The Budget Hunter

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The Budget Hunter

Let's face it, when you are obsessed with waterfowl hunting the cost adds up fast. We want to help you spend your money where it counts the most for you. Whether it's discount products, products that last or just do it yourself substitutes, this is where you'll find it.

Budget Dog Blind

Terry Mahoney

I've been in the market for a dog blind. After looking through all my catalogs and scouring the Internet I came to the conclusion that for the amount of times that I'm going to use it, it's just not worth the 90 to 100 bucks to me. That money could be spent on expanding my decoy spread. My wife then reminded me that I had bought a camoflage dog crate cover a couple of years ago that she had thought I was using for a dog blind which I fully intended on using but it wouldn't be practical to lug the crate out to the blind. Bright flash as the light bulb turns on over my head, "build a lightweight frame".

I drove down to the local home center and picked up some 1/2 inch PVC pipe along with 8 90 degree elbows and 8 "T" connectors and a small can of cement.

blind_1

(Note the PVC tubing cutter in the picture. I happened to have a pair of these but the tubing is easily cut with a hacksaw.)

After reviewing the dimensions on several of the commercial blinds, I settled on a height of 20 inches and cut the PVC to size. I left the length the same dimension as the existing crate.

blind_5

Joint detail. A small 1 inch piece of tubing is cemented into place to join the 2 fittings. All other joints are left dry so the frame can be disassembled for storage.

blind_3

The completed frame assembly. It may be hard to see in the picture but after fitting the cover on to the frame, I found that there was too much loose fabric on top of the blind assembly. I solved this by crossing 2 fiberglass rods that I had lying around. I drilled holes into the sides of the top bars and bowed the rods upright. Old tent poles, fishing rod sections could be used for this.

blind_6

The completed blind.

blind_7 The completed blind with the dog added. The entire project took me less than an hour to complete. The crate cover was purchased at one of the "big box" outdoor store's bargain section for $25. The total price for the frame components was $16. I can still use the crate cover for it's intended purpose as I didn't have to alter it at all. If you find that the fabric is too loose you can use some thin bungee cords to take up tension on the bottom.

Muddy this thing up and it's ready for the field. If your any good with a sewing machine or have an understanding wife, girlfriend or mother that can sew, you can add some loops to the side for additional natural camo. If you do have trouble locating a crate cover, it wouldn't take too much work to sew up a cover out of some camo fabric which is readily available at a fabric store or the local department store (you know which one I'm talking about).

The frame can be made into numerous configurations to fit whatever you come up with for a cover. The possibilities are almost endless tom build your own "custom" dog blind.

Terry Mahoney

CT Pro Staff

The Economy Custom Duck Hauler -Part 2

Darryl Mathews

This is article 2 of 3

Hellooooo Junkies!!!!!
This month I'm going to be putting a cabinet, counter top, sink, heater in the duck hauler. I'm also planning on wiring the duck wagon for electricity and plumbing it. but we'll see how that goes.

Last month I spent $120.00 and this month I'm going to try to stay close to that amount.

Lets get started !!!!
I found a cabinet at a swap meet for $20.00 and I talked her down to $12.00. It's a bit big but it will work. I also found a couple of counter tops at the same swap meet and decided to buy one (not exactly the color I wanted but I am building it with price in mind). I paid $7.00 for it.

The sink was a great deal, I was at a buddy's house and snooping around his shed and found it. It has a bent faucet, but I don't mind that a bit. While snooping around his shed I also found a 2 breaker service box for electricity. Price for sink $0.00 price for breaker box $5.00.
Off to rummage sales looking for stuff for the duck hauler. I found a brand new LP gas heater that can be mounted flat to wall with no venting for $35.00. I went to dealing with him and got it for $20.00.

Lets get started with getting this stuff installed:
The cabinet was easy, I have that floating floor that I installed last month so I can't screw it to the floor and there's a lip along side the wall so I couldn't screw it to the wall either. So I simply placed it where I wanted it.

