News Photo by Steve Schulwitz Drew Flewelling, left, and his father Chris Flewelling strategize the best way to finish off a roof on a new blind they were building. The blind is five feet off the ground and has enough room in it to have a couch and other amenities.

ALPENA — Some hunters need little more than four walls and a roof to hunt during deer season, while others go to great lengths to include amenities that offer added comforts while they await their buck.

Large or small, insulated or not, people’s idea of the perfect deer blind is never one size fits all.

In Presque Isle County, Drew Flewelling put the finishing touches on his new blind in September. He said he wanted a blind that was well off the ground and included a lot of room to maneuver around.

The blind sits on a platform five feet off the ground, and the dimensions are eight feet by six feet and seven feet tall from the floor to the ceiling. He said he intends to put a full couch in the blind for comfort.

“I wanted it large for comfort and to make it easier to move around,” Flewelling said. “I wanted it up high so I could see over the cedar thickets. I’m happy at how it turned out and I’m hoping to get about 20 years out of it.”

Flewelling took advantage of the warm weather to build the blind and utilized the help of friends and family to help him construct it. He often had to work alone on the top well above the ground to put the roof together with his help lifting the lumber and other materials he needed up to him.

Jake Rheader hunts in Alpena County and uses a small camouflage-printed portable blind he purchased.

He said he likes how light and portable it is when taking it into the woods and setting it up. He said it also allows him to rotate between several hunting areas on his property and not be stuck in one location that isn’t producing results.

“If I’m not seeing deer in one place, I can set it up somewhere else the next day,” he said. “It is pretty tight in it but I really don’t need a lot besides my gun and my small heater. Sometimes, I leave it set up when I intend to hunt the same place for a few days. Sometimes, I pack it up and take it out with me and move it all together.”

Cory DeWitt said he hunted in an old rotted and rickety deer blind that his grandpa had built many years ago. When the condition of the blind reached the point that it was no longer safe or useful to use, he decided he was going to build a blind he enjoyed being in. He said he has tiling on the floor, paneling on the walls, and solar panels on the ceiling to help provide power for things like his phone and tablet chargers. He said he has a heater that keeps the blind warm and it is decorated with hunting-themed posters and pictures. There is also a bookshelf where he keeps books and hunting magazines he can browse through while he waits for the deer.

DeWitt said the blind is pretty sealed up and most of the things in the blind are protected from the weather, but after deer season, he does take a lot of its contents back to his home.

“If you’re going to spend hours after hours, after hours in the blind, why not be comfortable?” he said. “It’s nice now, but it is still a work in progress and there are things I still want to do yet.”

DeWitt said he would like to add a bunk for him to snooze in if he wants a nap.

“It’s like my home away from home and I just enjoy being in it, whether I see deer or not,” he said.