Evaluating Hunting Blinds Podcast

Listen to the entire show from our friends at Huntin' Land Podcast.

Joe Baya: Hey guys, and welcome to Huntin’ Land, presented by Great Days Outdoors Magazine. If you’d like to stay up to date on hunting tactics, land management, land values, and land market dynamics, this is the podcast for you.

This week’s show is brought to you by Southern Seed and Feed.

I’m your host Joe Baya here today with Butch Thierry. Butch, you know, box blinds are something that are on a lot of properties that I’m selling, that I’m showing the buyers. They’re on my property, I need a few more of them now. We’re getting a timber harvest done and create some new food plots.

You all got a bunch of them on your place. I’ve got a bunch of funny stories about box blinds, in terms of things I’ve seen and things I didn’t want to see, and…

Butch: No doubt.

Joe Baya: But you know, when you start thinking about replacing one, which happens, especially if you’ve made them yourself over the years, there’s a lot of options out there on the market. There’s a lot of ways to upgrade. But if you’re in that market, there’s a lot of things you need to think about when it comes to choosing the one that’s going to be the best for the kind of, the amount of people that are going to be hunting out of it, the locations you’re going to put it. And the way you hunt, too, is a big consideration.

Butch: Yup, definitely.

Joe Baya: What’s your favorite in terms of size? You know, like, do you have a style, a shooting house you really like over the years? I’ve hunted in some that were actually too big, you know, and I’ve definitely hunted and more that we’re way too small. What do you have on your property you like?

Butch: Man, so we are actually dealing with kind of an upgrade situation right now. You know, we started every single one on our property until last year was built. And all of them are out of wood and thin. So all of those ones we built, you know, 20 years ago should have been phased out about 10 years ago, to be honest with you. Some of them are not so pleasant to sit in.

The favorite ones we have right now are, they’re kind of long and skinny on the food plots, in particular, in places where you can see a long way. We have a long bench in the middle, and I can kind of slide back and forth in between the windows, and those are my favorite ones right now.

But there was some prescribed fire injuries, there was some tractor injuries. So you know, we’re going to have to start upgrading them one by one, man. It’s just kind of part of it.

Joe Baya: Well, and you got a little girl that, hopefully, you’re going to be taking with you, too. So I imagine most of the time, you ended up hunting by yourself…

Butch: Yup, definitely.

Joe Baya: …that’s hopefully going to change here pretty soon. All those things come into play, the materials you use, the amount of people you’re going to take with you. To answer all these questions today, we’re really going to be talking about what you need to think about. If you’re out in the marketplace, you’re evaluating different hunting box blinds.

All right, and to do that this week, we’re talking about Heath Stanford of Texas Hunter Products. And Heath, tell us a little about yourself and a little bit about Texas Hunter, and how long you guys have been manufacturing box blinds.

Heath Stanford: Absolutely. Appreciate the opportunity. I am the Director of Sales at Texas Hunter Products. Texas Hunter has built– has been building box blinds and feeders for over 65 years. Everything is built in San Antonio, Texas. We pride ourselves on a commitment to quality products and best in class customer service.

And so with that focus on our customer and our products, it’s not uncommon for us to hear stories every day about customers have had our products for 20, 30, 40 years. So we’ve been around the game a long time.

Joe Baya: Yeah, that’s really cool. Yeah, we’ll talk a little bit later in the show about, you know, what you’re getting when you step up to pre-manufactured box blind. And I think that, you know, longevity in the industry and that track record of good customer service and success is one of those things.

But before we get into that, I mean I really, what we want to get into today and really cover is everything that people need to be thinking about if they’re getting new blinds on their property. You know, I’m in the middle of a timber harvest right now and we’re going to be having some new food plots put in. I’m going to be putting some new box blinds out there.

And, you know, the question becomes, I’ve got a wife, I’ve got two young boys, I’m kind of thinking, first and foremost, how many people do I want to be able to get into this blind? Because like, in theory, we may all four of us go sit in there one day, right? So when it comes to choosing a box blind, my first question is how the sizing of the blind itself corresponds to the number of people that is going to fit? So take us through how you’re sizing work.

