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My New Hunting Cabin

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RifleDude View Drop Down
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    Posted: August/19/2019 at 10:46
Wanted to share a recent project I just completed.

I have been leasing hunting land in NE TX for 2 decades now, but for the last 3 years have also joined a hunting lease in West TX, south of Childress. This place is very remote, and while hunting, I had been staying in a tent as well as in a nearby town north of there. Neither option was very ideal. The tent was tough to keep staked down in the high winds that frequent the area, and the nearest accommodations in town is 20 miles away. Since the property is a 7 hour drive from my house, it's really not a "weekend" place, and I have been spending at least a week out there on most trips, saving up vacation time for hunting.

I had been looking at buying an old, inexpensive camper I could bring out there and leave, but I haven't been able to find one in good enough structural condition that I thought was worth the asking price. So, a month ago, a buddy of mine who is also a lease member came across a walk-in cooler that a micro-brewery wanted to get rid of... FOR FREE! All we had to do was go get it. It was in disassembled state onsite, consisting of panels. The wall and ceiling panels consist of galvanized sheet metal on both sides with wood framing and high density foam inside, about 4" thick. The floor panels are similar construction, except with stainless steel sheet metal on the outside. The panels fit together with tongue and groove and "cam lock" together. The assembled cooler is 12ft X 10ft X 7ft inside. Altogether, the panels weighed around 2,000 lbs.



You guessed it... we decided to convert the walk-in cooler into a cabin! We leveled a site and assembled the structure on top of treated 4X4s (to prevent corrosion underneath from direct contact with the ground).





The assembled box is VERY sturdy and VERY well insulated (being a walk-in cooler). The door is extremely solid and seals exceptionally well.

We cut out openings and installed 3 windows and another opening for an A/C unit in the wall. Not only were the windows desirable to allow natural light inside and provide some ventilation, but the structure is so airtight, they were needed to prevent suffocation. The little A/C unit only draws 4 amps, yet easily and quickly cools the inside. I spent 2 nights inside 2 weekends ago, and despite being over 100 deg F outside, the little A/C kept the inside around 65 deg. Likewise, a small electric space heater should have no problem keeping the inside warm during cold months.

We installed a some 60 mil rubberized EPDM roofing membrane on the roof, and on the inside, we trimmed out the window frames, added carpet, a bunk bed, table, microwave, LED strip lighting, power outlets, and shelving. We installed an RV "twist-on" style electrical socket on the outside for our generator power cord. Since everything on the inside has pretty low amp draw, a Honda 3000 generator easily ran all appliances along with the power tools we used for construction (cutting trim pieces, plywood, etc.), and we only used 6 gal of gas running the generator constantly over an entire weekend.

We plan to camo paint the outside so it's well hidden, but as-is, it's a mile or so from the closest public road, in a very sparsely populated county, and well hidden among the mesquites. 

Here she is as she stands now:













We next plan to build an enclosed shower and toilet in an adjacent enclosure outside the cabin.

Sure beats any tent, and despite only being 120 sq. ft inside, it has more actual usable space inside than most medium sized campers. It's rock solid, couldn't hardly be better insulated, and mice and insects cannot get inside when closed up. And the best part - we got the structure for free, so we only have about $2500 invested total in all building supplies and interior amenities.

I look forward to using my new "tiny house" this fall! It cracks me up knowing my new hunting cabin was once used to store lots of cases and kegs of beer!
Ted


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Scrumbag Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/19/2019 at 12:25
Looks great Ted! You going to "brush it up" with some netting / paint?

Also need a shed for the BBQ and hunting gear you will keep in hunting camp ;)

Enjoy buddy!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote RifleDude Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/19/2019 at 12:32
Yes sir, she will be getting a custom camo paint job this weekend.
Ted


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Kickboxer Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/19/2019 at 13:21
Ted, that's fabulous.  "Good on ya'" as they say in the backwoods.  VERY nice hunting accommodations.  Finally, a good use for one of those "tiny houses".  

However, I have to say, I have you beat on this.  Alabama (for a fee of $15.00) now allows hunting over "bait" (feed corn, etc).  My bedroom window is now my deer "stand".  I have a corn feeder that I've used to feed the deer in the off season for years that is about 31 yards from my bedroom window... or, 30 from my game room window (probably need to take the closer shot).  With a little planning, I can probably just drop down on them from the window with a knife as they cross through my front yard... we do have a spear season here.

