I did my (probably) final scouting walk before the summer Saturday in a swamp on public in deep south-east LA. unfortunately my scouting was cut short by an asp catterpillar sting (they are so mean!!!) but I wanted to get feedback on making sense of this area.
Area A is very thick mixed woods, with many live oaks, small elms/dogwoods/red maple, and some stands of big palmettos. tall grass and various weeds grow everywhere except under the live oaks and the palmettos. there were obvious bedding areas (marked in red waypoints) within 100yards of the road in some of the tall grass.
B is open swamp, with low trees (wax myrtle and small dogwoods) and plants growing. soft ground that is hard to navigate without snow shoes, but deer trails cut across it. a bayou (the blue waypoint) cuts N/S continued from the water feature above.
C is cypress swamp, with many tall trees and is pretty open. I didn't get out there, as I got stung at the tree I marked in green just at the bottom of it...
As you can tell, this all basically flat, save the small ridges that trees grow in in the swamp area
A main concern of mine is that, despite finding bedding sign, I didn't find any droppings on this scouting walk. I tend to put heavy value on droppings, particularly if they are fresh, as that tells me the deer are currently using the area/traveling those routes. Of course, in late May, it may be of less value. but I note that still.
My general interpretation of this area would be to set up either on a live oak in A, on the edge of A and B, or further into C. because B is so open, my guess is the deer will only travel in it and not spend too much time in it. It would be hard to get on them in A, as it's so thick and the only tall trees are the live oaks, but when the live oaks drop, the deer will surely eat them. Finally, C is an area I am curious about. The tall cypress would make for easy in-the-air setup. but I have no confirmation that the deer favor that area. Also, the bayou that cuts thru C into B is a feature to value... setting up near it in C might make sense. (P.S, the northmost edge of C is ~600 yards from road)
So any thoughts or critiques of my interpretation here is much appreciated. I am still new to the game and just trying to learn what I can!
Area A is very thick mixed woods, with many live oaks, small elms/dogwoods/red maple, and some stands of big palmettos. tall grass and various weeds grow everywhere except under the live oaks and the palmettos. there were obvious bedding areas (marked in red waypoints) within 100yards of the road in some of the tall grass.
B is open swamp, with low trees (wax myrtle and small dogwoods) and plants growing. soft ground that is hard to navigate without snow shoes, but deer trails cut across it. a bayou (the blue waypoint) cuts N/S continued from the water feature above.
C is cypress swamp, with many tall trees and is pretty open. I didn't get out there, as I got stung at the tree I marked in green just at the bottom of it...
As you can tell, this all basically flat, save the small ridges that trees grow in in the swamp area
A main concern of mine is that, despite finding bedding sign, I didn't find any droppings on this scouting walk. I tend to put heavy value on droppings, particularly if they are fresh, as that tells me the deer are currently using the area/traveling those routes. Of course, in late May, it may be of less value. but I note that still.
My general interpretation of this area would be to set up either on a live oak in A, on the edge of A and B, or further into C. because B is so open, my guess is the deer will only travel in it and not spend too much time in it. It would be hard to get on them in A, as it's so thick and the only tall trees are the live oaks, but when the live oaks drop, the deer will surely eat them. Finally, C is an area I am curious about. The tall cypress would make for easy in-the-air setup. but I have no confirmation that the deer favor that area. Also, the bayou that cuts thru C into B is a feature to value... setting up near it in C might make sense. (P.S, the northmost edge of C is ~600 yards from road)
So any thoughts or critiques of my interpretation here is much appreciated. I am still new to the game and just trying to learn what I can!
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