Heath Stanford: Absolutely. And that’s the first question, when I’m working with a customer is, how are they going to hunt that blind? And you’re right, it’s very common in today’s world that you may not be hunting strictly by yourself, and that you may want your family or your friends to be hunting with you.

So we have three sizes, there are three of the most common sizes on the market. We do a four-by-four. And a four-by-four is really meant for a single person. They are lightweight, they’re easy to move around. If you try to add anybody else in that, it gets a little tight. So a four-by-four blind is really meant for that single person.

The next one is a new blind for us, and when we did our research on the market, we just kept coming back to the size. And it’s a five-by-seven octagon shape. So it gives you a little bit more room in the elbows. And what I like about this size blind is it allows you to hunt by yourself and you can still make every shot without having to move too much within the blind. However, if you do want to bring a friend or a couple of kids with you, there is that extra room. So it’s a great kind of universal size that allows you to hunt solo, as well as with other people.

And then lastly, we make a four-by-eight. This is the largest size that Texas Hunter makes. And for us, it is that blind when you do want to bring the whole family. Yeah, when you want to hunt with three adults, you can put four in there. It gets a little tight, but you definitely can fit three. But it is that, it is a really big nice box that allows you to bring not only your family, but everything else that you’re going to bring into that bind hunt with.

Butch: Very great line up there. And that four-by-eight, that’s a big blind, man. About how much does that thing weighs? Is it still semi-portable? Could you move it from, you know, if you put on a clear cut for two or three, four years, could you move it somewhere else pretty easily?

Heath Stanford: Yes, absolutely. That blind is going to only weigh about 400 pounds. We’ll probably get it into the construction later, but it’s made out of our StarBoard material. And so that allows you to be flexible, you know, with our blinds, being able to move from location to location. Not only on your property, but if you happen to get on a new property, it is a blind that is portable, that you can take up and you can take it down with ease. So it does offer you some flexibility there.

Butch: Very good to know. So the next thing that I think about is kind of along the same lines is elevation. You know, we’re hunting, I hunt in about middle the state on Alabama. We have some hills and some things. You know, sometimes we need a tower and sometimes we don’t. So how do you kind of guide somebody on choosing a height of tower and what are the options coming from Texas Hunter?

Heath Stanford: Absolutely. Location and where it is you’re going to place that blind is number one. So we have three options. We have a ground version, we also have a four-foot tower and staircase, and an eight-foot tower and staircase.

And keep in mind that when you’re hunting out of a four-foot tower from Texas Hunter, your eye height is about eight feet. So a lot of people kind of forget that. They think about a four-foot, but where their eyes and where their vision is, is going to be about eight feet.

And so in our eight feet blind, it’s going to be at about 12 feet. So that’s one of the kind of the misconceptions that people don’t realize is where is their eye height going to be in one of those blinds in reference to the size of the tower.

Joe Baya: That’s a good point.

Butch: It is a great point.

Joe Baya: How do you go about, you know, obviously, if you’re trying to be able to see further elevation is going to help you to some extent? You know, I kind of think about some of the scary ways. I’ve tried to figure this out, you know. Like, I’ll go out with the front end loader and I’m in the bucket, and Butch is lifting me up, you know, up there, kind of like, how can you see now?

Is that a good method, you know, to go, just grab a ladder and kind of get out there where you’re thinking about putting the blind, crawl up there where you’re at heights, maybe at eight foot or 12 foot, and see what you really need?

Heath Stanford: Absolutely. We’ve all used all sorts of methods that we probably shouldn’t talk about on air. But you know, a stepladder, for me is a really safe and convenient. It’s easy to pop one up. If you do, you are able to climb a tree or to get that elevation. It does allow you to have an idea before you decide on which blind or which tower size that you are looking for.

And for me, it’s, what we’ve seen is the height of the tower is coming down. You know, 20 and 15 feet were pretty common, especially here in Texas. And we are now seeing those heights come down to the four foot and eight foot. And a lot of it has to do with safety issues, you know, being able to tie the blind down, you know, make sure that it is going to be sturdy, or taking more stuff up to the blind than we ever had before.