Counter top:
The counter top was a bit tougher on me. I knew if I made a bad cut I would ruin it and there is a couple of angles there that I knew I would mess up. What I decided to do was cut some large pieces of cardboard to fit the area on top of the cabinet where the counter top was going to sit. Took about 15 minutes and I was tracing the cardboard on the top of the counter top. I borrowed a jig saw and had it cut and installed in about 15 more minutes. I took (L) brackets and simply screwed the counter top to the cabinet and the wall to make it all one piece Anybody can do this, once the cardboard fits perfect.

The Sink: (no template)
Again,really easy if you don't make it into something it's not. I just put the sink upside down on the counter top where I wanted and traced around it. Then I traced another line 1" inside of my original tracing. I drilled 4 holes,1 in each corner and took the jigsaw and cut my inside line out. The sink didn't fit very good in the hole and I had to take the jigsaw and cut a little bit here and there until it did, (no big deal). The hole for the faucet, I drilled a 1" hole where it touched the counter top and took the jigsaw again to make it the size I needed so the sink went into place.

To plumb it, what I did was take my duck hauler to Ace hardware and explained what I wanted, they came out and looked at my trailer and got my plumbing parts. I asked them to leave them assembled so I would know," what went where" when I got home. Everything went on the sink as they said it would, except I forgot to use the Teflon tape and had to do it over again.

Everything is done, except they forgot to sell me drill bits (which are called hole saws) to get the plumbing through the wall. Back to Ace hardware and race back home again. Drilling those hole couldn't have went any better, simply mark them and drill.You now have two big holes in the side of your trailer to put your in and out water pipes through.

Cost of plumbing supplies $27.47
Cost of stupid hole saws $30.57

Heater:
This was the easiest. take those good old (L) brackets and screw it to the wall no biggy there.

Wiring the duck hauler:
I'm not going to give any instructions on how to wire your hauler for electricity
To do this job I would recommend getting a licensed electrician to wire your hauler for electricity !!!!!!! But...... What I did,was go online and look up basic wiring and had the whole job done in about 3 hours. I know everything is working and I didn't trip any breakers,so it must be done right.
Cost of electrical supplies $29.12
Total cost this month $141.16
Total cost from start $261.16

This months work

Next month part 3 and final article.
(1) Remembered and found a little something special in my shed that will make this duck hauler super special.
(2) Outside gets a complete face lift (thanks to my sponsors)
(3) stereo
(4) shelving and a few add ons

If you have any questions about this build,please don't hesitate to contact me. I have little or no trailer remodeling skills and this is being done really with little skill. But it is really coming together nicely and if you need any help call me.

See you next month Junkies.
Hope to hear you in the marsh,

Darryl Mathews

A.K.A. Duckpoop

Pro Staff Duck Junkies AZ. and N.M.

The Budget Minded Waterfowler

Terry Mahoney

Gearing up for waterfowl hunting can get really, really expensive. In the current economy, new equipment may not be the best idea for you. So why not go used?

Shotgun- Probably about the most expensive item that is required. When your first starting out, a used gun may be the best choice for your budget. Most local gun shops and some of the big box stores usually have a good selection of quality used shotguns in stock. Be careful with your selection. Inspect it real well for damage such as a cracked stock or bulge in the barrel. Make sure the action is smooth and doesn’t bind. Also be wary of an older gun. A lot of the older ones may not be rated for steel shot which will limit you to one of the expensive non toxic lead substitutes. If you have an opportunity to try it on a range, good idea.

Ammo- All States and Canadian provinces require the use of non toxic shot for waterfowl hunting. Steel shot is pretty cheap and gets the job done.

