Outdoor Minnesota Deer Photo's

[MJ1657]

I've built quite a few of these and tried some different methods for the legs. This is what I've settled on as to what I think works best. I cut the top of the leg at a 5° angle. 

[MJ1657]

Here's what happens when an oak tree tips over. I rebuilt it. It's the stand I shot my buck out of this year. 

[IceHawk]

3 hours ago, MJ1657 said:

I've built quite a few of these and tried some different methods for the legs. This is what I've settled on as to what I think works best. I cut the top of the leg at a 5° angle. 

Nice You ever have any issues with the legs snapping off those wood brackets pulling away ? Curious as we use the elevators and this would definitely be a more economical approach to try. 

[MJ1657]

45 minutes ago, IceHawk said:

Nice You ever have any issues with the legs snapping off those wood brackets pulling away ? Curious as we use the elevators and this would definitely be a more economical approach to try. 

No I haven't.

 

Basically the only thing them pockets are for is for helping set the platform up. Once it's up and in place I screw through the outside 2x6 into the legs. After you X brace all four legs it's very solid. 

[gimruis]

Part of the reason I prefer an open air stand is that I can use my ears in addition to my eyes.  I often hear deer before I see them.  In an enclosed stand with walls, you aint gonna hear them walking unless they are right below your tree house..  Additionally, shooting windows gives you a limited shooting angle.  If the deer is on the move, you will need to pull your gun back in and wait or prepare to shoot through another window, if it even happens.  In an open air stand, I can follow that deer the whole time and take the shot I want to, 360 degrees.  I'm still young enough where I can tolerate the elements and my eyes and ears are working properly so a little bit of cold weather doesn't bother me (yet).  Lastly, one of the main reasons I go now is to actually get away from the sights and sounds of daily life.  That includes kids and their ipads.  Sitting there perched in a tree for days on end in the silence of nature provides invaluable time that I would otherwise never get.

[Barbelboy]

I agree with all of what you said. And I cherish my time in my bow stands. But as someone taking a 5 & 6 yr old hunting there are many ways to motivate a kid to be quiet in a deer stand. They have to earn it by being quiet for an hour. Sitting in an open air stand just isn’t realistic yet. Maybe somebody else raised quiet stoic kids who listen to everything their parents tell them and that can sit for hours on end, especially when deer aren’t moving, but mine ain’t them.

[rumeye]

Sure is nice being out of the wind though wouldn't have it any other way now. And no Ryan could not sit still and be quiet for that long.

[DonkeyHodey]

22 hours ago, Barbelboy said:

I agree with all of what you said. And I cherish my time in my bow stands. But as someone taking a 5 & 6 yr old hunting there are many ways to motivate a kid to be quiet in a deer stand. They have to earn it by being quiet for an hour. Sitting in an open air stand just isn’t realistic yet. Maybe somebody else raised quiet stoic kids who listen to everything their parents tell them and that can sit for hours on end, especially when deer aren’t moving, but mine ain’t them.

I love your stand!--Man, I could catch some great Zzz's in there!  I love that you take your kids with you.  Hunting (or fishing) + kids = quality time/awesomeness.   --rock on, bro!

(your stand looks alot like mine, although, I'm partial to swivel-style office chairs in the deershack...)

55 minutes ago, gimruis said:

If you want to bring your work, kids, pets, wives, chessboard, Xbox, liquor cabinet, satellite TV, or any other form of daily entertainment to your deer stand, that's up to you.

Holy Cow, you're giving me great ideas for my stand!--...next years hunt!  ('cept the liquor:  That I don't condone in any manner with hunting.)

 

(I'm a bit of an odd contradiction:  I have my modern/comfy shack with amenities, yet I like to hunt (during rifle season/area) with old-timey roundballs in a side-lock Hawken muzzleloader...)

[Bigfatbert]

Shadow Hunter insulated blinds , 14 feet high , using the elevator brackets on treated 4x4s for the legs , hands down the best way to do it . Clear windows that slide open and close quickly without any noise .  Add a buddy mr heater and it’s total , and I mean total comfort , just me and Mother Nature and a sack lunch , all day , everyday to get it done on our private property..  

