# Hay Bale Blinds. ** Got-r-done**



## longbowdave1

Out at the little hunting spot, The deer really like to travel in the high marsh grass. I've seen some of the biggest bucks, and many other deer traveling in the marsh. I wanted to set up an enclosed blind for ground swatting some deer with the longbow. Problem is that once the cold and snow set in, pop-up blinds collapse from the weight of the snow.

 I did some research and thought the hay bale blinds might just work for me. If you've never seen them, google them and check them out. There are many different designs, so I thought I would build my own version. Going to have to be able to handle the snow weight , so it's going to be overdesigned.

 The finished blind will be 6 foot tall, 6 foot long, and 6 wide at the radius. The floor will be 4 X 6 foot. The skeletom will be 1/2 conduit,  covered with 2" x 4" welded wire fence, and a door cut in the 4 ft end. next I'll cover the roof area with clear plastic, then wrap the whole blind with black landscape fabric to blackout the inside, and finally covered with staw blanket material. The windows will be cut in field to accomadate the best shooting.

Almost finished the conduit frameing today, but ran out of daylight. My plan is to prebuild the entire skeleton, then dissasemble so I can hike it in, aaaaaarg, then complete the build. All the holes will be predrilled, so once I mule in all the parts ( on my back), I should be able to complete it in a few hours. I may have to occasionally recover the straw, but this beast isn't getting moved once it's built.


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## sawtooth

brilliant!


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## Munkywrench

That's awesome Dave. And you can spray some foam in the back side and target practice too


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## BkBigkid

if your not putting a floor on it why don't you use 45 degree boards in the corners instead of the Cross brace in the middle.  that way you have a clear center instead of putting the chair/stool over the Cross brace. 

Great Idea


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## longbowdave1

Munkywrench said:


> That's awesome Dave. And you can spray some foam in the back side and target practice too



 I like the way you think!


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## longbowdave1

BkBigkid said:


> if your not putting a floor on it why don't you use 45 degree boards in the corners instead of the Cross brace in the middle.  that way you have a clear center instead of putting the chair/stool over the Cross brace.
> 
> Great Idea



Bk the floor is going in, and some carpet to quiet it as well. Going to be a deluxe condo when it's done.


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## Hunting 4 Him

That EMT conduit is some great stuff. I make deer carts, ladder stands and tower blind stands with them.  They are much stronger than people think and last a long time.  My ladder stands are 17' come in 3 pieces and don't even need a center brace to keep it from bowing.  Looking forward to seeing the finished product.


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## Bubbaforsure

Dave..You need to write a book....your always coming up with some really neat idea's...Can't wait to see it.. All I want to know is where do you plan to mount the 90" flat panel TV  so you wont miss any Packer's games..


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## dm/wolfskin

Can't wait to see the finish product. mikE


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## longbowdave1

Bubbaforsure said:


> Dave..You need to write a book....your always coming up with some really neat idea's...Can't wait to see it.. All I want to know is where do you plan to mount the 90" flat panel TV  so you wont miss any Packer's games..



 Rick I won't  be able to fit the 90" flat screen in there, but there is another answer. I use a potable 7" DVD Player/Digital TV/ card reader to view my SD cards from the trail cameras.  Packer games are covered! 

More work on the blind tonight.


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## longbowdave1

Only did a little bit of work on the blind after work tonight. The floor is in, and finished the "bird cage" work. I sprayed some flat paint on the conduit to avoid any flash through the window openings, just enough to dull it down. I'll let it sit over the weekend and get the paint smell off, then spray it down with some scent remover. Almost ready to dissassemble for the the field. I put a patio chair in the blind just for a size reference for you boys.

 I'm heading up to Northern Wisconsin at noon tomorrow. Got a fall gathering at the campgound. Fall colors will be at ther peak this weekend up there. Finally going to teach the twin boys to shoot the kids longbow saturday, this should be fun!

More work on the blind next week.....


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## gtfisherman

I've spent a lot of time in those made by Midwest while hunting in Nebraska. Deer just pay no freaking attention AT ALL to those things. I had a doe eat the hay off one with me in it. Scared her to death when I poked my head out.


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## Ellbow

Man you got skills!
El


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## dm/wolfskin

Almost looks like a cover wagon  without the wheels and canvas. Go ahead and put that rocking chair in there, I know you want to. mikE


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## johnweaver

Looks good, can't wait to see the finished product.


