Several months back we started working on a special food plot for our grandsons. Hunting from the elevated stand at the main food plot seems a little bit overwhelming to the boys, shots out to 175 yards a possibility but not the ideal when you are 11 and 12 years old.
The grandsons helped me build a 4X6 shooting house on skids, back in April. Still need to finish it up, widows and a door. We will drag it to the plot with a tractor and slide it back against the edge of an old farm pond.
The plot is "L" shaped, each leg is about 70 yards long surrounded by very thick woods, no need for an elevated stand. This plot hasn't been planted for several years. I bush hogged it, disked it and the bottom plowed it. Then the rains came and it lay there sprouting weeds which is a good thing. As it dried out I was able to disk it several times over a period of a couple of weeks, each times destroying a fresh crop of weeds. This little plot is full of coffee weed seeds for some reason.
I bought a bag of Iron & Clay peas and put them out with the old antique grain drill, got a pretty good stand. These will grow and feed the deer till about mid October when we will disk them in and plant a cold weather crop, oats, rye or wheat. Probably will be Wren's Abruzzi Rye as I've had good success with it over the years. The rye grain a little more cold hardy than oats.
Will try to up date every week or so the progress of this plot.
A few pictures to show what is started.
Treefarmer
Looking good, every time we put down peas they never get a chance to get that tall. Perhaps we need a bigger plot, the deer start on them right away.
That looks great! I know those boys are excited! Good job grandpa :>)
A little update on the Iron & Clay peas, they are growing, the deer are browsing but not hammering the peas.
The peas haven't bloomed yet. We'll plow them in sometime in early October and then plant a cool season crop.
Been draggin' around and haven't completed the boys shootin' house, need to get it in the woods so Bambi will not have a problem with it come Thanksgiving Day.
Treefarmer
Plot is looking good. You still have some time to get the shooting house completed.
