Ever since man has been pursuing wild animals, whether for food, for sport, for trophies or for all of the above, the pursuit usually involved some type of "blind" or "stand". A dirt-simple explanation of a hunting stand or hunting blind is a hideaway to quietly wait, observe and ambush an animal. Over the years, the hunting stand has gone through a vast array of shapes, types and construction changes to be more convenient and more comfortable for the hunter. Over the last several decades of stalking white-tailed deer across Texas, I have been an eyewitness to the evolution of the hunting stand. In the early years, a good hunting blind was usually where I fount it. Many of them were existing structures or makeshift seats to serve as a suitable perch with a view. Some of my earlier memories of hunting blinds consisted of a partially collapsed wooden fence, an old ranch out-building or a windmill platform. On a hunt north of Austin, I even took a respectable buck while sitting in an abandoned, rusted out truck body sitting on a riverbank. With a little effort, the industrious hunter could build or improve on an existing brush pile. Outfitted with a metal chair or a folding hunting stool, the brush blind could be made into a suitable hideaway blind with the view of a game trail or a promising-looking clearing. The simple tree stand has been a popular alternative over the years. Relatively easy to build, the old tree stand provided some elevation and an adequate seat to watch for approaching deer. A few short 2x4s nailed to a tree trunk for steps and a few sturdy boards across a couple of limbs for a seat created a natural outpost. Tree stands were not built for comfort, but they worked. There are some distinct advantages to these makeshift and primitive stands. They are always there, and they cost little or nothing to enlist them into use. The biggest advantage is that whether it is a big brush pile, a windmill, an old outbuilding, a tree or even a rusting truck body, the structures have been in place on the ranch for a long period of time. The wildlife will pay little or no attention to something they are accustomed to seeing. I have spent my share of hours sitting in a swaying tree stand or hunkered down in a wind-blown brush blind on the side of a rocky slope. In remembering those days, I believe the experiences have made me a more observant and more astute hunter. In fact, misery levels aside, the hours spent in those primitive and makeshift stands are all recalled as enjoyable, serious hunting experiences. As hunting the white-tailed deer across Texas became more and more popular, the number of serious hunters steadily increased in numbers. Large hunting leases were carved out of land where there had been little hunting for fees before. Outdoorsmen were forming hunting clubs to better afford leasing prices. These groups started building their own stands, which consisted mostly of plywood box blinds or box tower blinds with wooden steps and ladders. Add a little camo paint on the box and legs, and immediately the hunters had serviceable, inexpensive deer stands. As more and more hunters became more serious about hunting the Texas whitetail, they increasingly demanded quality deer stands. Coupled with the fact that the average deer hunter's pockets were getting increasingly deeper, smaller manufacturing companies sprang up to build quality deer stands. It became more convenient and quicker for the hunter to pick-up a ready-built stand and haul it out to the ranch or hunting lease and set it up, ready to hunt in. In the American way, the ever-growing stand market created lots of competition, which in turn kept the costs in check. One important aspect to keep in mind by stand builders is safety. From the liability as well as the safety factor, stands need to be easy to get into and out of. One little known fact is that there are more injuries to hunters falling out of stands or having stands fall with them in it than any other aspect of deer hunting. As popular as tree stands are, one misstep with a size 11 hunting boot on a rotten step could spell disaster. For these reasons, stand manufacturers make certain their products are easily accessible and sturdy. Over the years of fabricating stands, the size, the style and the type of stands have only been limited by the hunter's imagination and the size of his budget. Manufacturers tell me that for a price, any stand can be built to a hunter's specification. Most of the time, the type of stand purchased by a hunter is determined by the way it will be used and the terrain on which it will go. For instance, the hunter needs to decide if the stand will be used for close-range bow hunting or rifle hunting, a railing or rifle rest is advisable. If it will be used mostly for bow hunting, the shooting rail would simply be in the way for making a full draw on a bow. Another decision to be made is whether the stand needs to be relatively open or enclosed for the same reasons. The enclosed stand will allow more movement inside the stand without detection, whereas the more open stand requires more immobility. Full camo is also a necessity if the hunter is more exposed. In placing a hunting stand in your chosen area, one big consideration is whether or not the