I am building a new box stand for deer hunting this weekend. We are going back and forth as to what a good height would be to put the windows in. We will be making sliding plexiglass windows. What is a good height to shoot out of?
If you’d like to use the ledge as a gun rest then I would sit on the bench and measure the height that feels most comfortable.
Where you place the stand is also a factor. I built one that gave me a great view and line of sight/coverage when it was in my driveway. After hauling it out into the woods and putting it on top of a knoll, overlooking some valleys, the windows were about 2-3” too high.
I can measure mine tomorrow. I think mine is at a good height except for when my 10 year old hunts. Its at an awkward height for him. Too low when he stands to shoot but to high when he sits in the chair. He needs to sit on my knee to shoot.
DT
Whatever height you decide on make sure you build a wide window sill then keep a few small sand bags stacked on the sill so you can adjust elevations based on location of target and different hunters.
I’m not positive on the height of the ones in our stands but even more important than the windows is a good swiveling chair that you can raise/lower. I’ve installed a boat seat on one of our stands that only gets rifle hunted and we’ve got an old office chair in one that we bowhunt out of so that it can be moved.
I wouldn’t put anything smaller than 48×48. I have 52 x 56 double hung windows in mine. But I also have a shooting bench, tripod, and a couch in there. Couch is awesome for laying down prone for 600 meters. I also screwed in a oak strip 2×2 across the center of the window. That way if I drop the top section down to shoot while standing, I’m not on the actual window.
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Oooppps wrong pic
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Oooppps wrong pic
Holy moley that’s the Shangi Lou!
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Randy Wieland wrote:</div>
Oooppps wrong picHoly moley that’s the Shangi Lou!
After almost 40 years of freezing my rear end off, ice, freezing rain,…icy treestands… I’m going to enjoy my time. I sleep out there some nights, 40,000btu heater, just added a stove, LED lights, fresh coffee, and hot panini sandwiches.
Btw, in the pic of my rifle stiing on the bench. If you zoom in, there is 7 deer walking in the saplings 
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Randy, do you pay taxes on the Taj Mahal? Tell me it has a cool name…..
And that couch looks really comfy.
Randy, do you pay taxes on the Taj Mahal? Tell me it has a cool name…..
And that couch looks really comfy.
Taxes = no.Our township is >60 sqft is taxed. Its 58.125 sqft. Wieland Tower, but neighbors call it Wielands’ Sniper Perch.
Yep, the futon is comfy. Added extra foam and has a pilenof.blankets/sleeping bags. I have steel targets out at 800 meters. That futon is perfect for absorbing motion from breathing
Can my MIL come live there?
I have office chairs in my box blinds and I have found that 40″ to the bottom of the window is perfect.
Can my MIL come live there?
Send a picture of her rifle
we’ve re-built 4 in the last couple seasons mostly to get the window heights to a better shooting rest height. i think it really comes down to your preferred shooting position for the shots that you’re likely to take from that particular place. a stand for short-range shots in thick woods is going to have different needs than one covering longer shots overlooking a field.
do you prefer to sit or stand while shooting?
will the shots typically be flat or angled down? how steeply?
One consistent change when we re-did them was to make the window/shooting shelf higher than previously. we both prefer to take shots in a standing/leaning position, so we made the window shelves high enough to support this comfortably. we put tall stools in the stands so that you can still see out the windows while waiting.
one of the things that helped us figure it out was to build and install the base first, then sit/stand in it with a rifle and look at the shooting lanes, and based on that determine how high to build the windows.
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I’d think make them low enough, and then buy a good set of shooting sticks to leave in the blind for guys that need a higher rest.
I’d think make them low enough, and then buy a good set of shooting sticks to leave in the blind for guys that need a higher rest.
Along the same lines as this, will you have kids out there with you? That’s were my tripod comes in handy. My sitting height can almost be their standing height
Very good thoughts. My kid is almost as tall as me now. I probably made them a little lower than I should have. We might need to kneel to shoot. Will have carpet on the floor, so that shouldn’t be bad.
Around 34″ from the floor to bottom of window is what lots of manufacturers use. Since building yourself, I would start there and get your desired chair setup and cut what’s comfortable.
I’m probably a little late to the party here.
Make your windows vertical instead of horizontal that way you can shoot a compound also
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