I'm pretty handy but I've never built anything like this. I got my first buck last year and I'm super excited about the upcoming deer season. I'm wanting a 8' x 12' structure and I would like it approximately 10' above ground. I'm envisioning a 8' x 8' structure with a 4' x 8' covered porch. In the future, I would like to hang a zipline for my kids from a couple of nearby trees. I'm envisioning them clipping onto the zip line and taking off from the porch. I have some trees picked out and they are about 200 feet apart. The zip line project is definitely for the future and likely won't go up this fall. Location is Noblesville, IN.

I have a buddy who is great at construction and he and I staked off the area and marked for some holes. He suggested 6" x 6" posts in the ground with bags of concrete. I started doing some research and thought I wanted to use some 12" sono tubes and fill them with concrete, wet set a post bracket, and attach 6" x 6" posts to footings. I'm going back and forth on which way to do it. I like the idea of the footings, but that's a LOT of concrete I have to mix out in the woods. I could mix way less and put the posts in the ground but I worry about the longevity of the posts. I just looked it up and that is SIX 80lbs bags of concrete per 48" sonotube. That's a lot of mixing for a guy like me. I do have access to a Cat skid steer. I should have rented an auger to begin with but I didn't. I have also seen that you can put a concrete bowl on a skid steer auger to use as a concrete mixer. I feel like I'm headed that way or a rental of some sort to mix a lot of concrete.

I have already began digging footings. Naturally, I did this the hard way. Instead of renting a post hole digger, I bought the harbor freight 52cc post hole digger because I expected to use it more in the future. Big mistake, no way that thing is up for 12" footings. But with a combination of it, traditional post hole digger, and a 17 lbs. digging bar, I'm nearing my local frost line. All four holes are about 30" deep so far. I'll probably spend another hour or two trying to get down another 4-6".

As for the layout, the posts will be set inside the footprint. 1 foot in from each corner if that makes any sense. There will be 2 posts per beam. I was thinking of accessing this by a ladder to the deck and have a human door to enter the structure. I'm not sure what windows I want to use. I will be hunting with a crossbow and likely the firearm season if I'm not successful with the crossbow. I would almost prefer for the windows to be more traditional as long as they are easy to shoot out of.

I'm curious what you guys think I should do for the posts. In the ground, or on top of a footing with a post bracket? What depth should I dig the holes? Also, any suggestions that you have would be great. Thanks in advance!

Have you considered a pre-made unit?  Cabelas and Sportsman’s Guide may have something comparable, and portable for off season.

I want to do something similar, but no zip line. My idea was to dig the holes for 6x6 posts and place 6x6 deck blocks at the bottom to disperse weight. Wrap the posts, but not the bottoms, so moisture can escape. Put some large nails in the posts and then concrete in. I saw that was something they did back in the day to help the post stay in the concrete.

My idea involves notching the posts for the rim boards, though. That way the rim boards use the axial strength of the post, rather than the shear strength of the bolts.

If you mount on top of piers, I suggest corner bracing of a good length to help resist the pull of the zipline.

I considered those but I'm looking for something permanent. I want the kids to be able to use it for fun and maybe even roll out some sleeping bags.




I have a huge black walnut and an oak tree that the zip line would connect to. We laid out this structure where it theoretically lies underneath the zip line.

My suggestion, and I know you already started the footers, is to build the hunting structure without attaching to the footer. Build it like a skid platform that you can either carry out with forks on the skidsteer, or pull like a sled behind the skidsteer. If you want taller (so it's too topheavy for that) make it so it can be drug out and stood up with the skid steer and then guy wire it off on the four corners for stability.

Then the next suggestion is to build the zip line structure independent of the hunting structure. Two old telephone poles or a pole and a tree. Guy wire the poles and zipline cable between them. BTW, if you have a pond on the property, a zipline over a pond beats a zipline in the woods!

FWIW, I am saying this as someone who has done both and has some regrets

The zip line will be completely independent of this structure. I have 2 trees already picked out for both ends of the zip line. The idea is that maybe we can climb the structure and access the zip line from the porch of the structure. If that doesn't work, I will build a typical zip line ladder platform on the upper tree.

 OP.....go to YouTube and type hunting platform.

   or just use the link.


https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=how+to+build+a+hunting+platform



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Try to find used telephone poles.  I usually get them for 25 bucks a piece.

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My stands must be 15 feet high by law.