Blind Building (with pics)

I'm still waiting for the answer on the snake question. In my very youngest days, my dad was stationed at Fort Rucker, in Dothan. Lake Tallaco (sp?) was the local beach and waterski play spot. The base would routinely march grunts around the lake with pistols to shoot the water moccasins. Mom wouldn't let us swim, and I have had a fear of southern freshwater ever since.

Dani's recent quail post got those juices flowing again.
 
Jeff Reardon said:
I'm still waiting for the answer on the snake question. In my very youngest days, my dad was stationed at Fort Rucker, in Dothan. Lake Tallaco (sp?) was the local beach and waterski play spot. The base would routinely march grunts around the lake with pistols to shoot the water moccasins. Mom wouldn't let us swim, and I have had a fear of southern freshwater ever since.

Dani's recent quail post got those juices flowing again.

Jeff, there are snakes all over this property. Thomas carries a pistol for such encounters. I've yet to see one near the blind but it wouldn't surprise me. Luckily by the time hunting season starts they head for high ground and crawl under a rock or go down a hole or head to wherever it is snakes spend the winter.

You want to hear something really crazy? Monday afternoon Thomas and Zac found a wounded Common Loon on the road behind the lodge. It had a injured wing. It's a long way to water from there and just what the heck is a loon doing in Alabama this time of year? After many failed calls to state and federal agencies, who had no idea about what to do, they put it in a dog kennel and released on a small lake near our house. It swam off, started drinking water, and made calling noises all in about 30 seconds of exiting the kennel. Maybe it will make it.
 
I hope that doesn't mean those of us up here in Maine are going to get rattlesnakes and water moccassins in exchange.

I bet the local birders are going nuts. And good on Thomas and Zac for doing the right thing. I have a buddy who does loon research, and based on his stories of capturing loons at night from a boat with spotlights and hoop nets, it's a dirty job with a lot of fishy turds and injuries from sharp beaks.
 
Derek Thompson said:
where is the dog door and dog ramp? or no dogs ever used ?
If you do hunt with dogs I,ve found that a series of small platforms like steps leading to dog entry helps keep snakes from getting inside blind as easy. With a ramp leading to dog entry point if its left open they,ll craw right on in. Still doesn,t stop them from scaleing your brushing and waiting in lie on roof. In my area its simply water snakes that drop in on you. Wouldn,t want that to happen with the cotton mouths you probably have.
 
gotcha !! glad to hear that the dog has a good spot. I guess I was thinking in a North Country frame of mind. We would have a dog door where the dog could be inside where it's warm and we would have a place for the 100 pound LP tank to be on the backside of the blind and there would be heaters mounted in there.
 
That's bigger (and nicer) than some of those tiny houses people have. Well done! Please post a pic in Sept/Oct when it is fully brushed and camoed.
 
Good morning, Eric~


Wonderful job! It reminds me of an observation years ago from a German visitor, after he watched my friends and I hunt one morning: "Those ducks - they don't stand a chance!"


Congratulations - and many completely fooled birds!


SJS

 
Steve

Your comment about a German discussing duck hunting reminded me of a hunter who is some sort of a legend at Jackson County WMA. How many of Werner Von Braun's team were duck hunters? One as far as we all know. Herman "the German" as everybody knew him came from Germany after WWII and was one of Von Braun's team. Herman loved duck hunting. Into his late 70s he was still a regular. When his health started failing in his 80s he would drive to the Wannville boat launch to look out on the water and talk to hunters as they came in. His accent was so thick you'd have a hard time making out his words, but he loved to talk about how good the hunting was in the early days of the WMA (1950s). There was a very fine book written about Alabama duck hunting and Herman got his own chapter. He earned it.

Eric
 

That is quite the duck huntin' palace.

All ya need is a addition for bunks, table & stove, to be much like the old shooting stands of years gone by.

Can't wait for photo's throughout the season, when the inside takes on a well used patina.


Best regards
Vince
 
Vince

To be honest we built the blind in an area that hasn't historically produced. It's a new duck pond so no telling how well it will do. Part of the reason we went for the large size and comfort is because this is on private land and will give us a place on nasty rainy days and allow for the old and young to hunt. Thanks.

Eric
 
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