So you’re taking, you know, backpacks and coolers and snacks, and, you know, multiple different calibers of guns. And so with that being said, those lower heights allow you to carry more stuff into the blind. So I think that’s had an effect on it as well. We’re getting more and more youth involved in hunting, which is fantastic. And so the expectation is to have something that is safe and easier ladder and staircase for them to climb is also important, so.

Joe Baya: Yeah, I’m glad you bring that up, because that’s kind of my next question. You know, I’ve got some people that I love to bring up to my camp that are getting a little bit older, not as sure footed. I’ve also got some people I love to bring to my camp that are super young and not as sure footed.

And so for, you know, for me, when I think about that, I really like the idea of having steps versus a ladder. You’re talking about things we probably shouldn’t talk about on air, crazy stuff we’ve done, you know. Like, back in the day, I can remember climbing up in some box blinds where it was not all that easy to get into them, you know, some homemade stuff and ladders and things.

And luckily, I’m not having to do that anymore. But, of course, the people that are going to be entering that stand or one thing you need to think about if you’re trying to decide on ladders versus stairs, is there anything else that you think about in those regards?

Heath Stanford: No, I think you hit the nail on the head there with thinking about how you’re going to be hunting that blind, you know, who is going to be hunting that blind, you know, what that you may be taking with you in that hunting blind as well. So I think that is one of the most important things.

We do have an option on our four-by-four and four-by-eight in our trophy blinds that they do come with a ladder. But down the road, if you did want to add that staircase and full door that you only have to switch out a panel, and then, and add your staircase. So it does give you some flexibility.

If, maybe the extreme blind that has the staircase in full doors, not in the budget right now, you can get the blind that has the ladder and the sliding door, and then over time, add those other pieces. So that is one of the things in our four-by-eight and four-by-four that does have some flexibility in a ladder versus staircase and handrails.

Butch: I’ll tell you what, Joe, I know you really liked that stand with those nice stairs that I put you in every time you go up there. That’s a beauty. I’ll just go ahead and I’ll gift you that one.

Joe Baya: I think we need to put a fire laying around that one and incorporate it into the next prescribed fire. That one is…

Butch: Hey, that’s a fine piece of equipment, man.

Joe Baya: I don’t know about that. I don’t know about that, man. Speaking of that, doors, that, the particular blind, Butch is talking about, the door…

Butch: I actually does have a horrible door.

Joe Baya: I’m six-foot-five, Heath, and I think the door on that was about three-foot tall, you know.

Butch: Maybe.

Joe Baya: So I have to do gymnastics getting in and out of it. It’s warped and so…

Butch: Loud.

Joe Baya: …you get in and out of it. If you don’t put the right amount of pressure on it, it makes a tremendous amount of noise. And I’ve never killed a deer from that stand. I can’t– I never been able to figure that one out.

Butch: I can’t figure it out either, man. It’s your stand, you know. It’s my favorite stand for you.

Joe Baya: But you know, what are you all thinking about when it comes to doors and windows? It was interesting to hear you say, you know, like the sliding door versus others. And so thinking about that, what types do you make? And what do you think people ought to be thinking about if they’re evaluating which type to go with?

Heath Stanford: Absolutely. And so we have two options, we do have a sliding door, that is that three-foot type door that you have traditionally seen on box blinds. And keep in mind, our box blind is the same design that we came up with in 1954. So that has been a tried and true method. So it has a sliding door and it has a ladder. So, that is an option, especially to keep the price down as we are working on a budget and in trying to invest into the property. So that is a good option. But we do make a full door.

I, personally, I recommend the full door. And it’s probably because of everything that I take, you know, to the blind, and it’s just, it’s easier getting in and out. They have locks on them, so you’re able to lock your actual blind, and you know, hold these other doors. I may not– can keep people off my property when I’m not there, but at least I can keep them out of my deer blind.

So I think that’s important. But really, from a safety standpoint, I think when we look at it, the full door makes a lot of sense. With our towers, your full door is going to come with a staircase with wide steps. It’s all powder-coated steel, and you’re going to have double handrails up on both sides. So that is adding to that safety as we get in and out of our blinds.

