Whooohooo. On 29 June, I’m finally going to finish this shooting lane. I’m getting an 8000lbs escavator to get the stumps out, and dig some drainage. Then, I’ll root rake it with my tractor and put the disc harrow on it. I will also plant it, but I’m only planting it with some egyptian wheat on the left side and browntop millet in the middle. I can’t plant oats until late Spetember, but that is the perfect amount of time for it to be grown to the right level when I take 30 days vacation to do knock down a few of the fat heifers eating up everything ha,ha.
The amount of work that goes in to something like this can’t really be appreciated unless you do it yourself. It’ll pay dividends for years to come. The hard part is almost over!
The photo in my original post is looking out of the front of the stand. This one is looking out to the right of the same stand.
It is planted in Egyptian Wheat (EW). EW is supposed to get 10-12 feet high. The idea is to have cover that I can eventually see down into or modify easily. The cover will keep the deer comfortable enough to step out before dark thirty. I’m working toward getting the lane to the front of the stand planted and maybe add some EW to the left side and another 275lbs feeder. If you look closely at the original picture, you can see my other stand at the other end. With a stand on the north and south end, I can hunt the same spot on almost any wind, and I’m able to get into either stand without spooking deer. That was the plan.
2012 Skeeter ZX22 Bay
Yamaha 250 hp SHO
Minnkota Riptide 101
Absolutely NOT. I tried corn twice. The critters will not let the corn grow back in the woods, and the spot is not large enough. Squirrels, coons, and even foxes were diging it up…and of course the crows. I even killed crows and put them up on sticks in the field to keep other crows away, but the democrat fox got everyone of them at night. EW is great for a screen or cover, so it is working for me. I’m thinking about taking out the second and thrid row in from the left to be able to plant more oats in the fall plus a little more visibility when the EW gets fully grown.
2012 Skeeter ZX22 Bay
Yamaha 250 hp SHO
Minnkota Riptide 101
The amount of work that goes in to something like this can’t really be appreciated unless you do it yourself. It’ll pay dividends for years to come. The hard part is almost over!
YOU GOT THAT RIGHT! I cut all of it down with a chainsaw. I cleaned up the debris with the tractor and burned the debris. The lane is right about 200 yards long and 30-40 feet wide. Yeap, that’s a lot of work for one person without heavy equipment, but I’m a stubbord jarhead, so I’m not about to let it beat me either.
Yeap. Thanks. Ihave been working my butt off on this thing since the end of deer season. I probably could have had it all done earlier if the place was not so wet from all the rain. Then, it went from swamp to desert in three weeks during May. At the end of this month, I will finally have it licked just in time for the deer to get used to it before deer season. In the back of my mind though, I still know this plan is going to be better for next season. I’m sticking up another 275lbs gravity feeder in the shooting lane as well. That way, I will have almost 600 lbs of corn out there, and I will only have to fill up about every three weeks or so–less human scent kind of thing. I put up an update when I have the rest of it done the way I want it.
2012 Skeeter ZX22 Bay
Yamaha 250 hp SHO
Minnkota Riptide 101
Here is the ground view as I’m going to get into the stand. The EW will hide me completely when it is fully grown…it almost does it now and it is only a little over a month old.
2012 Skeeter ZX22 Bay
Yamaha 250 hp SHO
Minnkota Riptide 101
20lbs for $48.99 with free shipping. 20lbs goes a long, long way with this stuff. The seeds are tiny like clover seeds. I didn’t read anything about innoculant for EW, so I just planted it the way it was out of the bag. It is growing well, so i guess it don’t need any innoculant. I have some Alyce Clover that needs to be innoculated, but I’m going to save that in the freezer until next season so I can start early in the spring with Alyce Clover and Deer Vetch.
2012 Skeeter ZX22 Bay
Yamaha 250 hp SHO
Minnkota Riptide 101
[quote]Originally posted by Fred67
That way, I will have almost 600 lbs of corn out there, and I will only have to fill up about every three weeks or so–less human scent kind of thing.
Skeeter, on the human scent thing, don’t let it worry you so much. I personally have had better success hunting over corn that was frequented a lot. Deer will actually get some what used to your scent and not be so spooked by it.
Don’t rule out running to a local feed store and picking up a couple 50# mineral/salt blocks. MUCH cheaper than the little 2# bricks at your hunting sections in stores.
Thanks Fred. I tend to think the deer get used to me being around–especially with all the work I’m doing. They still come out there even if I have been back there working most of the day…but, they are not getting shot at right now either.
I started Operation Flood Stopper yesterday. I’m gonna dig a ditch down the property line and build up a small road with some culverts in the low spots. Lats season, I had to walk 200 plus yards through water to get to my old stand. Not happening this year.
2012 Skeeter ZX22 Bay
Yamaha 250 hp SHO
Minnkota Riptide 101
What cool about the ditches is the fact that they will keep the tree roots out of your food plot! Trees will take a lot of nutrition and moister out of the soil.
Also, after all this work, I’m itching for deer season now! I’m ready for some of my work to start paying me back with hamburger and steaks in the freezer. I found me a way to build a really nice 400lbs gravity feeder out of 55 gallon plastic drums as well. So, I plan on putting up two more feeders by August. That way, I will start deer season with 1000lbs of corn out, and I should only have to fill up once during deer season. I think I will top the feeders off around late September when I plant my oats. Ha,ha…I’m ready to get it on with the deer with some trout fishing days in between sitting in the stand. Taking 30 days off from 20 Oct to 20 Nov, and it will be ON!
2012 Skeeter ZX22 Bay
Yamaha 250 hp SHO
Minnkota Riptide 101
