I think one of my summer projects will be building a 2-man shooting house up at the farm. I'll probably design it as I go rather than follow a blueprint (that's half the fun for me). That said, what general tips can y'all share...things to avoid (OSB?)...things you would different if you had to do it again....things that worked great for you? We're most likely going to put it on the edge of our most productive field and only elevated bout 4 feet. This is going to be on a budget, so no built in heaters or satellite dish like 257's. Feel free to post up some pictures if you have them.

Built some with OSB about 15 years ago and they are still fine. I would recommend sealing it with great stuff or some sort of filler to try and keep the wasps out as much as possible. Also plexiglass windows on hinges are nice to have. Finally, I would really look at elevating the stand a little more than four feet. Good luck doing it on a budget. They get expensive quick.

Yes, have built several without "window glass" of some sort. This is a must from here on out. I, too, will be building a couple this spring and summer.

Make sure that your sides overlap the edges of the floor. Leave a good over hang all the way around the roof (12") and paint with two coats of exterior paint. Windows that allow you to close them will add years of life to the shooting house floor.

Not how to build but where to build. South side of field if at all possible facing north. Facing west is the absolute worst with a setting sun in your eyes. Off field enough to get in AND out without spooking the deer. That is a must.

Thanks. I might have access to some free lumber and also picked up a couple boards last night from the cull stack at Home Depot (70% off).

Put carpet in them during season and take it out during off season so it doesn't hold moisture and rot floor.

I build the base out of mine with treated 2x6's and treated 3/4" plywood so they are plenty sturdy and hopefully will hold up longer with the treated lumber. There is nothing more of a pain in the arse than replacing a shooting house floor because you wanted to save $20 when building. I believe with the treated lumber for base/floor I have about $80 in the base however with that 3/4" plywood and 2x6 floor joist every 16-17" you can put several grown men in it and there is no floor sag or noise. Here is the link I kind of based my build off of.

http://howtospecialist.com/hunting/4x6-shooting-house-plans/

Joe; remember older we get the key word is comfort, build for it.

Place the house back off of the field at least 50-75yds and let the brush grow up between the house and field as a screen to conceal your comings and goings.

Start now looking in the paint mis-mixed sections for stain/Paint. I got some Kiliz stain for 4.99 a gallon last year it was normally 29.99

Yep. That's one reason the shooting house might become a reality...getting out of those ladder stands. The weekends rains this season have also provided motivation.

Those are great pieces of advice already!! I'm with what cvp3 said about making them as insect-proof as possible. The last one we built, wasn't heavy or over-built, but we did it RIGHT with no gaps around the door/windows/roof, etc. I absolutely HATE going to a shooting house in the dark, even when it's cold, and there being wasps huddled together on the wall. More than anything else, insect-proofing it was my priority last time. Maybe I'm just girly!

This is expensive to buy, but my father in law owned a flooring business and lots of old boxes of carpet tile. 2' x 2' squares of commercial carpet with rubber backing....we used flooring adhesive and put it on the floor and interior walls up to the window. It sound dampened movement very good, and I suppose also gave it a little bit of insulation (although I guess that don't matter really).

I do NOT leave my chairs in there year round. Again, makes my skin crawl thinking about spiders being in them.

Some friends of mine had buzzards roost in one of theirs over the summer, basically ruined the house to the point of being unusable. They sprayed it with Clorox and everything, still can't kill the ammonia smell.

Oh, only other thing is plan the window height very carefully, so when you shoulder your gun it's comfortable and steady. I'm only 5-11, but most shooting house window ledges are far too short for me, I'm always leaned down and hunched over, don't feel steady.

Yep, and I'm going to have a youth with me much of the time so have to consider that as well...

I've had to clean a few out that owls had been roosting/nesting in. The dust from all of that poop and pellets makes you feel like you're definitely going to die from bird flu.

I think the building advice has been covered. We have noticed a huge difference by placing them away from the field where you can get in and out without disturbing deer in the field. You don't have to be able to shoot every inch of the field, its much better to be hidden.

And nothing will get more exciting than climbing the ladder to elevated shooting house and opening door to find a big a$$ baby buzzard at eye level. Those things ruin a shooting house. They still come to my best spot from time to time, i finally ripped the carpet out and flip the chair over every time so the damage is minimal. Everytime i show up with a shotgun they are gone, im going there this afternoon for first time this year so it should be exciting climbing the ladder.

The guy I hunt with in Namibia builds blinds out of boulders on the side of a mountain about 100 yards above a waterhole. When I hunted there in 2017 a leopard had killed an African porcupine and drug it into the blind to eat it. The quills of African porcupines are extremely long (10-12”) and considered good luck. I brought about 15-20 home with me in my carryon bag.

I feel like being in an enclosed space where something got eaten by a leopard would be somewhat unsettling for me

I’d build it modular at home and then reassemble on site.