This trip was to mow the yard and work on finishing my second prototype of a hunting stand. Its main use will be to hunt turkeys and wild pigs. I have a lot of deer on the property but I don't hunt them. Taking their picture is more fun.
Turkeys and pigs are another story. Turkeys are fun because they are hard to hunt. I use a crossbow which means you must be fairly close. 30 yards is about the maximum range. The crossbow will shot much further and it very accurate out to 50 yards and beyond. But the bolt traveling at 330 fps requires about 27/100's of a second to travel the 30 yards. The turkey will hear the release and see the bolt in flight and move before it strikes them. So 20 yards is a better distance or even 10 yards.
The pigs are feral pigs and the state encourages hunting them year round. They are a nuance and will destroy a good food plot or crop. I have a lot of wild pigs on the property but haven't yet shot one.
For the past couple of years I have hunted on the ground using a pop-up blind. Its ok, and I managed to get turkeys with them. But I hate being on the ground. Bugs up my shirt, mice crawling around and where there are mice, there are snakes and I hate snakes! Not afraid of them, just hate them. So I have been looking at buying a tree stand or some sort of hunting platform that is off the ground. Free standing hunting stands can be expense. And I don't particularly care for the lean against a tree type stand. The answer was to build a hunting stand that suited my purposes.
The basic requirements included a relatively large, flat platform from which I could use a crossbow. A crossbow is different from a bow in that horizontal space is required to allow for the movement of the arms. In the pop-up blind, I had to sit well to the rear and was limited in which direction I could shoot. I like to be hidden as much as possible so having the ability to conceal myself was important. I also like a roof for shelter from rain drops and bird poop.
My first attempt was a four foot platform upon which I could attach the pop-up. It's
attached to the tree for stability, very roomy and actually works very well. The downside was the size. The pop-up has a base of a little over 5x5 which creates a lot of waste when using a 4x8 sheet of plywood and 8' lengths of 2x4's. This is a great hunting stand for turkey or pig. You are not quite out of line of sight but you are off the ground and don't need to worry about snakes.To optimize the use of the wood, I decide to work with a 4x4 platform. I also wanted more height. With height you have to be concerned with personal safety and stability. Side rails would be necessary for safety. And strong enough to resist a decent amount of sideways pressure. A sturdy platform with side rails will be top heavy so it must be securely attached to a tree. I like to use two 1/2" stainless steel bolts placed 4' to 6' off the ground. Since the stand will be in place year round, attaching it lower on the tree will subject it to less movement as the tree moves in the wind.
I sketched a design and figured I needed 13-2x4x8; 4-4x4x8; 1-4x8x3/4" plywood, about
2 lb of 3" deck screws and 8-2x4 zinc attachment connectors. The lumber is pressure treated. I was able to buy this for about $120 at the local lumber yard. The connectors are used to attach the vertical 2x4s to the horizontal floor. It required the better part of two days but I finally stood it up. About four hours were spend correcting early design errors. So it should be possible to build this in a day. An important building point: check the lumber before you get home, be sure it is not warped. Notice the left rear leg. That twist is not a picture angle error. Three of the four legs have a twist of about 15 degrees.The top front rail is removable to allow ease of getting in and out. It's held in place by two 1 3/4" L brackets. Not visible is the X shaped pattern inside the second level of horizontal leg supports. These braces are necessary to provide a filling base for the forklift. Also not shown is the roof and the ladder. Both will be assembled after the stand is in place. The sides will be covered with burlap or maybe enclosed with 1/4" plywood. I will make that decision after I attach the roof.
Installation will require a truck to haul the stand and a forklift to stand it up and position it. I had thought seriously about delivering it to the site in two pieces and do final assembly there. But the distance to the site is only a little more than a mile and I would invariably need something from the shop, so I decided to deliver it pre-assembled. The first stand was located about a quarter of a mile from the shop and required six trips before it was finished.....
The hunting stand will be installed in September in time for turkey season. Check back then for an update.
Dave
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