Homemade hay bale blind

I want to build a realistic looking, light as possible, portable in the bed of my truck and easy assembling hay bale blind but despite the ideas I have bouncing around in my head can't figure it all out to make it work. Any of you guys ever built one that can tell me the way you did it or let me have some ideas? Thanks

You might try to make a frame out of PVC tubing and chicken wire. Then you could line the chicken wire with natural grasses, painted burlap, or synthetic grasses.

You could always get some stakes and rope to keep it from blowing around in the wind.

I could have told you on the telephone yesterday. Use the concrete wire for stability and make the tube part of it. Then put chicken wire fastened tightly tothe concrete wire. Use wire to tie it all together. Then loosely wrap it with another roll of chicken wire. Stuff hay between the two peices of chicken wire and wire tie it as you go around. The hay is held in place sandwiched twix the two chicken wires. You can pick the whole thing up with one hand. Cut you a fall away door that you can shoot out of and low enough where you can get in and out of. It works really good. Great minds think alike because I was going to make one too. Can't hurt to have a couple laying around the barn for those quick lets go hunting days when you find some geese or ducks on a farmers field. Have you thought about a lay out for the place your were speaking of. A layout can go just about anywhere not just your spot down south. I bought both of mine for $119 on sale at Gander.

Wayne,

That is what I need to build. Do you have any pictures?

I need it for overhead coverage, I should have enough tall grass for in front and behind.

Ed

I don't have one made yet but it is really easy. Just construct the heavier wire into a hay bale shape with the ends open. Then fasten the chicken wire to that tight. THe next piece is only to keep the hay from traveling. With a drop away door it is hello ducks when they are putting their feet down. I'll sketch it real quick.

OK, I understand now. You sit inside the cylynder.

I was thinking of making one like an arch or upside down "U". I would stake the ends to the ground and use the natural ground underneath.

I could either make the shooting door like you show or make a 2-man model that you just pop out the end to shoot.

I'm gonna draw up some ideas too.

Thanks,
Ed

Reminds me of some blind plans from last year:

Did a youth hunt at Miller Creek Ranch few years ago and hunted out of a haybail blind Stony made. Below are some pics, pretty sure it had a hitch on it so he could move it with a tractor. It was nice!!

Guy, did he start with some hay hoops for the ends?

I'm not sure, those were the only pics I have of it.

I forgot all about that. How in the heck did you ever go back that far and find that?

Guy that is a kewl blind right there. That one seems a bit more permanent than the ones I made in the past. You can make them for two people and they fit right in the back of the truck. THe only problem your going to have is the dang cows will push it over trying to get to the hay. Try that in the dark, I am sure this is what led to cow tipping years ago.

those are some sweet looking blinds you got there Guy, are they made from hog panels?

I'm the one that did it, so that image is still in my Photobucket account.

As I stated above, those pics are from a youth hunt in 2007 at Miller Creek Ranch. Stony (owner/guide) made that blind, I did not make any notes how it was made. If I recall, it had wheels on it and he would move it with a tractor when needed. Here are a few more pics of the blind I found.

crazyal, check out the Maximus Blinds, this may be an option for you.

http://www.aerooutdoors.com/products/blinds/duckmodular.html

This idea just seems like it would be a tough blind to place. I think that wary birds flare from large vegetation and blinds no matter what(with the exception of timber hunting). Thats why layouts revolutionized the sport.

I'm interested to hear your results however.

Good luck.

I would not use it unless there are round bails in place already. It would stick out like a sore thumb if you just stuck it out there.

I'm going to place mine on the edge of the tall grass and brush it in with the native vegetation instead of hay.

Aint nothing wrong with that.

keep us posted ed. I'm curious to see the progress. If it doesn't work, you can always drink beer and shoot dubs out of it next year.

Layouts cannot be beat in regard to concealment. And yeah, birds learn to land where it is safe, this means away from cover or where cover is low, especially on public.

It is just hard to drink coffee and shoot the BS in a layout blind, I’ll be shooting out a permanent blind when I want to enjoy the social side of duck hunting or just want to take it easy, and I’ll be hunting out of a layout blind when I get made at the ducks.

But even if you have a permanent blind, if ducks like that spot and you do not over hunt it (private spot), then that blind will just become part of the surrounding. Example, you have a spot with a permanent blind that ducks like, once a duck lands in the spot and is not shot at, then the duck will most likely not hesitate to land there again the next day, especially if there are many other ducks in the same spot. Example, this spot here pulled off the website above:



You hunt here the next day, you are going to hammer some ducks. And if you get your limit and get out of there early, by the end of the day, that spot will be loaded with ducks again, and if you let a spot like that rest for several days in-between hunts and not overhunt it, then you will do good with that blind.

What amazes me is some public spots that just get hammered every day, it’s surprising any of these places hold ducks. That’s why I like regs on public land for no hunting after noon, give the ducks some time to rest.

I made the acquaintance of some ducks last year that would circle my decoys from first light until 12:00 pm and then at 12:01 they'd all fall in like they'd received clearance for landing from the tower

The area that I hunt has lots of set-aside acres and open fields, so a round bale was the blind of choice for me. I am a resourceful (poor) deer hunter so a homemade round bale blind is what I set out to make last year. I had some old 5 ft. 10 gauge fencing laying around so I cut a piece that was about 15 ft. long. I rolled it out flat. I then rolled out chicken wire fencing over the top. I wired the chicken wire to the 10 gauge fencing with 18ga tie wire. I then scattered hay about 2-3 inches thick down the entire length of the fence. I covered that with another layer of chicken wire then another layer of the 10ga fencing. I ran tiewire through the hole thing about every 2' and it kind of came together like a quilt. I then stood the whole thing on edge and formed it into my round bale. Once inside long pieces of tiewire are used to prevent it from uncoiling and falling over. It worked out really slick. I had deer come within 10 yards of me out there and never knew I was there. Ended up bagging a dandy 13pointer on the 2nd day of gun season. I believe that the hay helped conceal my scent as well as keep me warm. I was not detected by sound as easily either. A person could put 1/2" plywood on the top and bottom if they wanted. Without the plywood I spent a total of about 50 bucks on it. It was worth every penny.