How High Should a Box Blind Be?

When it comes to using a hunting box blind, the options are endless. You can make your box blind as fancy as you want, or as simple as possible. Although when you start setting it up, a common question asked is how high it should be. Hunting box blinds can be used on the ground or at a variety of different heights depending on a number of different variables.

As a general rule of thumb, box blinds should be set up between 5 and 15 feet off the ground to maximize the advantages that an elevated box blind offers. This will change based on the needs of the hunter and the environment in which they hunt. Let’s start by talking about one of the most important factors surrounding your blind height, the environment you set it up in.

Your Hunting Environment

Paying attention to your hunting environment can tell you a lot about how high you should set up your elevated box blind. Every hunter’s situation might be a little different and how they want to hunt their environment might be different as well. So take inventory of the landscape, the vegetation, and the backdrop of your hunting area where you want your elevated box blind to be.

In the Woods

If you are setting up your elevated box blind to hunt in the woods, your shooting distance may be restricted a bit more depending on the density of the woods you are in. If you don’t have a long shooting distance due to thick trees, five feet of elevation might serve you well in those close encounters. Plus, you won’t be able to see or shoot as far, so the additional height does not pay off in thick trees.

Now, if you have more sparse trees with high canopies and a lot of thick underbrush that has grown up, being higher off the ground might help. That way you aren’t trying to shoot through the brush, but rather over it at a greater distance.

Before setting your elevated box blind up, it might be beneficial to use a ladder to get up to the height you might be using to give it a quick look. This will save you the time and hassle of setting up your box blind, only to find out that it isn’t a great height to be hunting from for your environment.

Edge of Ag Field or Food Plot

If you frequently hunt the edge of an agricultural field or have your own food plots set up, there is a lot of advantage of having your box blind further off the ground. It will help with vision, shooting range, and scent control.

For vision and shooting range, the higher up you are, the further you can see and shoot if you are hunting with a long range rifle. Height will depend on how big the field is that you are hunting over and how far of a shot your comfort zone is. In some areas, there are hunters that actually mount their box blinds on telephone poles that could be anywhere from 15 to 30 feet off the ground depending on how much ground they are trying to cover from one location.

When it comes to scent control, hunting over a wide open area such as an ag field can really affect how far your scent will travel. In wide open areas, there is nothing to help block or conceal your scent. Hunting in an elevated box blind will help greatly with that by cutting down the wind hitting you and containing your scent inside the blind.

If you are hunting a smaller ag field or a smaller food plot, 10 feet might be all that you need to adequately hunt the area. This will help conceal you, give you a good vantage point and shooting distance, while still covering your scent. The higher a blind is, the harder it is to shoot close to you. So in a small field, you may not want to be extremely tall so that you can still shoot deer coming within ten yards of you.

Wide Open Field

Some hunters choose to set up their elevated box blind in the middle of an open field so that they have a 360° view of the wood edges all around that field. This is a great tactic but it must be done well since you have little to no cover for your box blind.

Watch your height with these. While it might be tempting to put it higher than usual, you do not want your box blind to be skylined and stick out like a sore thumb to deer. Keep it high enough to maximize your vision and shooting distance, but low enough that when deer scan across the field, your box blind blends into the trees and terrain behind it.

Personal Preferences

Every hunter will inevitably have their own personal preferences when it comes to their box blinds. Those who build their own and have the means to accomplish the task might choose to set their box blind up higher than others. For those that purchase their box blind from a manufacturer, the most standard measurements for elevating them come in five or ten foot options.

Some hunters may simply not want to go as tall as 10 feet or even higher just out of sheer safety concerns. If you live in an area that frequently has high winds or notably has severe storms throughout the year, you might want to stick lower to the ground just to give yourself peace of mind.

Something to think about as well is portability or permanency. If you think that you might want to move your elevated box blind every so often, do you have the means to move it safely and easily? This might mean settling for a shorter elevation to make transportation easier.

If it is going to be more permanent of a structure, will it withstand the beating of year round weather in your area at higher elevation or would it do better being a little lower? These are all great questions to consider before buying or constructing your own elevated box blind.

Benefits of a Box Blind

If you are new to using a box blind or have been considering their use over a traditional treestand, let’s get you familiar with the added advantages and benefits of using a box blind.

Safety

There are many added safety features to using a box blind, including not having to be tied off to a tree or fear of falling from a treestand. Entering a box blind via stairs or ladder is much safer than many treestands. Elevated box blinds also allow you to shoot at a downward angle, which greatly lowers the risk of shots traveling parallel to the ground for long distances.

Visibility

Elevated box blinds offer a better vantage point than being on the ground and also allow for a better 360° view of your hunting surroundings. It’s always nice to see your prey coming before they are right on top of you. Your visibility also depends on how many windows you have and how they are shaped. Large windows are obviously best for visibility, just make sure they open and close silently when you go to take a shot.

Concealment

Box blinds, especially when elevated, help with hunter concealment in a number of different ways. Being completely enclosed helps keep movements and exposure away from the eyes of watchful prey who are constantly looking for predators.

Box blinds also tend to conceal and dampen noises better in the field than sitting in a treestand. Finally, box blinds help to conceal scent much better than sitting wide open in the elements. These together will help keep you from blowing your hunt when the moment matters the most.

Comfort

Although comfort should not be the most important thing when hunting, it sure can make your hunts more enjoyable and fruitful. Being able to move around a bit more, stretch out, and stay out of the elements will always increase your odds at capitalizing on a hunt. Many box blinds can be or are insulated to keep the cold and wet elements off of you while you hunt.

And let’s be honest, the longer you can stay in the field and be comfortable, the more chances you have of filling that tag.

Finishing Thoughts

So rule of thumb and manufacturing standards tell us that the most popular height for elevated box blinds is somewhere between five and ten feet off the ground to the floor of the box blind. You can always go higher if you have the means and want to. Just think about your environment and your hunting needs before you decide on a height for your stand.

In the end, if you are happy with the setup of your elevated box blind, it will make your hunts that much more enjoyable and more hunts end in your success.