Understanding your terrain limitations is critical for a successful hunt. Coupling this knowledge with known game pathways will land you meat every fall, just so long as you prepare accordingly. Most scenarios are easy to solve, but at times, you might find yourself painted into a corner. Hunting my property is a fair illustration of this, as it is benched and, at times, overgrown. Both deer and turkey like to cross the upper tier before dropping down to the middle tier, or vice versa. Thick ground vegetation rules out a ground blind, and putting up a tree stand puts me at eye level with the upper tier, giving me away to anything crossing there. The solution here is an elevated, covered tower like the Rhino Blind Quad Pod Guard Tower.

Rhino Blind RTT-510 10-Foot Quad Pod Guard Tower

Hauling lumber, power tools, and a generator to run them up a hill is not my idea of fun. Additionally, wood is unpredictable and prone to rotting, and, of course, you typically don’t find out your work has become unsafe until it’s too late.

The solution was in a prefab, but I needed something that I could set out and leave up indefinitely. Once something significant changes in the woods, wildlife needs time to get used to it before they feel comfortable passing it. With that said, I needed something modular, lightweight, and weatherproof. The answer came in the RTT-510, better known as the Rhino Blind 10’ Quad Pod Guard Tower.

Rhino’s name precedes its reputation, as its products are built to be tough enough to endure the elements. The Quad Pod is no different, as it features all-steel construction, a weatherproof enclosure, and a pair of seats that can shrug off moisture while supporting up to 250 pounds of grain-fed American meat. Measuring 10 feet at the shooting rail, it’s high enough to clear the thick stuff; without being so tall, you need scaffolding to put up or feel nervous in high winds. The platform measures just shy of 5’ x 5’, making it large enough for two hunters, just so long as their combined weight (plus gear) doesn’t exceed 500 pounds. 

Some Assembly Required

The unit arrived completely unassembled, which is how they got the MSRP down to $589.99. Weighing 165 pounds, a solo hunter can drag it into the garage singlehandedly. But it goes easier with some help. After laying everything out, it felt like IKEA delved into the world of hunting equipment, and we knew I had a job ahead of us. Applying a critique fairly, starting the job proved a task. The minimalist instructions combined with unmarked parts and unclear drawings. Hardware separation lacked organization. Overall, it proved more suited to a weekend job than a one-day operation. Nonetheless, after laying everything out and determining and dividing the nuts and bolts into their respective steps, we were able to get the process underway. 

Working with my wife, Barbara, we took on most of the assembly in a workshop, reducing the chance of losing hardware to the forest floor. With that, we put together the platform, leg, and blind support portions right in the garage and hauled them into the woods on the back of a side-by-side. Carefully, we walked everything up the hill and set up our secondary assembly location.

Raising the Tower

Connecting the legs happens with the platform on its side, which makes it relatively easy to take care of. Once we had it connected, the two of us were able to walk the tower to an upright position. Rhino recommends four adults for this portion, but we live dangerously and suck at scheduling, so we had to make due. After positioning it where we wanted, it was evident that there was some leveling to do. This meant digging down the legs that needed to be shorter, which I prefer to a leveling system as this limits failure points. The process wasn’t too terrible, and the result was a rock-solid shooting platform.

We finished the base by selecting a connection point for the ladder and sinking that down into the dirt as well before climbing up, attaching the frame, and draping the cover over the top. Having four shooting ports, we debated where we wanted to mount one of the included swivel chairs, opting for one as we likely wouldn’t have a need to put two hunters in here. With the locking down of the final bolt, we called it a day with a total of approximately 10 hours of assembly time under our belt. 

Rhino Blind Quad Pod Tower In the Field

We tested the unit for stealth and security by swiveling the chair and shaking the base. Rhino includes a fistful of polymer washers to eliminate nearly every metal-on-metal contact point. The result was excellent, as this thing was dead quiet. Shimmying my 200 pounds of flesh barely budged it, making me feel undoubtedly safe, even if we had a bit of a breeze to contend with. Visibility through all four shooting ports was excellent, and being able to close as many as you wish pays dividends for concealment. Above all, our heads were covered, and our view extended beyond ground level, making this the perfect fix for this type of terrain. The only question we had left was who gets to hunt from it first. For more information, visit feradyne.com.

Pursuit Energy – Primos Hunting Line

Hunting, and preparation thereof, often requires you to be both an early bird and a night owl. Being both on the same day is tough, so a little help is always welcome. Pursuit Energy has teamed up with Primos to create a line of energy drinks to help you push through a lengthy hunt or even a long day in the woods prepping for opening day. Each can is packed with B vitamins, caffeine, and taurine to give you a boost without the associated crash. Available in original and blaze orange, there are also sugar-free editions for those who like to gobble but not waddle. (pursuitenergy.com)