Deer Stands Comes in All Shapes and Sizes

When you start looking at all the different stands we’ve built, from the common simple “let’s just throw five pieces of brush up here and hide by this tree”, to some of the most extravagant blinds we can build with feeders and food plots in the area, all of them have a special meaning and all of them are enjoyable at the end of the day.

“I just, I love that aspect of it. I mean I think it goes back to a little before as a little kid, whether it’s out of cardboard boxes or building brush to hide when you’re playing cowboys and Indians. I sit here today in my fifties and I still like to build forts and deer blinds just as much now as I did then.” – Wade Middleton

Make-Shift Blinds

You know some of the most simple blinds a person can put together is to just take a couple of pallets, spray paint them a little bit, to kind of get some of the shine off of them for a future hunt, throw some brush up around them, and you’re going to find success with those. I’ve even seen those go to massive levels, where you put all kinds of brush around them.

Pop Up Blinds

 

The reality is, there’s not always the perfect tree, where the deer want to be to be able to do that and that’s where the pop up comes in, it’s the most versatile hunting stand that you’re possibly going to find. Pop ups come in a lot of different shapes, sizes, designs, fabrics, and each one of them plays and offers a great asset to you as the hunter. The Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s lines of pop ups that we use are designed to maximize what we like to do when using a pop up. You’ve got places to put brush on them, loops on them, they’re big enough that three people can sit in there at times. I like the most durable fabric that I possibly can find so that we’re not taking it down at the end of the hunt. That’s not always going to be possible for some people that may be hunting public land, where they have to take it down. But we’re primarily hunting properties that we can leave them up for long periods. You’ve got a multitude of window configurations (which I’m a big fan of) because you can black some of them out or use the mesh on others. They’re such an important part of hunting from their portability, durability, and their ability to conceal you, in a lot of different situations.

Say you’re just going to a location for a quick catch, you’re not coming back there, Some of the many price point models out there, are probably gonna work perfectly for you. Flip that to another scenario where you’re gonna be hunting a property all year long. You’re gonna wanna invest in one that’s going to withstand all the elements, the changes that are going to be coming in, probably gonna get one a little bit bigger. We’ve used little small one-man ones up to some that I think we could have had a family reunion in, windows at all angles, different types of set-ups within them. And that’s the cool thing about pop ups is, you can find one that’s gonna fit for the situation that you’re gonna be hunting in.

If you start doing research, you’re gonna find a wide range of pop ups available to suit your needs out there. Just think about what you’re gonna use it for. Think about how long you’re gonna use it for. Think about carrying it in long distances, and think about being able to tie it down, anchor it down, or pick it up real fast. Pop ups are without a question, one of the easiest, coolest, best, most versatile ways to set up for any type of a hunting situation.

 

 

Box Blinds

Box blinds have really evolved. Some guys go build their own and taking all that into account, but for our investment, we like Muddy Blinds. They are well designed, they have a lot of little features built-in there, a mix of window configurations for a rifle, bow, handgun, or even a crossbow. The design of them is inherently thought out by hunters to be able to give you different options. Whether you’re putting in a big food plot, sticking it up in front of some brush, or you’re going to be cutting senderos, it doesn’t matter. You can put them on the ground, or you can raise them on towers. So, regardless of what you’re looking for, those Muddy blinds, they’re designed straight off the shelf, for lack of a better word, by manufacturers to allow you success.

 

 

“The insulation to me is a good selling feature, it can get cool in the winters, so you’ll be able to keep warm. Also, it’s hard to hear someone from the outside when all the windows and doors are shut. They’ve all got the keeper latch, which holds the window up and real easily accessible as far as flipping three knobs, one-handed operation as far as raising and lowering the window. We’ve just started putting three hinges and two locks on the door, which is great because it’s actually pulling the door tighter together and it keeps more bugs out, and it will be a good thing that will last.” – Larry Scott GSM Outdoors

Ladder Stands

Ladder stands can be used in areas where it may be more beneficial to be above the line of sight of your game or if you need a tall vantage point. When you start looking at ladder stands and hang-on stands, not every tree is gonna be designed for this specific stand that you’re messing with. Once you start putting it up you’ve got to be in a place you think you’re gonna find deer, otherwise, why put it up? Then, safety has to come into play. Make sure you get it anchored down, make sure you’re thinking about all of those things. You hear a lot of people talk about tree stand safety, but they probably don’t practice it enough. You want to make sure it’s anchored down, you want straps around it, a lifeline to get up and down, and you want to be tethered in when you’re up there. You want to know that the tree stand and the ladder are working as one, the tree is in good shape, and you’ve taken every precaution and step you possibly can, to get that ladder in place, secured, so you don’t have to worry about it even when the wind is blowing 20 or 30 mph.

 

See our episode about all the different types of hunting blinds below.