if you want that permanent type of stand. What I prefer to do is just raise the platform to the height I like and still use the pop up blind. They also make numerous really large blinds and pre-packed shooting houses that you can put on top of the platform if you want an upgrade to your existing one. The 8'x8' platform seems to always accept nearly all of them with room for safe entry points.

Most of all, if you have kids or grandkids, please take them with you to at least expose them to the great outdoors. Who knows, maybe they will like it and you may find it amazing at just how much you may get out of it too. If you don't have kids or grandkids, see if there are any kids or grandkids at your church or other family members you may have that may want to try it out with you. The memories made are priceless and if you are lucky enough to have the property to share with them, then give it a try. Best of luck!

 

[CBU93]

Although a ground blind may work, I really need to be elevated to see everywhere I want to see in this spot.

 

[Tn Joe]

I had a similar situation as you on my property. I built a elevated platform and set a ground blind on top of it and hunted it for a season. I learned how the deer used the area and also found it was hard to hunt that spot and not have the deer smell you because of the way the wind swirls. The next year I saved up and bought a Redneck blind and put it up not far from where I had the platform. It's in a better spot and I don't have to worry with deer smelling me as long as I keep the windows closed until I'm ready to shoot. 6 years later my kids and I have made some great memories out of that blind

 

[double browtine]

I would build the legs and platform out of treated wood. Then use what you have to build the blind. I have bought some mis-tinted exterior paint in the mark down section at lowe's or home Depot in the past to use on my deer stands. The color doesn't really matter because I use spray paint to give it a camo look.

 

[Patrick H]

If you mix colors of mis tinted paint (always on sale at Home Depot) the resulting color will be brown.

 

[Kirk]

I built this frame and placed a rigid plastic hunting blind on it. Works great. The blind is called Terrain "the Range" 5 sided hunting blind.

 

[double browtine]

Another thing that makes for a great hunting blind, is using the metal from an above ground pool. If you ever know of one that is going to be torn down, grab a buddy or two and go dismantle it. I have one a friend gave to me. It's 54" tall and like 74ft long. It's made from heavy galvanized steel. A 6' diameter round blind takes about 20 feet of material. Just another idea it you want to use salvage materials.

 

[Fitchj13]

For test areas on my lease - I have used a 6x6 raised platform that sits 8' above the ground. Top of platform I place one of those rubber mats from tractor supply and cover that with an old piece of carpet. Put the platform out during summer. Then I pop up a ground blind on top of that at beginning of bow season. Let sit til muzzy/gun before hunting it. Easy to move. Sometimes small adjustments need to be made during the season. Remove the pop up when finished hunting for the year.

If spot is good, I'll replace with a perm blind the next summer. And shift the platform to another.

 

[Hunter 257W]

I built one that's about 5'x8' out of all wood. I used 12' 6"x6" posts that were treated and put them in the ground 2' deep so that the floor is 10' high. I framed around the posts with 2'x12's then made floor joists from scrap 2'x6's on 9" centers. ?Yeah that's overdoing it but I don't like heights and don't like the idea of getting killed while deer hunting so I overbuilt it. The 2"x6"s were scraps and free anyhow. Everything else was pretty much scrap lumber from years of leftover pieces on other jobs around the farm. This was in the Fall of 2010 and it's still in good shape. I put a lot of overhang on the tin roof to minimize the rain blowing in. I always intend to put some kind of wood treatment on it each spring but never have. I'm sure the floor (2 layers of 3/8" plywood) will have to be changed out some day. It's a bad idea to use 2 layers like that because water always gets trapped between the layers but it's what I had. When I do change the floor out I'll buy new deck boards and maybe the synthetic ones and be done with it forever.

 

[muddyboots]

I used the platform ground blind idea on my property for last few years. Figured out exactly where we wanted it be invested in a red man. If you have lots of wood and time I'd just build it and paint. It will last a long long time.

 

[Planking]

I put a 15 ft tripod up at my spot first for a couple of years to see if it was worthy. It was and so i built a shooting house on 16ft 4x4's. I did like someone else mention. I used pressure treated on the frame and whatever else on the blind. I paid a guy that built shooting house frames for the frame and did everything else myself. Then i stood it all up with a tractor. Thick coats of paint, sealer, or whatever will help it last a long time.

If i had a re do i would buy one from someone that was built out of tin or something like that.

 

[Chickenrig]

If this is your forever place get off your wallet and buy the best !!!
A 12' predator redneck blind !
Heck you and the wife can have supper by candle light in that thing ! 3K sounds like a pile of cash but it is truly money well spent . Do it once
By the time you mess with wood , blinds,labor, paint, etc it's not that bad . The first time you sit it you will thank yourself !!
I live on 80 acres and put one up last year , friends thought i was nuts until they stepped foot in it . Now they are Redneck with envy .
Good luck in your decision making process

 

[BSK]

If this is your forever place get off your wallet and buy the best !!!
A 12' predator redneck blind !
Heck you and the wife can have supper by candle light in that thing ! 3K sounds like a pile of cash but it is truly money well spent . Do it once
By the time you mess with wood , blinds,labor, paint, etc it's not that bad . The first time you sit it you will thank yourself !!
I live on 80 acres and put one up last year , friends thought i was nuts until they stepped foot in it . Now they are Redneck with envy .
Good luck in your decision making process

Redneck blinds are the bomb! All my clients have many, many of them. But once you add a tower to the cost of the blind, you're looking at more than $5,000. That's WAY too rich for my blood. Just priced out the lumber to make a 4' x 6' based on the nicest custom tower stand I've seen, and it's still under $1,000.

 

[Chickenrig]

Nah
With a 12' tower it was just over 3k in Dothan , Al
Oh i understand my friend but i'm at that point in my life where i just do it !!!
YOLO!!!!

 

[BSK]

After pricing out lumber for a custom 4x6 shooting house (around $900), now I'm starting to lean towards the prefab units. I'm especially interested in the Sportsman's Condo SC-2. Anyone use them? Pros and cons?

 

[JCDEERMAN]

Geez - I bought lumber for 3 shooting houses right before the prices inflated (just lucky timing). They came out to about $250 a piece. But again, that's using truck bed liners as the sides and roof. But that included plexiglass and great stuff foam. Built 1 and have 2 more left to build

 

[BSK]

Geez - I bought lumber for 3 shooting houses right before the prices inflated (just lucky timing). They came out to about $250 a piece. But again, that's using truck bed liners as the sides and roof. But that included plexiglass and great stuff foam. Built 1 and have 2 more left to build

We're trying to recreate a custom built shooting house nicknamed "The Palace" because it is so nice. 6' x 6', painted exterior plywood on all walls, painted 1" x 4" trim on all corners and windows, metal roof with metal ridge-cap, metal flashing covering on all fascia and soffits, etc. Not a simple shooting house at all. All parts, including windows, hinges, brackets, screws and nails came out to just about $900. For a little more, some of the prefab units are starting to look nice.

The Palace