[Barbelboy]

Donkeyhodey - I've always thought of going to a junk yard, grabbing a vehicle seat that is heated. put that in my nice stand and hook it up to a deep cycle battery. After a few hours, turn it on and relax on a heated swiveling reclining deer stand seat with arm rests. I'd probably wake up at 8 PM wondering what darn day it was. 

Bigfatbert, -  that is my plan moving forward. Blinds in the sky. my only concern is their durability over time with inclement weather. How do you prepare for a early season heavy snow or high wind?

 

[DonkeyHodey]

1 hour ago, Bigfatbert said:

Add a buddy mr heater and it’s total , and I mean total comfort , just me and Mother Nature and a sack lunch

Only one sack lunch?  tsk tsk...  I would challenge you to improve that!

Frankly, my deershack looks like a buffet by the time I'm done--This year I had one thermos with soup, one with hot tea, 2 sodas, sandwich, apples, smoked whitefish, gobstoppers, crackers, sausage and baked pumpkin seeds (from the kids jack-o-lanterns).  

(I think the deer that I get are probably wandering in, just wondering what smells so good!    Conservation officer can't get me for "feeding" deer 'cuz the food I pile up is all in my stand...)

 

Part of the reason the kids like to sit in the stand with me is to eat dad's goodies!

39 minutes ago, Barbelboy said:

Donkeyhodey - I've always thought of going to a junk yard, grabbing a vehicle seat that is heated. put that in my nice stand and hook it up to a deep cycle battery. After a few hours, turn it on and relax on a heated swiveling reclining deer stand seat with arm rests. I'd probably wake up at 8 PM wondering what darn day it was. 

Speaking of junkyard, there's a "stand" leading up to where I hunt that the dude put the front of a old dump truck cab on stilts.  Classy! 

I seriously would've loved to see Red Green do an episode based on your idea!

[Bigfatbert]

Poof , and then it was gone ! My my my ..

[Bigfatbert]

9 hours ago, Bigfatbert said:

Poof , and then it was gone ! My my my ..

leech , I see that you posted a confused face with my above post. I can explain to you and others about this post ,and agree it is/was probably confusing to read .That post was posted in regards to a post that I posted earlier in the day that was deleted by the higher power here on this forum, in which I find odd and completely unwarranted ... I’m assuming this was due to my mentioning of “Shadow Hunter Blinds” in my post about enclosed deer hunting stands . I believe the mentioning of and promotion of brand name items on this forum is a no-no . 
I do realize the topic here is for deer hunting pictures and I was off topic with my subject matter of hunting blinds and for that I apologize, and while a few other posts above by others also strayed off topic with there talk and pictures about different types of blinds that they use and there thoughts on the comforts , reasons , pros and cons of the use , and different building ideas, so I just kind of followed suit with my post referring to the type of blind that I use , and very much enjoy hunting from , and the comforts of doing such from it just as others had chimed in with their posts about their time spent while using a enclosed box blind.

My intention was to not promote Shadow Hunter products  whatsoever , but was to just say it as it is with my personal use and thoughts of a totally enclosed box blind . Ironic that some of my partial post on this matter were quoted by others that contained another brand name item , that being “mr heater” was allowed to remain on their post , maybe it just slipped by the higher gods here , I don’t know !!  Now with all this being said I must say I believe I have read about other “brand name” items like Yamaha , Evinrude , Honda   , Lund , Cresliner , Vexilar , Marcum , Lindy , Northland Tackle , Otter , Eskimo , (you get the picture) , for talk and the promotion of these items by many other people here on this forum and the higher power let those posts remain , hmmmm !!!!  So with all this being said I guess I must now say that this is not a slam by me directed to the moderator or whomever took it upon themselves to delete my original post because that also would be a no-no according to the laws of the land here on this forum , just some thoughts and statements by me referring to this post here , no harm done . Have a nice day all !

