Remember that it is often difficult to judge distance in a swamp, so be sure to allow for plenty of room when you are taking your shot. 1-Getting to your hunting location without being seen, heard and especially smelled; 2-Setting up your stand so it is close enough to harvest a mature buck but not too close to jump him; 3- Avoiding deer trails as much as possible on your way in so you limit spooking deer during their morning or evening movement, and; 4-Paying attention to wind . You can learn the basics of e-scouting by reading up on it, or by watching tutorial videos, but thats purely academic. Sika deer employ bounce locomotion to flee danger, much like mule deer. They will cruise the leeward ridges right in the thermal tunnel checking for does. What Deer Eat News, promotions, and latest products, delivered to you in your inbox. Haynes Shelton provides some tips for planning and setting up shooting lanes. Including General and . This means in order for a smart hunter to kill the buck, he must hunt an off wind. For the most part, the best strategy is to go into Bounty Hunt alone or with a partner(s). Locating specific terrain features is especially important. Deer Behavior And Habits This means any dry land with easy access and parking. In addition to technically necessary cookies, this website uses the web analytics software Matomo. I spent a lot of time there, trapping muskrats and mink, and occasionally hunting it for deer. Marsh islands are really easy to see when surrounded by cattails, dogwood or some other low brush. Pull up an aerial view of a swamp and you can see it all spelled out clear as day. June 2019, All Gordon Whittington offers tips on ensuring your weapon is accurate while traveling. Given the nature of smaller islands, its hard to use a large motor due to its loud sound. Brush and tree branches are broken and rustled in the presence of footsteps in mud and water splashing around. The successful harvest of one mature buck from public hunting lands is one of the most satisfying aspects of this accomplishment. They like oxbows where the dominant wind blows in from the dry land, they face the river and use the water as an escape. A lot of big bucks die of old age by living their lives in these wet areas and rarely venturing onto the dry hunted land in daylight. Deer Waterfowl Duck, Goose, Teal . The cheat code for hunting swamps is e-scouting with aerial maps. They will be hard to see, but as you get closer to the hill in about 1 to 1 feet of water, you should be able to find them.. However, some hunters believe that swamps can be good places to hunt deer because they provide a dense and secluded habitat where deer can feel safe from predators. I always slip in from the downwind side and take my time, only taking a few steps at the time, he said. If you carefully scout around the island, you can find a bucks preferred exit and entry routesthey may or may not be one and the same. I've seen this play out in my own experience, especially in heavily-hunted areas. If you zoom way in on this HuntStand app screen capture, you can see the actual trail leading to land the buck has been using to access the swamp island. In the Shawnee National Forest in Illinois where my brother Adam and I and our friends have hunted for many years on public lands, we'll often scout for swampy areas. News, promotions and latest products delivered to you in your inbox. . Youll prepare, charge ahead, tackle the elements, and just might fill a tag. Some islands are big enough that you can sneak onto it and set up right on the island. In hillier terrain, find benches, clear cuts, hubs, leeward (downwind side) ridges, ridge endings, saddles, and water seeps. Its too hard for them. Many of these hunters will say those who hunt private land have it easier. On hot days, the deer can lie right in the water and during cold weather, the deer have protection from the wind as they hunker down amongst the thick standing stalks and lie on a dry bed of fallen stalks. Hunters look at all the available cover and quickly become overwhelmed. This also provides extra time to scout, which is necessary when determining what elevations deer are spending time at. These swamp islands are often preferred by bucks for bedding areas and can be easily identified in aerial maps by virtue of the unique trees that grow on these dry pockets of ground . Virtually all states have corn fields, even on public lands. I have found that streams and small ditches can be excellent places to waylay an afternoon buck early in the season. But for those who are willing to brave the wilderness, the payoff can be worthwhile. It seems like the tree that looks great for a stand is always in a spot where the evening thermals will carry my scent to the pond's edge. Editor's Note: This was originally published October 15, 2016. Mike Clerkin is in Pike County Illinois chasing whitetails with his muzzleloader. Jeff Burleson is a native of Lumberton, N.C., who lives in Myrtle Beach, S.C. 2021 TerraStride Inc. All Rights Reserved. [], Harvested 23 lbs 4 ounces 12 beard, 1&1/8 spur and 1&5/16 my biggest so far in 38 yrs of hunting [], Kayak anglers can make their experience all their own by using common materials to customize their watercraft. Big bucks hide out on swampy islands to avoid hunters - Carolina Sportsman To hunt in cold weather, hats, gloves, and socks must be warm. I discuss the two main swamp island applications; 1) food source-related application and 2) big woods/lower quality.. Hunt the high ground | As does dangerous terrain, difficult topography, and long hikes in. Islands in marsh and swamp terrain can have incredible hunting, especially if they are remote, and/or surrounded by shallow water. I find that islands which appear to have trees with large mature canopies on the aerial photo can hold food. This took place 20 years ago, and I now live a couple hundred miles from that slough, but I looked at it on Google Earth as I was writing this piece and I can see a trail leading from the land to the island through the cattails. It is a hard-boiled crab. Bucks live and thrive in wet areas. Deer have very keen hearing, so any loud noises you make are likely to scare them