Jameswnash

I'm looking to do some brainstorming. Hoping to come here about some ideas around until we came up with a good one. I manage a 30,000 acre hunting ranch in South Texas on the border of Mexico and some of our customers BoWhunt. In the past every year we buy a handful of pop up blinds, the cheap ones, and they dont last. This year I was thinking about using the double bull blind because it is better material. But I was thinking since the sun seems to be the hardest thing on these blinds, if I could build some kind of shade canopy to protect it from the sun and it would also cool down the temperature inside the blind. The temperature is down here during the beginning couple of months of our season is still above 100°. I have a few ideas as far as using canvas tied to poles or even where possible using the mesquite trees around it. But I was hoping was that somebody had already found a good solution and if not someone would come up with a good idea, who knows maybe even come up with a patent....lol

Oldtimr

Why don't you buy a couple of the igloo shaped pop up tents and cover them with a camo material. That way you can put them up when your client gets to his spot and take them with you when you leave. You can modify them with shooting windows if there are not enough. If they aren't out in the weather, the sun can't destroy them. Just an idea.

Hatfield Hunter

This sounds crazy but works---I buy up old artificial xmas trees at garage sales for 5 to 10 bucks----I use steel poles driven into ground as a base, put up and tie xmas tree to post, make a circle of trees, oh about an 8 foot circle---the tree actually provide pretty good shooting lanes but I do bend some branches to accommodate lanes--put a swivel stool in middle--done--last for many years, deer do not know difference from real tree,s have had deer and bucks within a foot of blinds and also bedded inside. now you owe me big time

Oldtimr

That would work for concealment, but it wouldn't do anything to shield the hunters from the Texas sun.

mrbb

you can get some surplus camo cargo netting to cover a blind, that should help keep the UV's and all from drying out a blind
but if you have a lot of hunts for bow hunters, why not build some fixed blinds on either wheels or skids, then you can move than as needed, and they will last many many yrs
a couple hundred bucks on pop up blinds that don't last long., or build some blinds that run a little more, but last yrs and yrs??

yes a pop up will be easier to set up quick like, but , your on a 30,000 acres, I gather with food plot and such, more permanent like blinds sound like a better option to me?

Jameswnash

It's not a bad thought but we seem to do better when something is put and left.... allowing animals to get used to seeing works better down here than trying to hide it

Jameswnash

That is a great idea for personal hunting, I love it, however the dingbats that come down here and can barely shoot a rifle much less a bow, and have no idea how to be still, really need full concealment and the ability to move around like a jumping bean, although if those trees were thick enough that might be possible. I will experiment with that, however, I would have to buy new trees because I live NOWHERE.

Jameswnash

It does sound much better to ME..... however some billionaires are weird with their money. Was trying to sell him on the blind turtle type stands and he wasn't biting. And I was a little concerned with them not breathing, temp but on one of my trail cams today was 137 degrees. We don't do fall food plots, we feed protein year round, we have 256 feeders and use about $400,000 per year in feed. I plant lab lab in the early spring. Camp meeting or canvas was what I was thinking but how to rig it up to withstand the very stiff winds we get was more my concern I guess

Oldtimr

I am glad I live in PA. I could not hunt in that heat, our dove season in September is hot enough for me in the 80s.

mrbb

man that's a HOT place where ever your at.
I had a job offer many yrs back to be a guide on a ranch like this, BIG money operation, but turned it down due to I hate the heat and well, place had a lot of snakes(rattlers)
as for building blinds, again, that is the best option, if your Boss's are cheap, they can be build for a LOT less than buying pre built one's
and you can add vents to them , or even use larger window screen to the tops so they always vent up high, I am guessing, rains are far and few, so any water that MIGHT get in one would dry pretty fast? plus screens will let light in , can add roll down shades if one wanted the inside dark too!
400K on feed, WOW thats a LOT of food, I hope some of that goes towards cattle

but feed adds u[ fast and 200+ feeders, again WOW
sounds like a full time job just filling feeders

if it wasn't for the heat, I say sounds like a good job you have
but dealing with clients can be a handful I am sure?
all the more so some with deep pockets that think things should always go there way!


but if there spending that kind of $$ on feed, it shouldn;t be that hard to sell them on real blinds
Cabela''s and bass pro and the likes now all carry lines of real blinds now, over just pop up's?
if you contacted a few makers and asked about BULK buying prices, you might find some super deals?
all comes down to how many you want to get??

I built a super heavy duty 6x6x6 blind, cost me about 900 bucks to build
fully insulated, and on skids to be move able.
I would think, you could do the same, or maybe for less pending design
and they can be made a lot lighter than what I did!