DIY Hunting Blinds

See them before they see you.

Often today's hunters must rely on the use of public or rented land, making the construction of any kind of permanent hunting structure inadvisable if not impossible. Even hunters setting out to harvest wild game from their own land may not have suitable terrain or the desire to build such a structure, but still, either for safety reasons or personal preference would rather hunt from a blind than a tree stand. A quick look through any sporting goods catalog will bring to light an array of light, portable hunting blinds, often costing hundreds of dollars. But a good, portable hunting blind can be erected in very little time, often with found materials.

Things You'll Need

• 3 poles (minimum) at least 12 feet in length
• 1 pole 3 or 4 feet in length
• 1 roll of burlap, heavy canvass or other covering material
• A knife or shears
• A staple or brad gun
• Twine, parachute cord or other cordage
• Camouflage paint (optional)

Instructions

1. Acquire your poles, at least four of them. The poles should all be roughly the same length and should be no less than 12 feet long to allow for enough room inside the blind. Poles can be anything from bought lumber such as 2-by-4s to saplings cut and trimmed from an area where you have the right, or permission, to cull small trees. The poles should be sturdy but not larger than five or six inches in diameter (roughly the size of an adult's wrist), to provide portability of the blind.

   If your poles are uniform lumber, simply lay them all on the ground together and bundle one end with cordage. Be sure to tie the bundle about a foot below the end of the poles to allow room for the poles to pivot.

   If you are using saplings or other irregular timber be sure to arrange the poles so that they are all lying little end with little end and big end with big end. Tie your bundle at the little end in this case. Be sure not to tie the bundle too tightly, as this will hamper spreading the base of the blind or break the cordage.

2. Stand the bundled poles on the unbundled end and spread the base of the poles, using each pole as the corner of a square, until the corners are six to eight feet apart. Clyde Elliott, a long-time hunter and sportsman who used similar blinds with success in both Tennessee and Michigan, also recommended anchoring your poles at this point. If you wish, you can anchor your blind by either driving tent stakes directly under the run of your poles, about three feet back from where the pole touches the ground, and lashing the pole to the stake with a guy line, or by hanging a heavy object from each pole at about waist height. This step is only necessary if the blind will remain in one spot for an extended period of time, or if you are using it in windy conditions.

   Tie the shorter pole horizontally to the two poles that form the back of your blind at about shoulder height. This will be where you place the door.

   Once you are satisfied the poles are properly placed, check the inside area of your blind for fit and size before proceeding to the next step.

3. Staple or brad your covering material (burlap) all the way around the base of your blind. If possible, allow some of your material to rest on the ground. Depending on the width of your material, you may want to only use a half-width piece along the back side of the blind.

   Continue up the blind, covering the sides and front. Be sure your covering material overlaps the layer below it to aid in weatherproofing your blind. You may either cover the front and sides completely and cut windows later, or plan openings in your blind as you cover it. If you plan your openings, be sure to gauge them by where your head will be when you are using the blind. For example, if you will be sitting in a lawn chair, sit in it, inside the blind, in order to plan your openings.

   Once your covering on the front and sides is higher than the cross member on the back of the blind, begin covering the back as well. The back of the blind can be left open, but this will make it easier for animals to see you moving inside the blind. Because of this, it is best to hang covering material vertically from the cross member. Depending on the size of your opening, it may be necessary to use more than one strip of covering material. It should not be necessary to cover the blind in material higher than your can reach.

4. Camouflage your blind. Depending on your covering material, and the amount of time you plan for your blind to be in place, you may want to paint the outside of your blind with camouflage paint. Or you may simply want to pile, hang or attach brush to and around your blind to break up its outline. Either method is acceptable, but using both is preferred.

Tips & Warnings

• If you choose to paint the blind, be sure to do so several days, if not weeks, before you attempt to hunt.

• While this blind can easily be set up and taken down for a weekend hunt, as with any blind it is best if you set the blind up some time before you begin to hunt to give the animals time to get used to its presence in their area and to lose their fear of it.

• In windy conditions, the door strips can be weighted by stapling or bradding limbs or lumber to the bottoms.

• When using a blind in warm or changing weather, be sure to clear your blind before entering it to hunt. A snake, or some other undesired guest may have taken up residence while you were gone.

• Do not use this type of blind as a shelter from bad weather.

• If you use some sort of heater inside your blind, be sure to keep it well away from the walls of the blind or any other combustible material.

References

• Clyde Elliott; Hunter; Henderson County, Tennessee