And oftentimes, we think about either some of our older friends and family, or younger friends and family, but we have to remember that even if you’re a great athlete, accidents can happen. So the more precautions that we can put in to make it a safer place is important in my mind. So I really like the full door option.

Joe Baya: Talking about and thinking about, you know, kind of moving into windows a little bit, one of the things that I really enjoy about a very nice hunting blind is the fact that there’s just no maintenance anymore.

You know, back in the day, I can remember, like, we’d spend a full weekend on the deer lease. You know, you had one crew that was out there cutting roads and trimming limbs, and other crew was on a tractor. And my crew is going to be the one that got to climb in and clean out the flying squirrels and the wasp nests, and the owl poop, and everything else that that is accumulated over the year.

So when I think about like, windows, my big thing is I want to make sure these things are going to be sealed, they’re going to keep out the pests, they’re going to keep out the moisture. What do you kind of advice people to look at? If they’re out there in the marketplace and they’re kind of comparing different blinds and things, what’s important in windows?

Heath Stanford: Absolutely. And windows, for me is the most important thing on a deer blind. So that is the number one thing I’m going to look at, whether I’m looking at our blind or our competitor’s add on the market. How they operate on our Wrangler five-by-seven, those have glass windows, that seal completely tight, keeps out, it keeps out all the bugs, keeps on all the owls, as long as people remember to close them. All my blinds…

Butch: That’s the trick, right?

Heath Stanford: Yeah. All my blinds, I do have a laminated piece that says, “Please close the windows” that is on the door. So you see that every time that you walk out, so. But those glass windows, the other beautiful thing about them is because ours flip to the inside is you can clean them from both sides, from sitting side– from sitting inside the blind. So it allows you to clean both sides of the glass. So your windows are never, excuse me, dirty, and so you never have dirty windows.

And so I think, one of the most important features in in windows is not being– is being able to seal tight, but also, how can you clean those windows. You know, some of the windows will slide up. So if you’re on a tower, you’ve got to take a ladder out there to clean that outside window. So, you know, keeping those windows clean is important in my mind as well.

Joe Baya: Heath, one of the things, you know is new to me is having a nice hunting blind. You know, I’ve always just built them myself and/or hunted out of ones that were built, you know, just a DIY kind of thing. And, you know, aside from what we’re talking about with the advantages of being sealed, and the advantages, like you said, of being able to clean that window, both sides, most of the blinds I’ve hunted out over the years didn’t even have windows, you know, it was just a cut out.

And so thinking about the window options, when you’re hunting in your blind, and you get in and you’re actually hunting, do you open up your windows? Or do you open up some windows right from the outset? Or do you like to keep everything closed and sealed and until you’re ready to take a shot, you know if that happens that day?

Heath Stanford: Yeah. Absolutely. There’s advantages to open them or closing them, but for me, personally, I open the windows that I’m going to have open. You know a lot of times when that, a big buck when he trots in, you don’t have time to open the window to slide it open, to keep it quiet.

So what I do is I open up those windows. You know, I take into consideration which way the wind is blowing and making sure, I’m sure Alabama, just like Texas, a lot of times, it’s hot. So I do want a little bit of air movement through there as well. But I’d go ahead and open all my windows, especially based on how I’m going to hunt, you know, that evening.

So one of the things that we do in our four-by-four and four-by-eight blinds is we have a sliding windows system. And that blind is going to come with solid panels, and it’s also going to come with clear windows. And what that allows you to do, it allows you to move those panels around the blinds.

So like, for example, in my setup in my personal blind, I have the solid panels in the back, and it’s blocking my silhouette. I don’t have to hang any curtains or blankets, or anything back there. And my clear windows or in the front. It also allows you if you have that one spot in the evening, you can put a solid panel or our hide away window system, and allows you to shade that part until the sun goes down.

So it gives you flexibility and it allows you to tailor our blinds to your specific spot. So if you need a blind spot, if you need an open spot, the window flexibility in our configuration in our four-by-four and four-by-eight allows you to do that.

Joe Baya: That’s a nice feature.

Butch: That is very cool. Yeah.