Decoys- Look for used ones at tag sales, flea markets, Craig’s List or Ebay. Patching up some pellet hole and a little paint can make an old deke like new again. If you have to go new, GHG Hot Buys are an inexpensive alternative. They come only in 1 style but for 25 to 30 bucks for a dozen mallards, they work and make good spread fillers when you can afford better ones. As far as weights go, think like Gunny Highway in the movie “Heartbreak Ridge”. Improvise, adapt, overcome. Bank sinkers for big water fishing are cheap. Use a big nut or bolt. Whatever you can think of that sinks and will hold the decoy in place in the wind.

Waders- In this case I would tend to stay away from a tag sale item. They’re probably gonna leak unless they’re new in the box. Use your fishing waders if you have them. Look for end of season sales at your local stores. Online is another good alternative. Closeouts on discontinued style are usually well marked down.

Camo- Before the Real Tree and Mossy Oak era of designer camo, most everybody used military surplus. It still works. Look for end of season sales at sporting good and department stores that sell hunting equipment and clothing. Check out the Goodwill Store or the Salvation Army store. You never know what your gonna find.

Boat- Nice to have- yes. Absolutely necessary- no. Look for a used row boat or canoe and give it a “spray can overhaul”. With a few cans of paint and some stencils cut out of cardboard, the possibilities are endless. Perhaps your neighbor has one in his yard collecting sticks and leaves that he’s willing to part with.

Waterfowling can get expensive. It doesn’t have to be.

Terry Mahoney

Duck Junkies Pro Staff

Economy Custom Duck Hauler -Part 1

Darryl Mathews

This is article 1 of 3

Okay,lets get started. First off, I'm going to let you Junkies know up front. I am not very good at building things,but I just can't seem to find exactly or even close to what I need in a hauler for traveling around the country that suits my duck hunting needs. Now Junkies!!!! lets establish some goals and some criteria. My goals are to build a trailer to haul my ranger 4 wheeler, 12 ft.jon boat, decoys, all the duck gear I can haul, plus I want a place to hang out with my buds, clean my ducks and not freeze my hands.

CRITERIA !!!! MUST BE DONE, CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP

Unit description

2007 17 ft Carson V nose trailer

7' 3" tall

69" wide

Tandem axle

I chose this because this is one of the trailers I had that I used to haul Harleys with. Any trailer will work.

Goal 1: I want a floor that is durable,looks cool,cheap, and doesn't soak up blood

New floor product used. home depot shop flooring 25 year warranty

Price: they had it on clearance (that's why I chose wood grain) 40.00 a bundle.

3 bundles needed

Total cost 120.00 plus tax

Step 1 Floor preparation

Original Floor

Sweep floor clean, and anything that is screwed to the floor comes up and off. I incorporated my wife to hold the bolts from the top and I crawled underneath the trailer and removed the nuts. Once you have completed the removal of all hardware it's time to re sweep the floor and take a air compressor or a small brush and get all the dirt out of the hole that the hardware was in. What you now have is a trailer that is clean but with a bunch of holes in the floor.

What I did, (remember this is a economy rebuild) is walked out to my shed and started grabbing tubes of caulking and whatever else I thought would work. I ended up with 2 tubes of liquid nails and one tube of silicone caulking. I used the silicone to fill the bolt holes from the top and from the bottom also and the liquid nails to fill the large countersunk holes.

Step 2 Install Flooring

The floor is now prepped and ready for a new look. Off to Home Depot, talked to the lady in charge of flooring and asked her what I would need to have for installing the shop flooring. She says, all I need in a razor knife. Hah!!! I have one of those at home. Okay ! back home, read the instructions, don't understand them, so I'm on my own. This flooring product is designed to be free floating (meaning: no nails it just lays on the floor) I did understand from the instructions to leave a 1/4 inch gap along all sides for expansion. Perfect !!! "A excuse to make my bad cuts look good". I simply started on one wall and moved up and out in no certain order. Each piece has a strip with sticky stuff on it that sticks to a strip on the next piece. It goes down really fast and looks like a professional job!