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## longbowdave1

I installed the wire mesh on the front and back panels today, and precut the mesh to length for spanning the roof and sides of the blind. Saves me some time in the field assembly mode. After marking all the pieces, it was time to disassemble the frame into the back and front panel, two center hoops, and the 5 crossbars, plus the floor.

 I changed plans a bit. I'm going to cover the mesh with 3.5 mil black plastic instead of the landscape fabric. Figured it will be more wind and rain resistant. Also used poulty wire to cover the moving door section on the back of the blind, the 50 ft roll was 6ft short of getting the job done. It will help reduce some weight on the door.

 I have to hook up with a friend of a friend who owns a landscape business, to get the straw blanket material in the next few days. I'd like to get this thing done this week so I can try and hunt from it this weekend.


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## longbowdave1

I picked up the straw blanket yesterday, and rounded up a small piece of carpet for the floor. Those are the last two pieces of the puzzle I needed. Looks like the plan is to take a day off from work thursday, and assemble the blind out in the field.

 I hope to get in done in the morning and hunt from it thurday night, that is, if I got any gas left in the tank from getting everthing carried out and built????????? 

I really want to spend the weekend hunting from the new blind, and give it a try. Pictures and video to follow.


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## longbowdave1

After a restless night of sleep , tossing and turning, going over all the materials and tools needed to build the blind,  the alarm went off at 4:30 am. It's finally time get this thing  built.

 I arrived up at the hunting spot right at 6:45 am, daylight was just breaking. I had a truck and a utility trailer full of stuff. By 7 o'clock I was on my first of 7 trips. Cut through the open field, walk through the wooded area , down 65 feet of slippery moss covered boulders, down the wooded narrow trail, and finally into the marsh grass. Each trip loaded like a pack mule.

 It was 10:30 am before I had made all trips, and was ready to start building the blind. It went together well, but took all day to complete. I worked non-stop til 4:30 pm and didn't have time to hunt today. As long as i had all the tools, I wanted to get it as near complete as possible, I'll have to wait to hunt until saturday.

I cut in 6 windows. The front of the blind faces the center of the marsh where the deer like to tavel and hug the tree line. There is an apple tree 10 yards behind the blind, and a window cut in the door will make for a nice shot if the deer cooperate. It was bout 50 degrees when I was finishing up on the windows, and man it was hot in that blind! Could have took of the sweatshrt I was wearing. I installed a padlock on the door to keep the honest hunters honest, no keeping a crook out. I will be keeping my swivel turkey hunting chair in there, as well as few other comforts of home.

 I think I may hunt in the new blind saturday. Here she is....


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## longbowdave1

few more pictures


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## longbowdave1

last 2 pics.


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## alvishere

Good work.   Looks good


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## Al33

Wow Dave, that looks great!!! No doubt that was a lot of work so I sure hope you reap great dividends from your efforts. Good luck buddy!!!


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## Natty Bumppo

That looks great!


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## longbowdave1

Glad you like it guys.

Al, I was looking at these blinds for about two weeks on the web, and having an inner struggle with whether or not I should build one. talked myself out of it, then just had to build it. A lot of research, planning and prep work, but I hope it will pay off for me.

 That apple tree still is holding some fruit and some on the ground. Deer beds and runways all through the grass area. I hope to shoot some video from the blind, should be room for a tripod. The blind is 6 foot deep so I should have plenty of room to shoot the longbows. Nice thing is, I can stand in the blind to give the old back a rest too. 

  Field test this weekend. I'll see if there is some tweeking to do.


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## dm/wolfskin

Looks like a critter killer to me. mikE


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## 2wheelfoster

Looks Great Dave! Can't wait to see the deer killed from it!


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## gurn

Looks like your work paid off that blind looks great. Now all you need is  a Buddy Heater.


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## BkBigkid

Sweet great job


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## Apex Predator

Nice!


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## Bubbaforsure

SWEET!  ....Ya done good Dave..


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## whossbows

that is way to cool,,good job


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## longbowdave1

Thanks guys.

 Tomorrow I'm heading out for the maiden hunt out of the blind. Going to be a good day to try it out.  Should be about 34 degrees at sun up, with a high in the 40's and a chance of rain. Should keep me warm and dry, don't know if the deer will show with the full moon and damp weather????

I did pick up a few accesories for the blind.