Joe Baya: Butch and I were just talking and he sent me a picture the other day on his place. They got a fresh clear cut. And I said, “Man, you need to get a blind up on the top of that hill. You know, the next four years, that’s going to be a good spot.”

And I’m sure they will. But after about four years or so, and that clear cut gets up a little bit, it’s not going to be a very good spot to have a blind and being able to then move it when need be, put it somewhere else. But have the flexibility to have those windows the way you want them is really nice because, you know, you think about on a clear cut out, Butch, I’d imagine that spot we were talking about, it’s going to be 360 degrees that you could probably take a shot.

Butch: Oh, yeah. Definitely.

Joe Baya: Whereas, if then if you move it to a field somewhere or something like that, you may be looking at a 180, put it behind you and break up your outline. That’s a really cool feature.

Butch: That’s very unique. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen that with any other blind manufacturer, actually.

Joe Baya: No. Usually, it’s like hanging up a piece of netting or something like that, you know, and then that gets annoying in and of itself, but very cool. Well, man, you know, one of the things, too, I mentioned, most of my experience over the years come out of hunting out of DIY blinds, and I’ve built some myself.

And when you step up to a manufactured blind, you’re definitely going to be stepping up in your upfront cost in terms of like, if you went out to your local home improvement place and picked up some treated lumber and got to work, at least your cash upfront costs. There’s a bunch of different styles out there, there’s a bunch of different prices out there, what are you getting by spending more?

Heath Stanford: You know, I think, in my mind, when you’re talking about a manufactured blind, especially one from Texas Hunters, you’re talking about the longevity of it, the investment into that blind. You know, I’ll tell you a real quick story, the blind that I hunt out of is 15 years old. It was up on a hill for 12 years and we changed ranches, so we’re able to take it down and move it a couple of hours north.

It assembled easily, it put back up easily. So if I would have built that blind out there, it would have stayed on that other ranch. I feel like when you’re talking about time, and time is really important to everybody in today’s world, the manufactured blind allows you to get a blind out there quicker.

The other thing is with Texas Hunter is because we manufacture all of our blinds in San Antonio, is we have all the parts available. So if you ever have an issue, if the blind ever blows down, if you ever hit it with a tractor, over time, which has happened, over time, if there’s a part that you need, we can get you that individual part, so your blind is not ruined.

And so every day, we are helping customers actually repair their blinds. And so I think that’s another important aspect that you talk about the cost is in our four-by-four and four-by-eight blinds, they’re made out of a material called, StarBoard. And StarBoard is used in the marine industry on boat decks. It’s a really cool material that won’t ever crack, it will never fade, it won’t ever chip. We shot it with shotguns, we buried it underground, we’ve abused it to all ends.

And it’s a material that is maintenance free. It’s lightweight, it holds up, and so that, I think that’s what kind of separates the Texas Hunter Blind is we make that four-by-four and that four-by-eight out of that StarBoard material.

Butch: Very cool. We talk about, you know, blind in the last 15 or 20 years, I’m kind of going into this on my place, Joe, you know, with those original, that original piece of land that we, you know, I guess that was, we started putting those in, in 2002. So those are, I mean, they’re at the end of their– let’s be honest, they’re about five years too old.

Joe Baya: Let’s put it this way. They’re 20 years old and they should have been gotten rid of a long time ago.

Butch: About 10 years ago.

Joe Baya: Yeah.

Butch: So, yeah. I mean that’s, that’s a big deal to be able to know it’s there and it’s clean. Like Joe was saying, Man, I’ve… oh, I don’t know, think about some of the things. I’ve had to clean out of those shooting houses. That’s such a big deal.

Joe Baya: I will definitely say I’ve had to jump off of a few shooting house ladders before with different types of rodents coming at me and wasps and snakes, and you know, you just, you never know what’s going to be in there when you open the door after having sat for six months, so, with nobody going in and out in the hottest time of the year.

There’s no doubt about that. And you know, like those, the construction quality is clear. You know, that’s a clear advantage to it is that you’re buying this thing. But going back to what you said, you know, you’re buying this thing, you’re paying for that up front, right? You’re paying for that longevity up front. But it’s really nice to know that if down the line, your needs change, you know, maybe when you buy this blind, you’re in good shape.

