How Tall Are Your Overwatch Towers.......??? Is 17' High Enough..??

At your retreat/cabin........how high have you been building your observation and overwatch platforms. Do your more remote ones serve as caches also.

 

I suspect most don't have them and don't really need them.

I call mine "tree stands" and most are 12-15 feet depending on where you measure.

 

I'm on the top of the hill. I dig in rather than go up. A watch tower is just awfully exposed.

 

It can be..........but does not need to be. Mine are not.

 

My place is about at 3,000 feet halfway up a pretty steep mountain. I’ve got several overwatch positions set about 200 feet above the home behind a ridge line hidden from approached that I can get to from the home through a fairly concealed ravine from any approach. I still have some improvements to do, but for now it offers great concealment with decent cover. If I had to, I could escape further up the hill to either side through ravines. If, under the very unlikely situation that someone would approach from above me, I’d have some challenge with fighting, but I could remain hidden and escape with some luck.

For me it’s not necessarily how high it is above what you are trying to cover. It’s more about:

1) cover and concealment of the site
2) protected egress to and from the location
3) good fields of fire or field of view from the location (unless I thought I could easily win a fight, the overwatch is to keep an eye out over my home to see if it’s safe to return or if I need to escape)
4) more than one option for escape.

At least that’s my concept. If these were primarily fighting positions, I’d have other factors to add to the above.

 

The terrain here is flat enough you don't need a lot of height to see long distances if there isn't something blocking the view.

This was taken at a height of 1850 feet and gives a good idea of the general area
The horizon would be about 50 miles away.

The small cluster of buildings just right of the center is our nearest one stop-light town. It's about 4 miles from the camera location.

Most of the area in about a 20 mile radius is wooded or farm fields. :

 

I guess my watch tower is the second story bedroom window. It will just have to do.

 

Land-shark, "Watchtower."

 

Watch tower meets with misfortune:

 

I want my bunny ears!

I want my bunny ears!




Three months ago had I wished to part with $1600, I could have had a pair of these puppies, ones larger than the above including military tripod.