Swamp Hunting Advice

[MN_Bowhunter4]

I found a piece of public recently that looks very promising on aerial. I’ve hunted the hardwoods portion of this place and it get pounded hard. I’ve read a bit about hunting in cattails and it has me intrigued to try this place.

How would you go about hunting the backside of the swamp, with no access point to get back there? I’m leery of busting through the entire swamp, especially with the predominant wind tending to blow into the trails that appear to exist on aerial.

A rudimentary drawing of the area below. Happy to share actual pics via PM.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[peteherbst]

I don’t have a ton of experience as I’m just getting into the swamps myself, but I think you’re going to find that the only way to access any areas in a cattail marsh or tamarack swamp is to walk the deer trails. It’s pretty impossible to move otherwise. Waking those trails also will lead you to your best spots imo.

You’ll also likely find that the wind isn’t going to matter as far as bedding is concerned. So as long as you have a decent wind to access your spot/tree, you should be set. You’ll also likely find that your best practice in the swamps/marshes will be evening hunts due to hunting beds.

 

[MN_Bowhunter4]

That’s a good point. My theory is that they’re bedding in the swamp and exiting to the adjacent ag to feed in the evening. I’ll have to confirm that with my own eyes though, since I’ve never ventured over there.

Assuming that theory, wouldn’t walking through trails in the evening bust them out?

 

[Recurveaholic]

In the cattails you don't want to be in the trees because you will be skylined really bad or at least in my experience there is nothing to break up your outline! You find a spot where several trails come together or just after the spot they intersect and clear a couple shooting lanes and clear out a spot to sit all the way to the dirt so it won't be loud when you need to move and make one lane to see the deer and one to shoot it and depending on how far the deer have to come to bed you might can get in a hour and a half before first light, but beware you won't be able to get but maybe one or two hunts in doing this, and catch them coming back to bed! And if you don't want to do that a evening hunt might be safer for you but you need to move slow on the deer trails, so the noise will be from a familiar area, but just don't go too far in and spook them unless you are certain of their location! But if you have patches of woods in the cattails you can hunt from a tree! Hope this helps!!!!

 

[peteherbst]

That’s a good point. My theory is that they’re bedding in the swamp and exiting to the adjacent ag to feed in the evening. I’ll have to confirm that with my own eyes though, since I’ve never ventured over there.

Assuming that theory, wouldn’t walking through trails in the evening bust them out?

Your theory is probably right depending on the pressure.

Walking through and busting everything out is definitely possible, but like any tactic, it’s all situational.

Take a look at the arial before going out to see if you can find any groups of trees close to bedding or along the trail to the ag fields. Those will likely be your best bet. If no trees or like @Recurveaholic referenced above, you may be ground hunting this spot in hopes of not being skylined.

Be careful if you need to go off the deer path though. Always step on bases of cattails so you stay above water. Grab a hiking stick before scouting and test areas depths if possible.

 

[Recurveaholic]

Your theory is probably right depending on the pressure.

Walking through and busting everything out is definitely possible, but like any tactic, it’s all situational.

Take a look at the arial before going out to see if you can find any groups of trees close to bedding or along the trail to the ag fields. Those will likely be your best bet. If no trees or like @Recurveaholic referenced above, you may be ground hunting this spot in hopes of not being skylined.

Be careful if you need to go off the deer path though. Always step on bases of cattails so you stay above water. Grab a hiking stick before scouting and test areas depths if possible.

Excellent point about the hiking stick!!

 

[MN_Bowhunter4]

Take a look at the arial before going out to see if you can find any groups of trees close to bedding or along the trail to the ag fields. Those will likely be your best bet. If no trees or like @Recurveaholic referenced above, you may be ground hunting this spot in hopes of not being skylined.

Be careful if you need to go off the deer path though. Always step on bases of cattails so you stay above water. Grab a hiking stick before scouting and test areas depths if possible.

I think I’ve found a clump of trees right up against the private ag, problem is getting to it.

Been there done that on walking through a swamp. Fell through once and scared myself so bad I’ve never been back. That was about 5 years ago now. Good call on the stick, hadn’t thought of that before.

 

[ofor]

Use your cold winter temps to scout the trails to find the beds while the marsh is froze over. That should help you narrow in on how far in you can go during season without blowing out the bucks that are living there. I attended a Hunting Beast seminar this last summer where Dan Infalt talked about on occasion having to cut shooting lanes at an angle off of the deer trail in the swamp and then standing on a piece of plywood down that shooting lane to kill a target buck. He explained that cutting them at an angle off the main trail is important because the deer tend to stop and look down the intersecting trails before exposing their vitals to the crossing. He also said it is important to taper the cattails down from where he placed the plywood to where the shooting lane intersects the trail because the vitals will be close to water level. Keeping them longer by the plywood gave him some cover as the deer passed by. He has also been known to carry a step ladder into the swamp and setting that on a piece of plywood to perch just high enough to provide a shot angle without sticking out like a sore thumb. I've never tried either of these tactics

 

[GiGisDaddy]

Will sloshing through water spook deer like walking on leaves? Do you just take your time and not disturb the water? That looks dumb but can’t figure another way to say it

 

[btsnhos]

One way to do it, try to get permission to access through the private land thats the easiest way. If you cant get permission I would hug the hardwoods and walk east (assuming your drawing is north up) and then head north following the most downwind trail. Alot of stuff sloshes through the water so imo I haven't had them bust out of there as long as you don't walk like a hunter. If the water is deep enough i just drag my feet through the water instead of pulling them out of the water and stepping back in. But like the other guys said look for a clump of trees close to a few intersecting trails that you can climb. Here in FL its hard to hunt on the ground due to the palmettos so I will climb like 6' up just high enough to see and get a shot. Looking at your drawing I would also look for a spot on the west side of your "open water" section, that could be good and the your scent will fall into the water for the most part.

 

[MN_Bowhunter4]

One way to do it, try to get permission to access through the private land thats the easiest way. If you cant get permission I would hug the hardwoods and walk east (assuming your drawing is north up) and then head north following the most downwind trail. Alot of stuff sloshes through the water so imo I haven't had them bust out of there as long as you don't walk like a hunter. If the water is deep enough i just drag my feet through the water instead of pulling them out of the water and stepping back in. But like the other guys said look for a clump of trees close to a few intersecting trails that you can climb. Here in FL its hard to hunt on the ground due to the palmettos so I will climb like 6' up just high enough to see and get a shot. Looking at your drawing I would also look for a spot on the west side of your "open water" section, that could be good and the your scent will fall into the water for the most part.

That private is my exact plan. If I can get access to cross that’s golden. Thanks for the advice!

I won’t be able to set foot on this place until spring. The access road is snowed over and impassable currently.