How to Build Permanent Duck Blinds

Building a permanent duck blind will save you hours of work.

Hunters have used blinds for hundreds of years to keep from being detected by their quarry. Waterfowl have keen eyesight and readily detect danger. If you have private property where building a permanent duck blind is allowed, it can provide many benefits. Having a solid surface under you will provide more stable footing, making for easier and more accurate shooting. Building a permanent duck blind will save you the effort of constantly having to repair and rebuild it and can be camouflaged to blend in perfectly with the surrounding habitat.

Things You'll Need

• Tape measure
• Cordless saw
• Level
• Hammer and nails
• Shears
• Pencil
• Standard 2x4 economy studs
• 5/8-inch plywood sheets
• Paintbrush
• 1 quart each of brown, green and gray flat exterior paint
• Chicken wire
• Wire cutters
• Brads
• Cattails

Instructions

1. Decide on the dimensions you need your blind to be by taking into account how many hunters will be occupying it at one time. Locate a spot to build the blind on the side of the water from which the wind normally blows so the blind can be oriented with its back to the direction the wind. This will not only keep the wind off you, it will provide head-on shots as ducks come into a decoy spread facing into the wind.

2. Construct a subfloor out of two-by-fours with the hammer and nails. Use the tape measure to space the joists (floor beams) apart the standard 16 inches off-center. Measure and mark a piece of plywood to cover the floor. Cut with the saw and nail in place.

3. Construct three four-by-four posts by nailing two two-by-fours together for each post (using a total of six two-by-fours). Cut one of the constructed posts in half, at 48 inches, to use for the front two corner posts. Mark the two back posts at 72 inches and cut them off at a 25-degree angle. Nail the corner posts to the inside edge of the floor with the angle of the rear (roof support) posts sloping down toward the back of the blind.

4. Cut two two-by-fours at 84 inches at a 25-degree angle to use as the top roof support posts. Place the posts approximately two-thirds of the way from the back corner posts and nail them to the inside edge of the floor with the angle sloping down toward the back of the blind. Measure and cut plywood for the roof and back of the blind and nail in place.

5. Hold a sheet of plywood against the side of the blind with the front edge of the sheet lined up with the forward roof support post. Trace a line along the top and down the back of the sheet to use as a cutting guide. Cut along the traced line with the saw and nail in place.

6. Measure and cut plywood to 48 inches for the forward one-third of the sides, and the front (as high as the front corner posts) to allow room for shooting. Nail in place.

7. Cover the blind with paint, alternating the colors in a patchwork camouflage pattern with the brush. Use the wire cutters to fit a piece of chicken wire to the front wall and tack in place with the brads. Weave cattails into the mesh in an standing upright pattern.

Tips & Warnings

• Attaching chicken wire to the roof and the sides of the blind as well will allow the entire structure to be covered with cattails or other vegetation.

• Substituting OSB (oriented strand board) for plywood will save a few dollars.

• Be sure you check the laws in your area to determine how close to the water you are allowed to build a permanent structure.

References

• Game and Fish Magazine: Small-Water Duck Blinds
• My Decoys: Building a Duck Blind

Resources

• Duck Hunting Chat: Homemade Duck Hunting Blinds