[Rick]

3 hours ago, Bigfatbert said:

leech , I see that you posted a confused face with my above post. I can explain to you and others about this post ,and agree it is/was probably confusing to read .That post was posted in regards to a post that I posted earlier in the day that was deleted by the higher power here on this forum, in which I find odd and completely unwarranted ... I’m assuming this was due to my mentioning of “Shadow Hunter Blinds” in my post about enclosed deer hunting stands . I believe the mentioning of and promotion of brand name items on this forum is a no-no . 
I do realize the topic here is for deer hunting pictures and I was off topic with my subject matter of hunting blinds and for that I apologize, and while a few other posts above by others also strayed off topic with there talk and pictures about different types of blinds that they use and there thoughts on the comforts , reasons , pros and cons of the use , and different building ideas, so I just kind of followed suit with my post referring to the type of blind that I use , and very much enjoy hunting from , and the comforts of doing such from it just as others had chimed in with their posts about their time spent while using a enclosed box blind.

My intention was to not promote Shadow Hunter products  whatsoever , but was to just say it as it is with my personal use and thoughts of a totally enclosed box blind . Ironic that some of my partial post on this matter were quoted by others that contained another brand name item , that being “mr heater” was allowed to remain on their post , maybe it just slipped by the higher gods here , I don’t know !!  Now with all this being said I must say I believe I have read about other “brand name” items like Yamaha , Evinrude , Honda   , Lund , Cresliner , Vexilar , Marcum , Lindy , Northland Tackle , Otter , Eskimo , (you get the picture) , for talk and the promotion of these items by many other people here on this forum and the higher power let those posts remain , hmmmm !!!!  So with all this being said I guess I must now say that this is not a slam by me directed to the moderator or whomever took it upon themselves to delete my original post because that also would be a no-no according to the laws of the land here on this forum , just some thoughts and statements by me referring to this post here , no harm done . Have a nice day all !

Poof, it's back. I would say that all of the above are incorrect assumptions on your part.

 

You got accidentally caught up in the removal of pissing match posts. My sincere apology.

 

Now back to regular scheduled programming.

 

[leech~~]

4 hours ago, Bigfatbert said:

leech , I see that you posted a confused face with my above post. I can explain to you and others about this post ,and agree it is/was probably confusing to read .

 

 

Dang, dude thanks for filling me in. I hate it when stuff goes over my head and I miss it!

[LETSgoFISHIN]

My brother crushed this monster this evening at 421

[LETSgoFISHIN]

Out of this stand

[IceHawk]

10 minutes ago, LETSgoFISHIN said:

My brother crushed this monster this evening at 421

Wow that's a sled tell him congrats ! like all the little stickers good character

[eyeguy 54]

Finally got to do son in laws. It scored 156 gross  143 net. Give or take and inch. Nice mass. Cool rack with the points under brows. 

[leech~~]

Nothing?  No one got a deer, saw a deer or heard a deer?  Know someone who got a deer or know someone that knows someone who got a deer this year?  

 

I didn't go for one of the first years since I was 14, just no sign up where we hunt to give and effort.  

[Wanderer]

I’ve got plenty of photos over the past week but no tag filled.  I only saw 3 that I thought were worth a stalk with the bow in SD.  None worked out for one reason or another.  The two guys I went with both got smaller bucks.

 

Did 2 days archery in the 172 before boom stick season opened, then 2 days of that.  Had over 20 sightings; all but 2 were does and fawns.  The two others were a spike and fork.  I’m waiting on an adult.

 

Some shots were fired close to me but overall the amount shooting seemed to be down.  Friends in the area saw mostly does and fawns also but few bucks and let ‘em walk cuz they were small.  Sounds like that might be the one free pass they got though.

 

The bucks are there but not chasing yet.  Cameras show them at night.  Fawns are all with does yet.  This thing called the rut is still at a simmer based on what we’ve been seeing.

[leech~~]

Your rut thoughts sound pretty much dead on.  I have a buddy with 220 acres of land in center, mn and last year they had 5 very nice bucks on opening weekend and got nothing this year so far.  He thinks it's to warm still.  

