Building a Blind?

[BirdBoy]

ok, so I have been looking for hours online for designs for a blind but havnt found any, then i looked here and didnt find any. So if anyone knows a website that shows a design or they have one that they have made that would be much appreciated.

thanks,:)
BB

[Richtherookie]

http://www.mcsports.com/searchHandler/index.jsp?searchId=42668677063&keywords=blind&y=11&x=36


Hope that link works. I have one now, i have had one in the past. If you are looking toward a larger blind I have one HUGE helpful hint. (but will take a page or two to tell you it, ill pm you if you'd like) I have destroyed one due to the way it was built. another thing that i like about the OLD one compaired to the new one. The solid window cover was held up by magnets. MUCH quieter and easier to open if something came in "where it didn't suppose to". my NEW one had premade holes in the screens. That way if you screw up and not have one open you can at least stick the lens through the screen to get the picture. in the OLD blind you would have to undo the VERY loud velcro. They are light, the new one is easy to put up and take down. My wife took mine down for the first time in about 1 minute, she had never even touched it till then. Just be sure to look at one IN PERSON and look at the whole picture. Ask to take it down, ask to set it back up. If I had done this i would have NEVER bought the first one. If the sales people dont let you tkae it down, leave.

here is a link to my site, and a shot of the blind in the BG.
http://www.haysphotography.net/Sports/Bike-Races/ICEMAN-2009/10249321_Cogh8#710106677_GAYbP-A-LB

[Hikin Mike]

I went for the DYI approach....

DYI Photography Blind (http://www.imagesinthebackcountry.com/blog/?s=photography+blind)

[Richtherookie]

No offence, but that is UGLY! I have a great blind. I have 40 foot of head phone cable extension. Plug into my camera, and remote, set camera up on tripod, pre-focused at the feeder branch. Get that all set up and I set in the easy-boy watching TV IN the house. Heck my kids take pictures. We look out the window and go "oops birdie on the branch" and push the button. I do get alot of pictures of robins thanks to the kids, but we have a contest who can ID the most different birds. They love it.

[Hikin Mike]

No offence, but that is UGLY! I have a great blind. I have 40 foot of head phone cable extension. Plug into my camera, and remote, set camera up on tripod, pre-focused at the feeder branch. Get that all set up and I set in the easy-boy watching TV IN the house. Heck my kids take pictures. We look out the window and go "oops birdie on the branch" and push the button. I do get alot of pictures of robins thanks to the kids, but we have a contest who can ID the most different birds. They love it.

Yes it is, but it works! Besides, it's only used in my backyard. :D

[EnglishBob]

I have used a large umbrella 72" (fishing or even patio) umbrella and some camoflauge netting over it in the past.

Easy top set up and has the added bonus of keeping you dry.

[Richtherookie]

i didnt understand you were going to ONLY use it at home. I was thinking you wanted more of a Condo. I checked out your site and didnt see YOU using THAT in the wild! How can you heat that?

[Hikin Mike]

i didnt understand you were going to ONLY use it at home. I was thinking you wanted more of a Condo. I checked out your site and didnt see YOU using THAT in the wild! How can you heat that?

We have a couple of wildlife refuges in town and most don't allow you to get out of the car. As far as heating....it's California. :D

[foto_cbs]

A very straightforward approach I take very often:

I always carry with me camouflage net (10/15 feet) and use what I can from the location (fallen trees, branches, etc) as a makeshift frame for the net.
It works quite well and the net alone packs small and it's easy to carry.

[andrewhuxman]

is yor blind gonna be permenant?
we just built a nice one made it out of 2x4 and plywood and a 60ml epdm rubber roof

http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t47/ahuxman58/IMG_8513.jpg

http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t47/ahuxman58/IMG_8521-1.jpg

[Hikin Mike]

is yor blind gonna be permenant?
we just built a nice one made it out of 2x4 and plywood and a 60ml epdm rubber roof


Nice!

No, mine is just for my backyard. The wildlife refuges around here frown on getting out of the car.

[JaredLloyd]

theres not much to building a blind really. Just anything that will conceal your movements is all that is really needed. If its permanent, the birds and wildlife will get used to it within a couple of days. Otherwise if its on private property you can set it up a couple days ahead of time to allow them to get used to it.

Pucblic land you cannot do this and for the most part basic chair blinds and popup blinds work fine for birds. One exception is waterfowl due to the fact that they are hunted relentlessly throughout half the year. These birds are weary and jumpy. By late season they especially become blind shy. For this reason, get a chair blind and attatch some shadow grass to it. You really need to make it melt away unless of course the blind is permanent. Once you have the spot scouted make sure your in thier before the birds arive in the morning - which is usually around an hour before sunrise.

Check out Ameristep. I highly recomend thier chair blinds and I find them more functional than the specialty photo blinds on the market.

With all this said though, I know folks who have simply climbed into refrigerator boxes when needs be. It all depends upon what your trying to photograph as different species react differently to blinds and unusual objects.

[Tom Reichner]

A very straightforward approach I take very often:

I always carry with me camouflage net (10/15 feet) and use what I can from the location (fallen trees, branches, etc) as a makeshift frame for the net.
It works quite well and the net alone packs small and it's easy to carry.

Excellent! Blinds made primarily from natural materials are often very effective. If not using a tripod, just make sure to incorporate a stout branch at the height you'll want the camera to be at when shooting - then you can rest the camera on the heavy branch, assuring that it has sufficient support.