Building a DIY Floating Blind | Bird Photography

[@ethanhoggardphotography]

I’ve literally been watching videos on building floating blinds for the last two years and this is by far the best one I’ve seen. Thanks for posting it!

[@TheDirtyBirder]

thanks a ton for the compliment! It’s nice knowing it helped in some way.

[@ethanhoggardphotography]

@@TheDirtyBirder definitely. I keep contemplating buying one or building and still can’t decide! Haha

[@ethanhoggardphotography]

@@TheDirtyBirdercan I ask roughly what total cost on it was as you ended up?

[@TheDirtyBirder]

@@ethanhoggardphotography I would say total without the blind cover you’re looking at around $350-400 That includes all the supplies but obviously doesn’t take into account things you may need like power tools and whatnot.

[@ethanhoggardphotography]

@@TheDirtyBirder hmm interesting. I’m looking into a PVC build possibly. Cross member board to tie them together somehow and for tripod head support. We shall see lol

[@briancox053]

Thank you for posting this! Here in Delaware I’ve been considering building something like this, and I’ve also been wondering about what to wear, so - you are not alone! I did try building a blind on a kayak and I was able to get it out on the water, but no birds came near me in 90 minutes at sunset. And the wind tried to push me around a lot, though I had a small anchor that helped me stay in place (but didn’t allow me to turn very far, so I could only photograph in about a 180 degree arc). I may try something like you built. Thanks for the inspiration.

[@TheDirtyBirder]

Yeah evenings are tough sometimes for waterfowl not to spook them getting in the water. A lot of success with a floating blind comes with scouting the area so be sure you know what’s out there and their behaviors before fully taking the blind out. I would also suggest mornings so you can sneak in without much being alerted to your presence.

[@drew_hewitt]

Honestly, I'm loving your channel. You're the only honest wildlife shooter on KZbin. I've been cracking away at wildlife videography for the last couple years away from my day job working in documentary. And I'll tell you my experience completely mirrors yours. Keep up the honest work and you've got a totally viable channel here.

[@TheDirtyBirder]

Thanks man I appreciate that. I try my best to be as transparent as possible so that people moreso know what they can expect/how they can get through some issues that might occur in the field. Knowing other people have similar experiences to me definitely helps me as well to continue creating content like this.

[@drew_hewitt]

Dude I like completely relate to your experiences especially the Owl video. I used to loves beavers now they are my adversary, lol jk @@TheDirtyBirder

[@robertdemint5750]

Ok your design is so much better then mine time to rebuild mine now lol

[@TheDirtyBirder]

Haha well you just need a Rick and it makes it 10x easier. Would have taken me so much more time and stress if I wouldn’t have had some help with it.

[@richardwood1212]

I am a Florida bird photographer .....lots of habitats with water, lots of water bird photography opportunities and lots of alligators. The last one is my deal breaker from making a floating hide or just out right purchasing one. Your points of vegetation getting in the way and the need to get a bit closer are valid points but the 'gators are my issue. Cheers!

[@TheDirtyBirder]

Yes, I would not recommend a floating blind in Florida 😂 honestly seems like a thing that would always keep me on edge. doing bird photography not knowing if there’s a gator close.

[@arthurquinlan3862]

When I used to do cold water diving we would have very warm water that we would pour into the neck of the wetsuit before we went into the water. That made a huge difference, but we were still limited to about an hour before the cold would start to affect us. This time of year in the Northeast the water temp might not be much above freezing, so I think the only way you could use the floating blind during the spring migration would be with a drysuit.

[@TheDirtyBirder]

I agree. Doing more and more research on it, a dry suit seems to be one of the best feasible options to get around the time in water issue.

[@RyanKessler_wildlifeimages]

Love it! Great job. I just started my template and did a mock up on cardboard lol. Then saw your video. And it looks very similar to yours 😂

[@TheDirtyBirder]

Good luck! Hope it ends up working out well for you!

[@towee70]

Nice. Southern Manitoba here, I live on the edge of Big Grass Marsh. Had one of these in the works for a few years now but the 9-5 always gets in the way. I've set aside some time to construct a floating blind for myself this spring so will be watching for your thoughts and updates ! Looking forward to seeing your results :)

[@TheDirtyBirder]

Thanks so much! I hope your blind works out for you and thanks for the sub!

[@towee70]

I'm confident about the blind build, my two big worries are water coming over the chest waders and sinking in soft mud. I'd love to have a dry suit but those are pretty pricey ! Chest waders will have to do :) @@TheDirtyBirder

[@TheDirtyBirder]

@@towee70 definitely can get dangerous. A lot of wetlands around here basically have sinkholes of mud. Fell in a few myself lol. Hopefully, you can map out a good area and from there barely need to move in the water from there.

[@rambarimba0157]

Beautiful video my friend,thanks for sharing

[@TheDirtyBirder]

Thank you! Your words are much appreciated

[@tristramstout8988]

There is a reason they are called “wetsuits”. Wetsuits allow water to pass through. Just ask any triathlete. A drysuit is a different beast. But they are also way more expensive. For the purpose of floating blind photography, I use chest waders. They have a built-in boot and are waterproof all the way to the top. I built nearly an identical float. But in the end, I never completely finished it because I decided that it was way too bulky. I also wanted something that I would be completely safe in regardless of where I stepped. I discovered that you can’t always see the bottom and it can be easy to step into a spot over your head. I decided to purchase a float tube. I am about 90% on the way towards finishing a camouflage hide cover and camera mount.

[@TheDirtyBirder]

Man, thank you for the tips. I did plan on putting the waders over the wetsuit (hoping it would allow me to stay warm for longer) but ended up just not being able to squeeze in to them the day of. I also wanted some backup in case the waders leaked. Ide be interested in seeing how the float tube works out. Also, how do you mount your camera onto that?

[@tristramstout8988]

I bought the largest float tube available on Amazon. It has an aluminum tube that runs across the width which is to hold a net with a fish ruler. I don’t use the net, but the tube has been used to hold a small platform to mount the camera. But, I’m working on a different idea. If I can remember, I’ll upload a couple pictures once I have things together.

[@TheDirtyBirder]

@@tristramstout8988 sounds good to me ide love to see it!

[@dorianetcetera2264]

Hey there how can I do this the website isn’t going into full context

[@tomsiteman5731]

Great video brother. You've got to pee in that wet suit LOL it will keep you warm😮

[@TheDirtyBirder]

Still wasn’t enough 😂