stand will be permanent. Hunters frequently want stands that are relatively portable so they can be easily moved to another location without a several man work crew. However, not all types of stands will work in every area. One valuable lesson I learned recently was about fitting the stand to the terrain and the area, which I would be hunting. The gleaming, 14-foot tripod with the camo covering looked great sitting on the level concrete floor of the stand and feeder company where I bought it. When I hauled it to my ranch in Sutton County, one fact that quickly became apparent: in the part of the ranch where I wanted to put the stand, there were no trees tall enough to serve as a backdrop. The stand was much too tall for the area. The solution was to leave off the bottom four-foot sections of the legs. At 10 feet, the tripod was the perfect height. I snuggled the tripod back into the brush on a fence line with cedar and mesquite of about the same height. It was a natural location for the tripod. It melted into the background brush, and yet it still gave me enough elevation to oversee the large mesquite flat in front of it. On ranches and hunting leases with few or no tall trees, climbing tree stands and ladder tree stands are not practical for obvious reasons. The development of the tripod stand has been a hunting blind with ever-growing popularity. The tripod is a relatively simple structure consisting of three legs, one of which has steps for a ladder, a platform and a swivel seat. A shooting rail and a camo cover are optional. The hunting tripod has a lot of advantages. It is easy to set up and it is easy to reposition. The elevation and the swivel seat give the hunter a 360-degree view of an area. However, the open-air tripod is not without its disadvantages. On frigid, misty mornings or times when sleet pecks at the hunting cabin window, a wet or frozen tripod is not the ideal place to spend a lot of time. On the subject of tripod hunting stands, Curtis Blackwell, owner of Blackwell Welding & Mfg., Inc., said "I started this whole tripod business. I developed the first one back in 1960 for my own use in South Texas. Nobody had ever seen one before. I advertised and thought I would build a few of them to sell, then all hell broke loose. For safety and durability, we built them out of all steel." For many welding and metal fabricating companies, building metal tripods and other metal stands became a logical extension of the business. Mr. Blackwell also pointed out the growing demand for the tall, metal, truck-mounted stands with comfortable seats. This type is quite popular because of its mobility. The tower blind in probably the most popular stand in use. A tower blind is basically a box blind on legs. This type of deer blind provides excellent concealment and great protection from the elements. The tower blind is very forgiving for the hunter who doesn't sit still and limits his movements. The elevation and shooting windows provide a great view of the area with less chance of being detected while sipping on a cup of hot coffee. The stationary window ledges provide an excellent brace for accurately placing a shot. In talking with Bob Brock with Texas Hunter Products in San Antonio, he stressed the trends in the business toward room and comfort, "...in the beginning, hunters seemed to buy more of the 4x4 (foot) Single blinds," he said. "But in recent years, we've seen a shift to the larger, more comfortable and accommodating 4x8 (foot) double blinds which feature plenty of room for two or three adults." If elevation is not needed, the box blind on the ground offers the same protection and advantages. These stands can be placed overlooking a feeding plot or viewing a deep ravine from the side of a steep ridge. The box blind can provide a perfect perch for intercepting a buck. The camo canvas pop-up blind can serve the hunter equally well. Its portability is an added advantage. To borrow an expression from real estate, "location, location, location" can also be applied to the placement of hunting stands. Regardless of the type of stand you prefer, it cannot be effective if it is placed facing an empty field or an area not frequented by deer. It takes a log of scouting and planning to figure out the deer's movement patterns on a particular lease or ranch. Stands should be placed along regular routes to and from feeding sites or watering holes. Stands can also be placed near regular fence or road crossings. Study where the deer are traveling, find the game trails and place your deer stands accordingly. With the ever-increasing styles, sizes, safety features and kinds of hunting stands to choose from, the modern day deer hunter no longer has to rely on rickety, primitive, makeshift hunting stands. The knowledgeable hunter has a vast array of stands available to him that are safer, of higher quality, more comfortable and are more effective hideaways for hunting the white-tailed deer. Editor's Note: The Texas Trophy Hunters Association has seen numberous changes in the deer hunting industry over the last 30 years. so we would like to focus on some of the changes in that time. This is Part 2 in a series we will be doing for every issue in 2006. |
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