I really like your new hunting cabin.  
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Peddler Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/19/2019 at 16:42
Originally posted by RifleDude RifleDude wrote:

Yes sir, she will be getting a custom camo paint job this weekend.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote mike650 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/20/2019 at 04:29
Very nice Ted!!  Cheers


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Dogger Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/20/2019 at 06:10
Love it Ted, ingenuity always wins the day.  Looks like you guys had a fun time putting that together.

KB, have you thought about getting one of those motorized beds where the head tilts up.  That way you could probably just stay in bed and shoot your deer.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Bigdaddy0381 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/20/2019 at 06:47
That is neat... do not paint in camo.. you might not find it.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Kickboxer Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/20/2019 at 06:57
Originally posted by Dogger Dogger wrote:

Love it Ted, ingenuity always wins the day.  Looks like you guys had a fun time putting that together.

KB, have you thought about getting one of those motorized beds where the head tilts up.  That way you could probably just stay in bed and shoot your deer.

That's a good idea.  I could set up a rifle on a tripod, zeroed on a particular spot and just wait until a deer got in just the right position, pull the trigger and "hunt" over.  Now, I just need to find a way to get someone else to skin and gut it and take it to a processor.  

However, I really don't think I'll ever shoot a deer from my window. IF the monster buck of a lifetime came up, I would maybe think "just this once", but wouldn't do it.  I've fed deer in that area for almost 20 years.  Never fired a shot at one there.  To me, it is a "safe haven" for them.  

I like Ted's cabin better... it actually involves hunting.  A great "reuse", too.  It's kinda "redneck chic"...
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote bugsNbows Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/20/2019 at 07:12
Congrats Ted! You're too big of a guy to live in a tiny house. Better add on a suitable man cave! LOL
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Kickboxer Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/20/2019 at 07:14
View from my window:

Sun coming up makes a strange reflection.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote RifleDude Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/20/2019 at 09:15
Originally posted by Kickboxer Kickboxer wrote:

It's kinda "redneck chic"...

Haha! I love it! I’m a frequent practitioner of the redneck arts!

All the various activities surrounding off-season deer hunting prep has inspired me to come up with many creative ways to repurpose stuff...necessity being the mother of invention and all.
Ted


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote BeltFed Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/20/2019 at 10:36
Ted, the Texas shack master.
I have a friend that is a retired Army armor scout. If he stays anywhere outside over night facilities start to pop up. A week, and a shack has appeared. He bought a piece of property years ago and put an old house trailer that wasn't much bigger than a travel trailer. Within a year, not only had it doubled in size, but it had 2 different heat sources (wood and electric), airconditioning, running water in the kitchen, and a working indoor toilet that flushed using collected rain water. All that with the minimum connection to the power grid. Our friend Roy gave him the name of "Shack Master".
He collects his building materials from people getting rid of stuff like old windows and doors, and stuff he finds on the side of the road. I'm sure he's a dumpster diver too.

Ted, if you hosted him for a couple of weeks and provide the meat and vegetables, he could probably build you an attached kitchen and bathroom and have it all painted in the latest military camouflage when he leaves.

Just think of it; battle of the shack masters. Texas. vs Kentucky in redneck war. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote RifleDude Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/20/2019 at 16:15
Sounds like a kindred spirit! We're constantly rigging up stuff out at deer camp! It is the genesis for some very creative "redneck engineering!"
Ted


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Dogger Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/20/2019 at 17:57
Yep, hard to beat beer-fed engineering as long as it’s not preceded by, “hey bubba, watch this”.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote BeltFed Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/21/2019 at 10:06
When men like Ted and my friend get together, things get built. Maybe not to code, but they get built.
All they need is a need and access to stuff.
Life's concerns should be about the 120lb pack your trying to get to the top of the mountain, and not the rock in your boot.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote RifleDude Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/21/2019 at 11:13
Code?!!!

Don’t need no stinkin code!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote budperm Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/21/2019 at 11:48
Code is only for the NON engineering ilk.  Keeps them honest.  Tedly, I'm sure built it way better that "code"

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote tahqua Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/21/2019 at 20:24
That is really cool, Ted. It puts a whole new meaning to canned hunt.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote 3_tens Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/21/2019 at 22:04
Put a Hot tub on the roof. Shaded by a tower that holds the hunting blind.
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