[ozzie]

Hunt the west end of Mille Lacs area in public land.  We had 5 hunters...I missed a med buck, and my buddy shot 2 bucks, that we shall say were not very old.  decent and got meat on the table, but the bigguns were not showing up.  We only saw 1 doe being chased by a small buck at dark...I did have something bound away when I was packing up last night.  Overall another wild opening weekend with some situations that happened that only happen when you are out in the woods and a bunch of other "hunters" are out with you.  Example as we were leaving the woods on Saturday the local fire department was there putting out a fire that they say was started due to some "hunters" starting the hollow trees on fire to smoke out porcupines, racoons, possums, and squirrels.  Apparently this is the 3rd fire in the past 2 weeks in the area, and they were threatening to shut the area down to hunters for the season!  We were wondering why a large trail had been cut through the woods to an area that was burnt deep into the swamps and oak ridges.  Find out that was a fire from a few weeks earlier!!  Unreal

[leech~~]

9 hours ago, ozzie said:

Hunt the west end of Mille Lacs area in public land.  We had 5 hunters...I missed a med buck, and my buddy shot 2 bucks, that we shall say were not very old.  decent and got meat on the table, but the bigguns were not showing up.  We only saw 1 doe being chased by a small buck at dark...I did have something bound away when I was packing up last night.  Overall another wild opening weekend with some situations that happened that only happen when you are out in the woods and a bunch of other "hunters" are out with you.  Example as we were leaving the woods on Saturday the local fire department was there putting out a fire that they say was started due to some "hunters" starting the hollow trees on fire to smoke out porcupines, racoons, possums, and squirrels.  Apparently this is the 3rd fire in the past 2 weeks in the area, and they were threatening to shut the area down to hunters for the season!  We were wondering why a large trail had been cut through the woods to an area that was burnt deep into the swamps and oak ridges.  Find out that was a fire from a few weeks earlier!!  Unreal

Crazy, I've heard of lighting strikes doing that.  I wonder if they have some proof of intentional lighting?  

[Wanderer]

The first daylight adult buck in a long time showed up yesterday - right about the time I was leaving work an hour away.  And he’s a different one than I’ve ever seen before.  
 

Too early to tell for sure but they might finally be moving?  I’m hoping this coming weekend will be the one.

[leech~~]

3 hours ago, Wanderer said:

The first daylight adult buck in a long time showed up yesterday - right about the time I was leaving work an hour away.  And he’s a different one than I’ve ever seen before.  
 

Too early to tell for sure but they might finally be moving?  I’m hoping this coming weekend will be the one.

You didn't Sluice um!

I was driving 94 passed Runnings in Monticello yesterday late after noon and saw a huge, thick dark brown 8 point running alone the freeway with its tongue out.  Thinking he was after a girlfriend!

[Wanderer]

1 hour ago, leech~~ said:

You didn't Sluice um!

Haha!  No…

5 hours ago, Wanderer said:

right about the time I was leaving work an hour away.  

In other news: All the cell cams users that I talk with are seeing some daylight movement of adult bucks since yesterday.  No deer hunters want to be at work right now.

[leech~~]

2 hours ago, Wanderer said:

Haha!  No…

In other news: All the cell cams users that I talk with are seeing some daylight movement of adult bucks since yesterday.  No deer hunters want to be at work right now.

Stop, trying to make everybody feel bad that not in the woods!    

[ozzie]

20 hours ago, leech~~ said:

Crazy, I've heard of lighting strikes doing that.  I wonder if they have some proof of intentional lighting?  

Yes.  No lightning strikes in the area on Saturday and a tree was burning.  The squirrel hunters have been a nuisance this year with more activity in our area then we have ever seen.  This was the 3rd fire in the section of woods in the past 2 weeks.  Most definitely not caused by natural events.

[Wanderer]

1 hour ago, ozzie said:

Yes.  No lightning strikes in the area on Saturday and a tree was burning.  The squirrel hunters have been a nuisance this year with more activity in our area then we have ever seen.  This was the 3rd fire in the section of woods in the past 2 weeks.  Most definitely not caused by natural events.

Amazing…