Floating Blinds

[Legband]

How many of you guys hunt out of floating blinds?
Do you have any picks?
I'm a little over the top when it comes to blind building I have 6.
Here's one of my favorites.
I found a 24' tracker party barge burnt to the floor joist.
The pontoons were in tact and it came with a factory trailer.
I built a 20' shooting box on it with seven holes.
It has flip covers over the holes and a hinged boat port on the back side that backs up to the river bank or shoreline.
It has a three burner stove and oven , directors chairs , shelving , decoy bag storage , heaters and gopro camera mounts.
Drop the boat port and it loads on the trailer like a pontoon boat.

[3legged_lab]

Thats pretty cool

[GadwallGetter530]

One Bad mamma jamma.

[gila-river]

That's awesome. I have never hunted out of anything like that.

[GadwallGetter530]

I've been able to hunt out of one kinda similar. They are cool beans for sure. The one i hunted in had the boat pullin like a garage and you hunted out of the front of the blind. You had to step up on to the shooting deck.

[GadwallGetter530]

Hey LegBand. Are you deploying that beast down in the grasslands?

[3legged_lab]

I have never hunted out of anything like that.

Ditto

I've been able to hunt out of one kinda similar.

Of course you have.

[Feelin' Fowl]

That thing is sweet!

[gila-river]

I have found the AZ version though!

https://phoenix.craigslist.org/evl/boa/4494358899.html

[GadwallGetter530]

I have never hunted out of anything like that.

Ditto

I've been able to hunt out of one kinda similar.

Of course you have.

So did juice box....Can't help if we are well traveled.

[3legged_lab]

I have found the AZ version though!

https://phoenix.craigslist.org/evl/boa/4494358899.html

I like how they advertise it as a 'duck dynasty' pontoon boat.

[Legband]

Hey LegBand. Are you deploying that beast down in the grasslands?

No this normally go's on a lake that you have to draw for a seasonal spot.
We use it in wooded areas of the lake because the boat port on this one is not I closed.
So it backs up to the creek bank or tree line.

Here's one that sits in open water there are numerous islands on these lakes and the big water blinds look just like a brushy island.
The shooting box is on the right side of the pic the boat garage is on the left there are two spring loaded doors on the end you can't see.
You pull the boat in and close the doors and climb into the shooting box we have directors chairs in this box as well but we had them out treating the floor when I took the pic .
This blind looks the same from every side when the doors are closed.

[gila-river]

I have found the AZ version though!

https://phoenix.craigslist.org/evl/boa/4494358899.html

I like how they advertise it as a 'duck dynasty' pontoon boat.

How else would you advertise to is desert dwellers?

[GadwallGetter530]

Hey LegBand. Are you deploying that beast down in the grasslands?

No this normally go's on a lake that you have to draw for a seasonal spot.
We use it in wooded areas of the lake because the boat port on this one is not I closed.
So it backs up to the creek bank or tree line.

Here's one that sits in open water there are numerous islands on these lakes and the big water blinds look just like a brushy island.
The shooting box is on the right side of the pic the boat garage is on the left there are two spring loaded doors on the end you can't see.
You pull the boat in and close the doors and climb into the shooting box we have directors chairs in this box as well but we had them out treating the floor when I took the pic .
This blind looks the same from every side when the doors are closed.

Cool deal.

[Legband]

Stationing this blind for the season is much harder than tying off the tree blind if you look close you can see at least one of the two 365 lb anchors that hold the blindly during storms and large swells.
It anchors at each end with 120 feet of 5/16 galvanized chain on large swivels.
Every year the blinds around us blow off to the shoreline several have broken apart and capsized some have busted part or got holes in the pontoons and sunk.
We moved our first two years out and that got old so I designed this system based on the navel recommendation of 7to 1 feet of chain per foot of depth.
The anchors are 1-1/4 plate steel cut with a plasma cuter they have Stainless Steel pins on the tongue like a normal boat anchor.

[GadwallGetter530]

The blind i hunted out of had chains attached to a couple old engine blocks they buried to anchor the blinds. Redneck ingenuity at its finest.

[Legband]

The blind i hunted out of had chains attached to a couple old engine blocks they buried to anchor the blinds. Redneck ingenuity at its finest.

It is funny to hear you say that , it was among the first systems used at these lakes but it was stopped by the owners who didn't want anything left in the water.
There is actual a 300 dollar anchor deposit and they take pics of you anchor system.
But your right it's certainly a great idea.
I had to install a 3500 lb winch on the front of my boat to position the anchors and lift them at seasons end.

[GadwallGetter530]

The blind i hunted out of had chains attached to a couple old engine blocks they buried to anchor the blinds. Redneck ingenuity at its finest.

That funny to hear you say that , it was among the first systems used a these lakes but it was stopped by the owners who didn't want any thing left in the water.
There is actual a 300 dollar anchor deposit and they take pics of you anchor system.
But your right it's certainly a great idea.
I had to install a 3500 lb winch on the front of my boat to position the anchors and lift them at seasons end.

Yeah it does seem to work. Not my idea or blind. It was my wife's uncles spot for a few years. The land owners came up with the anchoring system. In rainy years it can flood out extremely bad. I've only heard about one of their blinds ever braking loose and floating away.

[Bootlipkiller]

That fucker did some traveling

[Rick]

Jelher is going to be soooo jealous.

[GadwallGetter530]

Jelher is going to be soooo jealous.

That blind has so much room for activities!

[Olly]

That's pretty cool Legband, we have a member here named Jehler what has something similar although not as large I think. I've hunted out of it and it was very fun.

Also welcome to WFF!

[RonE]

Jelher is going to be soooo jealous.

That blind has so much room for activities!

No such thing as too much room in a blind. Ice chests, radio, hot tub, stripper pole, bar-b-que grill, etc all need places to be stored and used.

Really nice looking blinds legband!

[Redbeard]

Jelher is going to be soooo jealous.

That blind has so much room for activities!

No such thing as too much room in a blind. Ice chests, radio, hot tub, stripper pole, bar-b-que grill, etc all need places to be stored and used.

Really nice looking blinds legband!

x2

[Legband]

Thx guys

[Flightstopper]

I'm starting to think legband kinda likes to hunt. Cool pics.

[Legband]

I'm starting to think legband kinda likes to hunt. Cool pics.

I'm normally balanced in most aspects of life , family , work , church, but the wife says when it comes to waterfowl I'm off the chart.
Due to my business being very seasonal my crews are on cruse control in fall and winter and a good office staff helps with any bumps that might come up and I can be in my office late mid day.
So I was in the field 95 days last season not including upland needless to say I'm thankful for cell phone technology.

[Legband]

Here is a couple pics of my river blind , this blind is not much more than a boat port.
You pull the boat in and sit and shoot out of the boat.
It keeps the unit narrower which is necessary to avoid debris that comes down the river.
You still have to find a place the ducks want to be that is also protected by being in a dead water area or not in the main flow to avoid trees and such that float down

[GadwallGetter530]

Kinda has that Freitas look to it.

[RonE]

Legband, what river are you setting your blinds on? I have seen several big floating blinds on the Merced River (I think) between Modesto and Lake Don Pedro.