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deep south swamps

josh9284 said:
In my experience...bucks like natural points in the land, as it should be a little higher elevation than the swamp...kind of protected from 3 other sides..so pretty hard for predators to sneak up on them...but just my opinion
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You ended up being right. Good bedding and a couple large beds on that point where the marsh meets the woods.

Can’t emphasize the need to get boots on the ground enough. Despite my analysis - there’s no cypress-Tupelo swamp out there at all. The marsh-slough is surrounded by flat pine, some almost like pine Savannah, but mostly mixed hardwoods with A TON of cow oak. like, I walked two miles just bouncing from cow oak stand to the next, picking along the edge of the marsh and slight ridges. The woods have pockets of tall thistle and berry bushes, but are pretty homogenous otherwise. Post oak and white oak, too.

Unfortunately none of the oaks had acorns. Must not be their year. Additionally, there’s a big parking area right off the road and a walking-only access path with pink flyers marking it about a mile and a half back… so I may end up avoiding it? Hard to tell if it’s deer or duck hunters in the marsh. I found a few shotgun shells and an old decoy. Plastic water jugs. The top of a cooler. This is archery only for deer, but duck hunters don’t help.
 
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Good thing the seasons don't coincide! My guess is duck hunters or gun hunters. Hope you can figure it out this fall and connect with a decent buck.
 
I keep wondering how things are going to change once we’re out of this brutal summer. I anticipated finding some decent mast trees, but I worry the summer scouting - during crushing drought and 110-120F temps - won’t translate much to the fall. Then again, all I can do is find out! Will be my first Oct. 1 opener on bow!


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mschultz373 said:
this is all helpful to know. i'll shift my summer focus in these areas more to getting a lay of terrain than seeking sign - any elevation changes, oaks, sloughs.

if i may ask, though, how do y'all make sense of aerials of marshes and such, like below? I would naturally gravitate towards the river to the E, but I know there are camps and lots of boating/human presence on it. BTW, this is with topo lines shown, OnX.... The edge of the drier brown marsh in the middle and surrounding green would be worth looking at, too.View attachment 86989
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Did you ever make it back to this place? If so what you think about it? Lol


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Swampfox said:
Did you ever make it back to this place? If so what you think about it? Lol


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My buddy went it and said he made it 150yards before falling thru the flotante up to his waist.

we never went back. if/when I get a kayak, I may go explore.

most of the swamps and sloughs in the NWR I hunt are bone dry this year, though.
 
mschultz373 said:
My buddy went it and said he made it 150yards before falling thru the flotante up to his waist.

we never went back. if/when I get a kayak, I may go explore.

most of the swamps and sloughs in the NWR I hunt are bone dry this year, though.
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I’ve spent a lifetime in that swamp. It’s was my lease before the state bought it. I know it all too well. I used to commercial fish it for frogs and crawfish.
If its a place you’re serious about hunting you’ll want a pirogue vs a kayak.
You’re right there is unpressured deer in there. You’ll also find out why though. It’ll exhaust you trying to get to them. You’ll go home wet after every hunt. That’s just part of it.

Let me know if you got questions.


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Swampfox said:
I’ve spent a lifetime in that swamp. It’s was my lease before the state bought it. I know it all too well. I used to commercial fish it for frogs and crawfish.
If its a place you’re serious about hunting you’ll want a pirogue vs a kayak.
You’re right there is unpressured deer in there. You’ll also find out why though. It’ll exhaust you trying to get to them. You’ll go home wet after every hunt. That’s just part of it.

Let me know if you got questions.


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has anyone ever hunted any swamps/marshes (? not even sure what to call this exactly?) that look like the attached photos? Basically, it's wet, swampy ground with a bunch of clustered dead (?) trees, periodic marsh grass that's head-high, cane stands that are chest-high, with woody/brushy ridges.

this is about a 100acre block in a larger 3.6k acre block where there are flooded cypress swamps and such. but this block intrigues me because there was a good bit of sign around it - tracks and fresh droppings. i didn't spend much time diving in today, my initial impression is this is sort of habitat serves as a huge bedding area and would be futile to try to hunt with a bow since there'd be almost no chance of diving in quietly.
 

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mschultz373 said:
has anyone ever hunted any swamps/marshes (? not even sure what to call this exactly?) that look like the attached photos? Basically, it's wet, swampy ground with a bunch of clustered dead (?) trees, periodic marsh grass that's head-high, cane stands that are chest-high, with woody/brushy ridges.

this is about a 100acre block in a larger 3.6k acre block where there are flooded cypress swamps and such. but this block intrigues me because there was a good bit of sign around it - tracks and fresh droppings. i didn't spend much time diving in today, my initial impression is this is sort of habitat serves as a huge bedding area and would be futile to try to hunt with a bow since there'd be almost no chance of diving in quietly.
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Not really successfully. High ground / saddles between wet areas. Bedding, food, whatever. I'd say this is another application for fairy dust - break the offside shoulder in hopes the deer will fall before you lose it in the muck.
 
mschultz373 said:
has anyone ever hunted any swamps/marshes (? not even sure what to call this exactly?) that look like the attached photos? Basically, it's wet, swampy ground with a bunch of clustered dead (?) trees, periodic marsh grass that's head-high, cane stands that are chest-high, with woody/brushy ridges.

this is about a 100acre block in a larger 3.6k acre block where there are flooded cypress swamps and such. but this block intrigues me because there was a good bit of sign around it - tracks and fresh droppings. i didn't spend much time diving in today, my initial impression is this is sort of habitat serves as a huge bedding area and would be futile to try to hunt with a bow since there'd be almost no chance of diving in quietly.
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Can u give us a screenshot of the satellite view?
 
Weldabeast said:
Can u give us a screenshot of the satellite view?
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IMG_5623.jpeg
Unsure how helpful this is - anymore for where I hunt, satellite images can be misleading at times. But the block in question is bound by the trails to E/W, right of way on the N and the field on S. Those trails are ATV access. Everything E of block is no hunting
 
I would walk those main access roads and look for concentrations of deer sign crossing the roads. Let the deer tell you where they want to go. They live out there 24/7/365 and they will have their preferences for how to get from A to B. Once you find where they cross the roads/ATV trails, backtrack them a little and find a spot to set up. You might only have to go 50 yards off an ATV trail to find a good ambush spot. A lot of times, a deer will pause when they get near an opening like a road or ATV trail and wait and listen. If they hear a vehicle they will wait until it passes and then cross. I've also seen many instances where the deer will parallel an ATV lane or road about 30 yards off in the woods. If you can find a trail crossing a road that intersects with a parallel trail that doubles your odds.

I would also check the area to the South West where the marsh/ATV trails go around that lake. That corner formed by the lake should funnel animal movement.
 
Looks like a great spot to me. Set up in a tall tree on the downwind side of the swamp and use ur bino and see where they are moving either out in the swamp or on the opposite edge and then see if u can make a move. If it's out in the open and u can walk all u need is a small clump or grass or bushes in range of a trail in the swamp. If u can't walk out in it then u stuck on the edges or the pinch points at the north or south end
 
not sure there's any viable trees to climb up without looking like super obvious. also any that would be safe and hold my weight?? there's not any cover above the 6' grass/cane.

y'all are making me wanna get out there in the leafy suit and see what I see, dangit!
 
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