box stand

[ortonville]

going to build a new box stand over the winter.never had windows in my old one.so what does everyone use or what would you do different to yours ?

[mskyfshntchr]

I have hunted out of a few made by some friends. Don't put sliders in there- noisy and can freeze up, especially for me during muzzleloader season. They have one that has swinging windows in it- those are nice.

They built a frame with glass in it and on the top have a hinge. They have an eye hook on each side of the window in the top frame and use a bungee cord to hold window open when in use. Don't make the window fit super tight and you can open and close silently.

[soldoncass]

A lot will depend on what size your stand will be, and what type of windows are available to you. We hunted a few years from some old 4' square stands, with wooden sash hinged at the tops, and a trapdoor access. 4' was too small to easily swing a gun around to change shooting direction ,without making noise. The trapdoor was bad, cause you couldn't get in or out easily with all your gear. The windows were bad because they clashed in the middle when open....had to open them in the right order for the hooks to work. (try that when a deer is near by)

Now when we build new ones, we make them 5' square, with a side door and ladder, and sliding windows. There are some sliding windows available about 4' wide and 2' high that would be PERFECT....but it is hard to justify spending that much($60-70 each) on deerstand windows. If you look around you can find old wooden window sash that measure 1 3/8 inches thick. They work well in 2x2 thick walls, slide well, lift up and out if you want the full view.

Good luck with your planning and building.

[shortfatguy]

I have windows that lift up. I want the whole window area open when I open a window. Not half or less like a slider. I was just telling my buddy today that my next stand is going to have smaller gun ports just big enough to shoot out of as well as windows. That way if it's really cold or a deer gets close you don't have to open the big window to shoot. Seems like it's impossible to open any window with out making noise. Another thing is I worry about the deer seeing a flash or reflection off of the window as it moves and spooking.

[LakeoftheWoods]

I have windows that lift up. I want the whole window area open when I open a window. Not half or less like a slider. I was just telling my buddy today that my next stand is going to have smaller gun ports just big enough to shoot out of as well as windows. That way if it's really cold or a deer gets close you don't have to open the big window to shoot. Seems like it's impossible to open any window with out making noise. Another thing is I worry about the deer seeing a flash or reflection off of the window as it moves and spooking.

but don't you think that the deer will get used to seeing the stand/windows/reflections with the stand sitting all year long?

[mnviking28]

Mine stand is 5x6, slanted roof, trap door in the bottom to get in. I made my windows by just taking a piece of 1/2" x 3/4" trim that you can get at any of the big box stores. I take a table saw and cut a 1/4" groove in them, and get 1/4" plexiglass, seal it with clear silicone. They are 16" x 30". Big enough to see out of, yet small enough to not have the deer see you moving as much. I put two small hinges at the bottom and then a twist tab on a screw at the top. When you twist the tab, the window opens and lays against the wall. We have tried a lot of different designs including the sliders, ropes with eye hooks, and bungee cords. This is the best design we have come up with. If you silicone a second layer of plexiglass on the inside, it makes it like a double pane of glass to help with the frost/fog issues. I like plexiglass better than glass as it doesn't break as easily from branches, birds flying into it, etc. Make sure there is a latch on your trap door or take down your ladder as you can look back about a month ago and see the damage a small bear created when it climbed in but couldn't get out. Thus the reason I know the dimensions of my windows as I had to make a new one to replace the one he broke on his way out.

[shortfatguy]

I was talking about the sudden flash a window makes when you move it and the sun hits it.

[eyedawg]

I've made a couple 4x4 stands in the past and are fine for one person. If you plan on taking kid or trying to shoot a bow could won't work. I will be building more that are guna be 4x6 and with all the window talk I use old bus windows that u can get at a junkyard for 5 bucks. I spray some silicone spray on the slides a few wks b4 the season starts and have never had a problem freezing up. I also make the stands to the roof has a overhang and a pitch. My stands are 6.5 ft on the tall side and 5.5 ft on short.

[LightningBG]

How high are most people putting their box stands? I've always used ladder stands that are about 15ft tall, but that seems like it could be quite the challenge to build a box up that high. I'm thinking we might have to upgrade to a couple boxes for next season.

[Mnfisher]

My stand that I built this year is 6x6 and holds two adults pretty nicely. It is 10' off the ground which works well for my situation. My windows are hinged down (I saw this design on a professionally built stand sitting in Harris) and it has worked well for me. Windows are 22" x29" (bought at the big box store). The windows could have been a bit bigger and I may install some stationary windows on the corners. I have a small door on one side. It works!! I didn't get my buck yet, but got a nice doe! (good eating)