And then when you get 20 years down the line, you need a ladder, instead, you need steps instead of a ladder. Or, as you mentioned, we know some people that have a tendency to run tractors into some, into things, you know. You just have accidents and things like that. You’ve got the ability to either fix it, upgrade it, it can kind– it sounds like what you all are doing, it can kind of grow with you.

Heath Stanford: Absolutely. And that’s one of the things that you know, within our blinds, because of, they’re easy to move. It does have flexibility with the windows, it has flexibility with the towers and the ladders. As your life changes and locations of where you’re hunting changed is we can kind of grow with you. So that, it is a really good way to look at the Texas Hunter brand blinds.

Butch: Very cool. So I would say that I’ve just recently got into a position in life where I could actually buy something nice. Like Joe was saying, I’ve always built them myself. And one of the most annoying things that I’ve come in contact with on some of these is not having a really good rest. Like, the windows are kind of different sometimes. And you know, it’s not a great rest. And that’s what we’re doing here, right?

It’s nice to sit in a good blind, but we’re ideally going to kind of kill a buck out of that one day. What are some of the considerations that Texas Hunter goes through for rests on these things?

Heath Stanford: Yeah, absolutely. We have a shooting shelf that we sell as an accessory to our blind. It does come standard in our five-by-seven Wrangler blind. But that shooting shelf is one of the things that I bought over the last five years that has really changed the way that I hunt, because I didn’t realize how many things I’m taking with me up there. You know, I’ve got my sunglasses, my AirPods, my keys, my bullets, my grunt tube, my flashlight, and all of those things that are usually either in my pockets or they’re rolling around on the ground.

So this shooting shelf has a spot for all of those. It has a gun rest involved. It’s got three cupholders. And my favorite feature is it has a phone mount. So you can mount your phone in there to video your shot. Or you can flip it around. If you’re watching the ballgame, your hands are free to glass or to take a shot, and you never have to set your phone down.

So that’s one of my favorite features, and all that is standard in our shooting shelf. So that is definitely one of the single items that I would recommend Texas Hunter does, sold that as an accessory. So if you have a blind that has a four-foot wall, something that you can order and put that in your blind as well, so.

Butch: I like the sound of that.

Joe Baya: I hate to admit how much I would use that. I’d like to have everybody believe that when I go out into the woods, I’m totally devoid of technological innovation, and I’m less out there, you know, becoming one with the flora and the fauna. But I do have a tendency to have the phone with me. That being said, being able to get that shot on camera, it’s not just…

Butch: It’s pretty cool.

Joe Baya: Well, it’s not just something cool to show your folks. I mean, how many times have you taken a shot there right at last light and you go, “I don’t know where the deer went.” You know, I…

Butch: It could be the tool to look back at and making shot on where the deer went. Sure.

Joe Baya: The muzzle flush, the, you know, the muzzle flip, all those things kind of you’re going, “Oh, didn’t see which way it ran out of the field.” Or, that could just be a benefit. Yeah. What other kinds of accessories are out there?

You know, like Butch said, getting that solid rest is important, but like these blinds can be so comfortable, now that you end up spending a whole bunch of time out there, maybe more so than you would if it was just a normal afternoon sit. So what kind of other accessories are available?

Heath Stanford: Yeah, one of the things that we also make is a floor mat. We make it in a four-by-four and then one for our five-by-seven. And one of the reasons that I mentioned that is because the first ever really nice deer blind I bought had carpet on the floor. And the first hunt that I went to go hunt, it was raining, I didn’t even think about it, I was so excited. I got into the blind and looked down, and I had mud all over that carpet.

So I was never going to get that carpet clean. It was just going to hold all that dirt. So we do a floor mat, a rubber mat, which is going to help, if you drop anything, it’s going to help a sound. But it allows you any dirt on the ground as you can actually just pull it out and shake it out, and so your blinds are clean, like we talked about. So that’s a really important piece that I recommend is those rubber mats in the four-by-four and the four-by-eight, and in the five-by-seven that we make.

