i have a tiny piece of land to hunt, it is my only hunting land, and it is set up so weird that there is no way i can hunt it on a northwest-north-nw wind, which is normally what we have in the winter. last year, i could only hunt on a south wind. i want to build a plywood box, quite similer to a pop up blind, but bigger, so my longbow has plenty of room, with a slit about 1 foot tall, only on one side to shoot through. i will culk the seams, and bury the bottom edges, to make it as airtight as possible. i will set it up so front is downwind of the back, and HOPEFULLY, the wind blows around it rather than through it. i know this sounds desperate, because i am. i really want to hunt alot this year, but because i have no other land, i need to make this work. but i also want your honest opinion, because plywood is expensive and this may be a rediculous idea. thanks for any thoughts.
Why not just get above the wind? Either a treestand, ladderstand or Tripod stand that is temporary & removeable. Hunter's plywood "Masterpieces" are unsightly in the forest. Hate to see those things....
It will no doubt reduce your scent and if you wash in some of the green hunters soap and keep your clothes odor free I believe you will have a very good chance of remaining undetected. You can accomplish this with a pop-up blind as well and it would give you more options for setting up as well. I know a gentlemen who has killed lots of deer out of box blinds built above the ground(6-8ft.)and he says he has shot plenty of deer that came in downwind. Shawn
Michael
Guys around here build blinds from the T-111 panels and they are cheaper than plywood. It takes a little more paint to cover it up (it soaks up quite a bit, but that's good for weather proofing). Then they cut a hole in the top and put a 10ft piece of PVC (painted flat black)out the top with the bottom just below the "ceiling" inside. The thought is that the breeze blowing accross the top of the PVC pipe pulls their scent up and out of the blind and carries it away above the deer's head. I think they got the idea from the Park and Forest Service's Sweet Smelling Toilets (SSTs). Sounds like a viable idea. Probably ought to build it and paint it at home and let it air out before you put it in the woods. Would also give you a chance to practice shooting out of it and perfect your shooting hole.
Or you could just put up a fairly high tree stand and get as scent free as possible. I have had deer move down wind of me in cold weather while sitting on the ground. I had on multiple layers of polypro.,fleece and wool. All kept scent free and sprayed with scent killer. I also use some of that stinkey doe pee stuff in one of the little bottles with the wick. Not to attract deer, but to add a little to their confusion when they get REAL close. Two years ago I shot a big doe, dead down wind of me. I think the scent free clothing, the layers and the added pee smell stopped her long enough to get a ever so slightly quartering away shot at 8 yards. ZIP, ZIP... arrow all they way through and out the other side. She shied a little like a horsefly bit her and took 4 or 5 steps. When she craned her neck to nibble some green stuff, she fell over dead.
Good Luck.
OkKeith
I would first check to see that the wind is doing what you think it should be doing. There are several factors to consider, such as terrain, thermals, etc. I have found that the wind does some pretty strange things. Buy some bubbles and test out the wind at different locations and heights. You'll be surprised at what you don't know about the wind. As Mike wrote your answer might be as simple as going higher.
The wind and sound is a critical part of your approach to hunting small woods. If the deer leave before you get there then it won't matter if you have good set up or not. I have seen deer act as if they were deaf as trucks rolled down a gravel road, then come to full alert as the truck slowed and high tail it the minute the truck stopped. The amazing thing was that the deer couldn't have seen the road from there position nor was it close.
Have you read any of Roger Rothhaar's books? Roger has written some excellent articles and books on this subject.
Think outside the tree stand and you will get em.
Just use scent lok clothes and forget the wind :biglaugh:
NOT !