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UNDERWOOD, Iowa — Dan Darnold learned the power of an idea.
About a year ago, he ran an idea up a few flag poles and now — after a flurry of designing, shopping, sawing, painting, welding and crafting — it's ready for the field.
Darnold, a 17-year-old senior at Underwood High School and member of Boy Scout Troop 550 in Council Bluffs, built two blinds designed for handicapped hunters of deer and turkey as his Eagle Scout project. The blinds are in place at Wilson Island State Recreation Area southwest of Missouri Valley, Iowa.
“Hunting has always been a big part of my life. I grew up with it,'' he said. “I just wanted to give disabled people the same experiences we have.''
There's no mistaking Darnold's blinds for a roadside fireworks booth or garden produce stand. The sturdy shelters are clad with plywood pre-printed with a camouflage pattern of bark, branches and limbs. Hunters will recognize the pattern as Mossy Oak's Break-Up design.
The blinds will comfortably accommodate a hunter and a spotter. The structures are five feet wide and eight feet long. The roof slopes from 75 inches in back to 70 inches at the front. Hinged, plywood windows in three walls give occupants 270 degrees of vision. The windows are split horizontally. The top half folds up and latches to the ceiling. The bottom half folds down and creates a shooting shelf.
One side wall lowers like a drawbridge to form a ramp for wheelchair access. The interior is painted black. Green Astroturf-like carpet covers the floor.
The blinds are framed with 1¼-inch galvanized steel pipe. Each is built atop skids made of 3-inch galvanized steel pipe.
“The planning took a while, but a lot of it was just sitting down and doing it.'' Darnold said. “Sometimes I needed a kick in the butt from Dad, but I'm glad he did.''
Dan is the son of Randy and Jill Darnold of rural Underwood. He said neighbor Ron Salsbury helped inspire the project. Salsbury, a hunter, told of often seeing a handicapped hunter strap a bow to his back and crawl Army-style to a spot in the woods where he sat and hunted all morning.
Darnold financed the $1,400 cost of the project by selling and installing flag poles. His profit per pole ranged from $50 to $75, depending on the degree of decorative landscaping the buyer ordered. Lumber, hardware and pipe suppliers provided discounts to help Darnold keep his costs within budget.
Troop 550 Scouts and fellow members of Harvest Alliance Church in Minden, Iowa, helped Darnold build the blinds.
Wilson Island, a 544-acre recreation area of dense cottonwood stands, features campgrounds and a Missouri River boat ramp. It also permits public hunting. Deer, turkey and duck hunting are the primary activities. DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge is immediately north of the park.
Chris Anunson, the park ranger, said he knows of no other similar blinds at other Iowa public hunting sites. The terrain of the river-bottom park is flat, making it ideal to host disabled hunters.
“I expect the blinds to be used frequently,'' Anunson said. “Until now, these hunters have been limited to parking someplace where they can make their way into the woods to a makeshift shelter, or sit in the open. It's a great opportunity for them, and it'll help us maintain a healthy population of deer and turkey. It's a win-win.''
Iowa law prohibits reserving blinds and ladder stands on public land. Darnold's blinds are available for anyone's use on a first-come basis. Anunson said, however, that he would let people know that the blinds' primary purpose is to give disabled hunters a place to set up.
Iowa's deer season for disabled hunters started Saturday and continues through Oct. 4. Archery, muzzleloader, shotgun and other seasons extend deer hunting through January. Iowa's wild turkey archery season begins Oct. 1.
With this project complete, Darnold needs to complete two merit badges — community citizenship and personal management — this winter before facing a review board for his Eagle Scout rank.
He has another goal, too: bag a turkey with a bow.
Contact the writer:
444-1127, david.hendee@owh.com
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