We do have shooting bags, your five-pound sandbags that you would use at the range. They can go in the windowsills, very common, and then we have our shooters a chair. So everybody has their personal preference on chairs, you know, but with ours, one of the main things we want to do is make sure that they’re quiet and they’re not going to creak and pop.

We’ve all got office chairs that you found as you were driving away from the office, and in the back of your truck and they’re great. But, however, when the first time you go to lean back to, kicked back and they pop really loud. So we do have chairs as well, that is new for this year.

Joe Baya: I’m glad you bring up noise, because I’ve been in, you know, some fiberglass stands, that, man, if you just kind of graze the wall, it sounds like something god-awful is happening, you know. And God forbid, you know, you drop your gun barrel against– from off the windowsill on…

Butch: Or your binoculars.

Joe Baya: …onto the sidewall. I mean, it is so loud. And you know, the first fiberglass stand I ever sat in, I was like, hmm. I don’t really like that too much. How does that StarBoard do? You know, if you set your gun up against the wall and/or something falls, how does it do for a sound?

Heath Stanford: You know, the nice thing with StarBoard is it’s a very solid, rigid material. So you’re not going to get that flexibility that you have in like a fiberglass. So that’s, that is definitely going to, it definitely going to help.

Joe Baya: So Heath, I know that the– like you said, the four-by-four and the four-by-eight models are StarBoard, you’ve been using that material a long time, but you all do something a little bit different with the five-by-seven. Is that right?

Heath Stanford: Absolutely. The five-by-seven for us, we’re on year three with it, and it is, it’s a five-by-seven octagon shape, and the floor is made out of carbon fiber. So you’ll never have to replace it. Insects can’t penetrate it. It’s lightweight, it’s strong. The outside is aluminum, so it does cut down on the overall weight. It does have a camo pattern that is baked into that aluminum, so it’s not going to fade, you don’t have to paint it. So, it’s maintenance free.

The inside has carpet on the ceiling and walls to help a sound, so the carpet on the inside walls and ceiling is made of recycled plastic water bottles. And so the benefit to that is it’s never going to mold or rot on you. So we’re talking about a lifetime type material. The ceiling is a one piece steel cap. So there’s no seams in the ceiling. You have your glass windows that are all the way around that’s seal tight. You have rain guards above all those windows.

And the five-by-seven does allow us to do a combo version. So for the bow hunters out there that are looking for a Texas Hunter, the five-by-seven is what they need to be looking at. So we do it with rifle windows all the way around, where we have a combo, which does allow you to have four bow windows and three rifles. So it does allow you to bow hunt, and also to gun hunt out of the same blind.

Joe Baya: I would imagine being the carbon fiber and aluminum construction still pretty lightweight.

Heath Stanford: It is. It weighs about 500 pounds on the ground. So when you’re talking about a five-by-seven blind, that’s pretty light. When you’re talking about the– it does have a steel, powder-coated steel construction on the inside. So that is something that, it does allow you to have some flexibility as you want to move it down the road.

Butch: Very nice.

Joe Baya: Well, Heath, you know, I think I’ve– you’ve answered all my questions, man. You know, I mean, I really hope that what people can gain from today is like, if you’re thinking about a box blind, number one, now you know what size you need. You ought to be able to go and figure out how high you want to put it.

And then all the factors that go into the construction and materials used and different accessories you may want to add, and, you know how you’re going to be getting in and out of this thing, these are all points that you really need to think about when you’re making this investment, because this is something that’s going to last you for a long time. You’re going to get a lot of hunts out of it, a lot of use out of it.

If folks want to come see the blinds in person, or want to look for some dealers locally to where they are, where do you recommend they go to find that info?

Heath Stanford: Yeah, we have all of our products and information at our website at texashunterproducts.com. The other thing is, if you will give us a call, our 1-800 number is 800-969-3337. We have dealers all over the country, and we can help them to pinpoint, you know, which dealers might have something in stock, and get you to the right dealer in your area.

Joe Baya: Heath, thanks so much for answering our questions today. And, man, if we don’t talk to you again on here before, hope you have a good hunting season this season coming up.

Heath Stanford: Absolutely. Thanks, guys. We appreciate your time today.

Listen to the entire show from our friends at Huntin' Land Podcast.

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