 Deer Lord, please let me shoot a deer tomorrow so I don't have to spend a night in the Half Ton Hotel (aka Dodge Ram pick'm up) in the predicted 30 degree over night low!


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## PassingThrough

Dave good luck man. That blind looks great! Sounds like you could use a heater for the blind and your truck...lol. Lets hope the cold keeps em moving for ya.


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## longbowdave1

PassingThrough said:


> Dave good luck man. That blind looks great! Sounds like you could use a heater for the blind and your truck...lol. Lets hope the cold keeps em moving for ya.



Don't worry It got no where near 30 last night, only got down to 34 and drizzle. LOL. I put a large hand warmer in the two front pockets of my pants and crawled into the sleeping bag for a comfy nights sssssllllllleeeeeep. 

 I got the blind set up inside and it worked great with the longbow, plenty of clearance for the limbs when drawing the bow. I added the swivel chair, a few cup holders for water and coke type stuff, and a small LED lantern for setting up and packing up in the dark. Also set up a removable shooting rail across the front windows for my son during the shotgun season.

 The full moon, and weather didn't help the hunt.  I did set up a trail camera under the apple tree behind the blind. I'd like to see what deer are hitting the last of the apples falling. Like usual, I expect more mid week pictures when the goose hunting pressure is lower.

I have a video that I'll post later that  will demonstrate the goose hunting pressure real well.  I saw the worlds largest fox squirrel saturday morning, got a quick shot of him on video. I thought he was a Red fox coming therough the marsh grass til I saw the body on him. Fog and 34 this morning. I kicked two great looking Toms out of a roost just 50yds from the truck on the way out. They busted out of their perch, and dissappeared in to the thick fog after maybe 50 yards of flying. Cool. The last picture is from the window of the hay bale, the apple tree just 12 steps from the blind, on right on the edge of the marsh grass.


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## stick-n-string

No need to sleep in truck! Bring a sleeping bag and sleep in the blind!!


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## trial&error

Hope no one walks by bored and decides to fire an arrow at it just for fun.


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## Jeff Raines

trial&error said:


> Hope no one walks by bored and decides to fire an arrow at it just for fun.



I was thinking the very same thing!He has done such a great job,it looks just like a hay bale


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## longbowdave1

stick-n-string said:


> No need to sleep in truck! Bring a sleeping bag and sleep in the blind!!



It would be comfortable place to sleep Jonathan, but after a night of snoring, there wouldn't be a single deer left in the county!


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## longbowdave1

Jeff Raines said:


> I was thinking the very same thing!He has done such a great job,it looks just like a hay bale



I'm not to worried about arrows, but I may wrap some blaze orange on top for the gun season.


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## The Original Rooster

Dave, is it considered baiting if they start eating your blind?


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## longbowdave1

RoosterTodd said:


> Dave, is it considered baiting if they start eating your blind?



Only if I pour apple juice all over the blind.


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## The Original Rooster

longbowdave1 said:


> Only if I pour apple juice all over the blind.


 I was just thinking that it would be awful to slip in one morning to find that the deer had eat your blind back to the metal conduit. Otherwise, that's the best blind I've ever seen.


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## longbowdave1

Thanks Todd. I'm anxious to see how the deer react to the blind. I have a camera set up under the apple tree just 10 yds from the blind, I'll check saturday and see what pictures I get.

 We are having a cold week, daytime highs of 45, night time lows of 25, should get the deer moving and the leaves dropping.


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## The Original Rooster

longbowdave1 said:


> Thanks Todd. I'm anxious to see how the deer react to the blind. I have a camera set up under the apple tree just 10 yds from the blind, I'll check saturday and see what pictures I get.
> 
> We are having a cold week, daytime highs of 45, night time lows of 25, should get the deer moving and the leaves dropping.



I really believe you'll be able to reach out and count coup on one with your bowstring if you want to. They are never going to know what hit'em!


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## longbowdave1

Once the deer start rutting, the bucks love to wander through the marsh grass, I've seen some real dandy bucks pass through over the last couple of years. I've got to keep trying in the blind til i have an encounter with a deer or two.


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## The Original Rooster

longbowdave1 said:


> Once the deer start rutting, the bucks love to wander through the marsh grass, I've seen some real dandy bucks pass through over the last couple of years. I've got to keep trying in the blind til i have an encounter with a deer or two.



Dave, be sure to take your camera with you. I bet you'll be able to get some real close ups and they'll never even know you're there.


