Its 2:00 PM as I sit in my high back donated leather executive chair in my new home built shooting house waiting on the deer to start moving, but by the time most of you read this article your deer season will be over. What I would like to accomplish is that your season should never be over, but should be in prep for next season. Nothing gets your better prepared than building a shooting house in the off season. I hope to step you through building your first shooting house, or it may be one of many that you have. In my case this is my first.

 My adventure started when I found some elevator® brackets on sale in February. I knew that I wanted to build a box big enough and well built, so my two grandchildren would have a place to hunt with their Papa “D”. With a little bit of birthday money left over, I purchased 6 pressure treated 2X6’s, 10ft long, to start building the floor and deck platform. Since I was a good boy last year, I purchased a framing nail gun for myself to make the assembly go better for a one man show. I framed the floor and topped with a ¾in. plywood and for the deck I used 1x6 deck pressured treated deck boards. I mounted my elevator® brackets on my floor 16 inches from each corner. I purchased 1 gallon of wood water seal, and put 4 coats on the floor and deck.

The following week, I loaded the floor and deck on the trailer for the 25 mile ride to the perfect spot on a old railroad bed facing the clear cut area. I had help unloading the floor and decking and bolted 4 10ft 4x4’s to the elevator platform brackets. We raised the platform using old lumber for braceing, and with post hole diggers, I leveled out phase one of the new Rattlesnake Road shooting house.

A few weeks went by and I saved up enough money to purchase about 20 8 ft. long pressure treated 2x4’s. Over a period of 4 weeks I managed to build one wall a week. The first wall was a six foot minus the width of one 2x4 and 6 and half foot tall. The other six foot wall minus the width of a 2x4 wall was 6 foot tall. I built the 4 foot walls minus the width of a 2x4, angled the cuts at 6 and half feet on the high end and angled the cut on the low end of 6 foot. I screwed the walls together from the inside.

The next process I started was framing in the windows with the help of an office chair for the proper height. A couple of weeks later I found a great deal at a home improvement center for 3 sliding glass windows for seven dollar and half each. The windows were 23 inches x 29 inches, so I ended up tearing out my window frames and reframed to fit the new windows mounted sideways.

The following weeks I purchased seven sheets of 15/32 inches plywood. I set the framed walls on some 4x4’s to get them off the ground and to allow the plywood to have a 4in overhang on three sides. I nailed the plywood to three framed walls and cut out the excess at the top. I found an old closet door and cut it down to 5 and half feet and mounted it in the door frame. I covered it with the last sheet of plywood, and drilled several pilot holes around the door and cut the left side out, mounted door hinges, and finished cutting the rest of the door free. I cut the window holes back out and purchased a gallon of premium stain and painted the walls. By this time it was May and turkey season was over.

I disassembled the walls and loaded them on the trailer and with the help of one of my hunting buddies; we lifted each wall to form a perfect  6x4 shooting house with a 4 foot deck.   

A few weeks later I found a deal on some rough cut 1 and ½ inch x 6 inch and 6 foot long fence boards, that was to make the roof. I covered the roof with a sheet of 15/32 inch plywood. I was given enough tin to cover the roof. I built a ladder and hand rail and Installed trim.

The month before bow season I installed the windows and mounted the 2x6’s for shooting rails and to prevent water from coming inside. The last process I worked on was installing wall to wall carpet. One thing you need to take in to account is to put in plenty of shelving to hold all of your snacks. I may have over built my first shooting house, but it’s mainly for our grandbabies for their enjoyment for years to come.

Now where are those deer?

By Dennis Parker

Dennis was introduced to Hunting, Fishing & Trapping at around the age of 6 by his father, not as a hobby but by need of survival because his Dad was often laid off as Steel worker. Dennis would help bait the traps and run them with his Dad. He learned to shoot with a 22 single shot rifle then moved up to a 16 gage Double Barrel Shotgun.

Dennis has been married for the last 35 Years and has one Daughter, age 30, and two wonderful grand children that he is bringing up to enjoy Hunting, Fishing and the outdoors. He says he often times has Deer in his yard and his 2 year old grandson will watch for the Deer outside the window with his toy gun aiming and shouting Boom at the Deer.

Dennis attended Jefferson State, University of Alabama, University Alabama Birmingham and Walker State (Now Bevill State) where he have a degree in Coal mine design/Technology.

He has worked in the IT Industries for the past 38 years 28 of those years are with his current employer ALTEC Industries, Inc (Maker of Utility Equipment like Bucket Trucks etc.) where he is a Network Analyst II/Senior IT Buyer.

When not working you will catch him at his Hunting Club, Shoal Creek Hunting Club, just outside of Montevallo Alabama in Shelby County, moving and Placing Hunting Blinds, Ladder stands and putting in Food Plots. You will also catch him hunting in Clio Alabama (South Alabama) where he will be throwing lead at hog’s or catching catfish.

Dennis is also a volunteer for Honor Flight Birmingham where they fly WWII Veterans to Washington DC to visit the WW II Memorial

Comments(1):

1. nice stand!

   Only thing missing is the wood stove and built in bunk! Makes it look much less difficult than one would think. Suddenly not an overwhelming project.

   Saturday, February 05, 2011 Duane