Deer Stand Window Repair

I planned to replace the lower window sill on two deer stand windows today.  However, I only had time to replace the main window.

The original lower sill was installed with a quarter inch of caulk underneath.  I expected the 2" x 4" frame under the sill to be even with the metal but it was not.  As a result, after pulling off the rotten sill, I had to strip off the caulk, and then cut the metal so that it was flat with the lower window frame.  The job took much longer than I was expecting.

Unfortunately, the job was not done at that point.  I cut two new pieces of molding for the sides of the window opening.  When I installed the one on the left side, I realized the water had penetrated in and rotted part of the 2" x 4" frame.  I made it work anyway as in the end it is a deer stand but it bothered me as I'm a perfectionist.

After installing all the wood, I caulked it all.  Several hours later, I stopped back by and put a second coat of paint on everything.  

While I was at it, I installed a latch and lock on the stand. Since I don't expect to hunt there a great deal this winter, I didn't want it be wide open for someone else to sneak over and use.  I've no reason to believe someone would but why risk it when you can just lock it up.

Hog Hunting in the Rain

This morning, we set the scope on my wife's new Savage 30-06 and decided to go for a quick hog hunt in the evening.  We were not exceptionally serious about it but thought we would see what would happen.  We were in the stand by 5 o'clock and it was cooler than expected for August with recent rain we received.  

Within 30 minutes, it started to rain.  I rained off and on for the next 3 hours.  Unfortunately, we did not see anything except a few birds and a rabbit.  However, it was nice to sit in the stand and just watch it rain.  Not sure if you can make it out but the next picture was taken during the rain.

Afterwards, we tried a new mexican food place in the nearby town but it was not really that good.  We then headed back home making it back to our house around 11 PM.

Inspecting and Repairing the Deer Stand

The land we purchased came with a deer stand and feeder.  The stand is just large enough to hold two people which will work great for my wife and I or my son and I going hunting.

The stand is no doubt many years old.  However, the metal siding has kept in pretty good condition.  The window frame on the front is really rotten but the rest of the window frames seem to be in good shape.  I'm not sure if this is a sign of age or the use of untreated wood. 

My plan would be to replace the window frame before this fall before it gets worse.  I've some extra plexiglass from a previous stand project that I will use to make the window just a little bigger.  I took a few measurements so I could work on this project a little at home and arrive with some usable pieces:

Window frame itself:

     39 5/8" Wide

     11" High

     

Window panel:

     39 1/2" Wide

     10 7/8" High

Plexiglass:

     30 1/4" Wide

     4 1/4" High (estimated)

The door is a unique design.  The frame of the stand and the door frame are made from 2x4's.  These two frames sit flush with one another.  The door panel then screws to the door frame and overhangs on one side to make contact with the frame and stop it from swinging too far inward.  It is a little tough to close but works fine.  The door does need a handle on the inside and a lock for the outside of the door.