A few Saturdays ago when we had all that bad weather I went hunting up in Tennessee, was sitting in a Sportsmen's Condo SC3 when the storm hit and it blew over, right into a creek. It took about a 10 ft ride to the ground and woke up in the top of the shooting house laying in a good bit of water. My gun had hit me in the face when everything started blowing around and left goose egg on my cheek and that is the last thing I remembered until I was laying there all confused and hurt. I found my phone in the water and thank the Lord it still worked. My arm and shoulder were not working and I knew I was hurt, just didnt know how bad. I tried to get out of the SH, but was in a lot of pain and didnt want to pass out and go face down in the creek I was laying in, so I called my hunting buddy and my wife and they were able to drive all the way to the shooting house (of course it took over an hour to get there) and take me to the ER in Huntsville. I ended up with a shattered elbow and a plate and screws to put that back together. I dont have a broken shoulder, but there is certainly damage, we will find out after the elbow is able to move exactly what is wrong with my shoulder. All in all, very thankful and blessed to be still walking and be here to spend the holidays with my family. This deer season is over and it will take me a while to recover, but all things considered God was really looking out for me.

So... the question, how do you all anchor your shooting houses down? We have only had one blow over before and we generally just trust the weight of the shooting house and the wide bases will keep them up. Turns out, they can go for a ride. Oh and I know... don't go hunting in 40 mph wind... I already have a wife and a mom to scold me :-)

I had a 16 foot tripod blow over a couple of times when I was not in it. Never understood just what was catching enough wind to knock it over. I put in several screw in anchors and solved the problem.

Post hole digger and a few trailer anchors I guess?

Any dead-man system will probably work for that light application, but make a simple footing for the legs to prevent sinking, thus putting slack in your guy system.

For a shooting house anchor, I doubt you will need to know the lead-over-height like a powerco guy or telco guy.

Glad you survived. God Bless!

As for anchoring it, heavier is always better. Not just strap anchors to the ground but some extra weight in the entire thing seems to help. I have seen some where people put car batteries or just scrap iron in them to make the weight greater. I have seem some lightweight shooting houses toppled in a mild windstorm.

As I sat there, knowing the wind was blowing hard I thought to myself, this thing has been here 2 years and never moved, it certainly will not go over while I am in it. I was wrong!

Thanks, Fred, looked them up and they look robust enough to stay anchored.

Glad you survived the fall.

I put long 2x4 cross bracing to the ground. Drive a short piece of 2x in ground where the long pieces are. Screw together and you are done.

Yep. Sorry you got busted up.

I use a mobile home tie down centered under it, with 4 steel cables to each corner connected to i-colts and turn buckles to tighten.
Hope you have a speedy recovery.

I don't know how much it would help, but I'd think that pointing a corner of the shooting house to the southwest would keep it from catching the strongest winds on a flat side.

Appreciate all the well wishes and helpful words of advice.

Not sure where the house is situated but cabling the top of the house to two or three opposing trees would also work well for tipping.

Apparently their website has a kit for just such problems:

https://sportsmanscondo.com/project/high-wind-anchor-kit/


https://sportsmanscondo.com/project/the-condo-deck/

Damn. That had to be a hell of a ride.

I use screw in anchors and cables, one on each corner. Had one survive a major storm, with large trees blown down all around, even with one large tree landing on one of the screw in anchors. I also use turn buckles to easily tighten the cables over time. I know this is probably overkill, but it works for me. If you use pound in anchors (fence posts/ angle iron), make sure you angle it towards the shooting house (like guy wires and anchors used on power poles). Then when you attach the cable and get it mostly tight, you can hammer it and it will tighten up the rest of the way.

One large screw in anchor in the center of the legs ….with a cable attached to an eyelet at the center of the platform. Turnbuckles on the cables and check them every year as part of my work schedule.

One trailer anchor centered. Run cable from anchor to I bolt on the underside of the floor frame. Use a turnbuckle to tighten it down.

I always used the mobile home anchor and cables plus drove some T post beside the legs opposite the ladder and drive lag bolts through to the legs

I do the same except use ratchet strap

55 gal drum of concrete with it tied to the bottom of the house