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## longbowdave1

Here's a little video with a recap of the build, and some video from the camera mounted on the longbow, you''ll hear what I mean about pressure from the goose hunters........


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## Munkywrench

That thing looks amazing Dave, I was tellin a guy at work about it because he's looking at a lease for next year that has a hay field on it


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## longbowdave1

Thanks Tony.


If your friend can build a similar blind complete at home, then transport it to the field using a utility trailer pulled by a truck or ATV, it would make life a lot easier.

Im'm looking forward to my next hunt from it.


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## longbowdave1

*A rain gutter for the Blind.*

Sitting in the blind last weekend, I was reminded of a common problem I have  with blind hunting. When hunting from the ground blinds with the Trad bows, I try to open only a few windows to prevent from being shadowed, and seen by the critters. Whether it's spring turkeys or deer, your line of sight is limited to whats out your open window(s).

Sometimes I wonder,"What's behind or to the side of the blind?". Sometimes you can hear a gobbling Tom, or hear
something walking. Sometimes you just need a different view to break up your time in the blind. Asa much as I'd like to, ya just can't stick you head out of the window and have a "look-see".

 So the gears in my head began turning again, grinding mostly. I took a 24 inch piece of 3" X 2" PVC gutter and cut 45 degee cuts on the ends, and traced out the end plates on 3/16" plywood. Then  traced out PVC gutter adapters, on the ends, and cut them out with a dremmel cutoff wheel, and glued them in place with silcone sealer. After cutting two mirrors to 3" X 2", they were  glued to the plywood pieces with the sealer, and everything dryed over night. The mirrored ends were held in place with the camo duct tape, and then the complete camo duct tape job. Looks like we got a camo periscope now.

 In theory, I ought to be able to sneak this scope out the window to look to the sides, and back of the blind. In a vertical mode, I can look down into the marsh grass  from a higher perspective, for bedded deer.


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## The Original Rooster

Dave, this is awesome. A blind with a periscope!


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## longbowdave1

It's only crazy if it doesn't work, right??? 

 Flung some arrows tonight at the practice targets, and they were hitting the mark. Just packing the truck for the weekend. I should be in the blind for evening hunt tomorrow.


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## longbowdave1

I got to hunt out of the blind Friday night and Saturday, but no shot oppurtunities. I checked the trail camera which I had set under the apple tree last week, and  had sprinkled a little doe p under the tree. Had some small racked, big bodied bucks come in just after dark. Good news is the blind is just a few yards to the right of the trail camera view, and the bucks must have walked right past it.

 Most of the beans fields have been harvested,  and  all I could hear was the roar of the corn being harvested on the neighboring properties as I sat in the blind. This eliminates many spots where the deer will lay down all day, and hide. This makes the little woodlot and marsh I'm hunting in, the place to be.

 Looking forward to next weeks hunt.


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## Pneumothorax

longbowdave1 said:


> Looks like we got a camo periscope now.



OK, it's official.  You're my hero.  That blind and periscope are fantastic!


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## longbowdave1

Thanks.

 Going to hunt again this weekend from the blind. Up here, the rut should be kicking in the next few days. 

 I always have some good luck on, or around, November 6th, so I felt inclined to take off from work wednesday and thursday of next week. I'm going to try and hunt tuesday night, all day wed and thurs. Hunting pressure is much lower during the week. Hope to see some tired does, and some wandering bucks.


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## The Original Rooster

Sounds great Dave. Keep us informed!


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## longbowdave1

Will do.

Rain and wind tonight so I'm holding off til morning to hunt. Just touching up the broadheads. Hoping for good trl cam pics, and a good hunt. Just starting to see more deer road kills on the highways this week. A sign that deer are starting to move more aggressively....

 When the Autumn Blaze Maple in the yard turns full red, the deer hunting  usually gets good!


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## The Original Rooster

longbowdave1 said:


> Will do.
> 
> Rain and wind tonight so I'm holding off til morning to hunt. Just touching up the broadheads. Hoping for good trl cam pics, and a good hunt. Just starting to see more deer road kills on the highways this week. A sign that deer are starting to move more aggressively....
> 
> When the Autumn Blaze Maple in the yard turns full red, the deer hunting  usually gets good!



Nice! My red maples are looking good too.


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## longbowdave1

Wind and some rain this weekend. Had visitors to the apple tree while I wasn't in the blind. Doesn't seem the blind bothers them at all.

 Heading back out mid week.


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