off. On the side of the ditch where the dirt was dumped there is a high and dry line of vegetation that typically (in my experience) will have buck bedding somewhere on it. Hunting isnt a competition. By the time you reach your bowhunting age, youll have amassed a large collection of hunting equipment in your garage. Fortunately, rarely does standing corn last more than a month or so into the season. Changes form a break in the monotonous terrain which typically attract deer for the purpose of feeding, navigation, safety, and bedding, he said. They like to bed in cattails. That said, for those who want a challenge, here are some of the hardest public-land deer hunts to consider. They are more effective at detecting movement in low light and at seeing in less light. I knew there were some big bucks bedding in there when I set up in this tree. One needs to assume there is not regular canoe or kayak traffic on a creek for this to apply. In this course, you will learn the fundamentals of bowhunting, game laws, and hunter safety. Bucks often sneak into these areas during the morning hours, then leave to feed in surrounding crop fields in the evening. My first encounter with a swamp buck was a real fiasco. 2023 Outdoor Sportsman Group. Cattail swamps are often characterized by areas of shallow water mixed with areas of damp, cool dirt. It can take a mile or more to get to these areas, and to get away from hunting pressure. You just might tag a stud. Stand or blind areas where you expect deer to pass will blow your scent away. Rhode Islands George Washington Management Area, Deer Hunting Opinions and How to Handle Them, #4: NEW INSIGHTS ON THEROMPOLABUCK with John Eberhart | Deer Talk Now Podcast, TenPoint Teams Up with Project Savior to Fight PTSD. On hot days, the deer can lie right in the water and during cold weather, the deer have protection from the wind as they hunker down amongst the thick standing stalks and lie on a dry bed of fallen stalks. When you make a mistake or make a noise, a deer will snap its head and you will be the one who is hurt. Bucks know these islands intimately. Other times it's deep. Once bucks reach an age of 4 or older, the reason they rarely get shot is because they rarely leave the security of their bedding area in daylight. Pheasant hunters worked the tall grass along the edges of the swamp and a few deer hunters would drive the 20-acre patch of timber for whitetails during shotgun season. Observing Deer Videos This makes them prime for those who are willing to work to get there. Bowhunters must have a certain set of fundamentals in order to use their bow properly. Water isnt the only hinderance to hunters. This is also the best place in hilly terrain to catch a buck cruising for does. Last fall while hunting with a friend in Kansas, I witnessed creativity in the extreme. When most hunters think of public hunting land for deer hunting, they think of wooded areas. You can set up to shoot a buck where it exits a swamp, or you can do like a friend of mine did: He simply stomped down a few shooting lanes among the cattails, and sat downwind of a major trail, on a plastic bucket. Want to be the first to get our premium content? In flatter terrain, pinpoint edge habitat, such as where hardwoods meet conifers (cedars, pines, and spruce), creek crossings, and other areas that deer tend to use. Some of the most-productive areas to contact pressured whitetails on public land are places most hunters never think to go: In swamps, on or near islands, and near waterholes. Realtree is committed to providing an inclusive and accessible experience to everyone, including those with disabilities. Sika Deer - Maryland Department of Natural Resources Finding Buck Beds US $16.06Economy Shipping from outside US. During hot weather, secluded water holes become active during the daylight. Down Range Archery is a new archery range in South Louisiana that is conveniently located. It might take some offbeat tactics, but like the friend who killed the big buck mentioned earlier, being inventive can pay off big. And therein lies the one Achilles heel of swamp e-scouting: If you can see it this easily, everyone else can too. 1529 Fish Rd. Although deers hearing is not spectacular, we can hear it as well as it can. When done correctly, it can be a very successful way to take deer. Beyond PA Graminoids (grasses and sedges) and herbs (terrestrial and aquatic plants) were the primary sources of nutrition for swamp deer, according to the research. HuntStand is the #1 hunting and land management app in the country. Most deer bed near a source of water, and have a drink soon after rising to make the trek to their feeding area in the late afternoon. Drilling down, give Ohios Dillon Wildlife Area a try. . When hunting in water, the first thing that comes to mind is hunting swamps and rivers when they are overflowing. Great Swamp Wildlife Management Area, Washington County, Rhode Island About Great Swamp WMA This 3,475-acre property near West Kingston in southern Rhode Island includes 2,600 acres of forested wetlands in the floodplains of the Chickasheen, Usquepaug, and Pawcatuck rivers. You can use butcher paper to wrap your cuts or vacuum-seal them if you want to seal them. The ones on island high ground may be producing the only acorns to feed on in the area. 1. All other factors being equal, the more difficult the access, the less pressure and the better the hunting. He graduated from N.C. State University with a degree in fisheries and wildlife sciences and is a certified biologist and professional forester for Southern Palmetto Environmental Consulting. Latex gloves and a sharp knife are included in the field-dressing kit. Being willing to put in that kind of effort isnt on the table for many hunters. Visit the following pages to learn about John E. Phillips eBooks and books on hunting deer, including his newest deer-hunting book. The biggest typical buck I ever hunted lived in an oxbow in southwestern Iowa. I know I will. Hunting pressure pushes them to these locales. Does Like Grassy Islands Deer spend a lot of time on these grassy islands and they seem to be particularly attractive to the does, which call the swamp their home.