any one hunt a swamp?

[asav2013]

IV have a 200 acre swamp I hunt and I thought I had every thing good to go for this season stands set bucks on camera, thought I had the wind figured out,, season hit and every things gone sour on me, winds are never right when they are they always change on me while I'm in the stand, I was seeing ALOT of tracks now bang none what so ever, I haven't seen a deer from a stand in 7 straight days now, I know its early and I'm beating my self up over it I just hope the rut at least pulls these big bucks a little bit away from the super thick stuff that's inpenetratable, didnt know if there was any one on here hunting swamps who could offer up some tips , this only my 2nd year hunting this swamp I'm doing something wrong I just,cant figure it out, thanks guys

[hunterjohn]

scent control is a big thing  rubber boots spray down everytime you go into the swamp the deer have not been moving to much due to the high temps stick it out and you will start to see more

[BUCKANDAQUARTER]

i think finding the food source would be key. in the swamps  i have hunted the plateaus of hard ground jetting in are key, especially if there is some sort of mast. find some scrapes on one and set up. but watch scent and mix it up with stand location. 

[5.9cummins]

i think finding the food source would be key. in the swamps  i have hunted the plateaus of hard ground jetting in are key, especially if there is some sort of mast. find some scrapes on one and set up. but watch scent and mix it up with stand location. 

 

What he said.

 

Its a little late to try and figure out what the layout of the swamp is but you need to key in on the terrain. A small ridge that rises up just a foot can be a HUGE find. All deer that travel or live in that swamp will know about it. I had a spot that stuck out into a swamp with a bunch of Hemlock on the finger and it was awsome. I found my biggest ever scrape on the very tip of that finger 12+ feet across. Looked like a cow stood in the middle of it.

 

Deer will also bed on Hummocks or small hills in the middle of the swamp. Knowing where those are can be a big help.

 

Some times you cant see this stuff depending on what time of year it is. You need to travel the area at all seasons. You need to be able to look for things when the water is down and up and when you dont have leaves and you do. In my experiance parts of the swamp "shallows" so to speak will harden up faster in cold weather and can creat new travel routes that are not used when everything is still above freezing.

 

If you have oaks the bucks might key in on them first during daylight hours if they are protected enough in the swamp before they leave the security of the swamp for the night.

 

I loved hunting the swamps around my home town. So far Indiana doesnt have much in the way of swamp land.

 

P.S. I grew up in your neck of the woods and have a good friend a few minutes from you so I have a good idea of the kind of terrain you are looking at. Stick with it there are some big swamp bucks in your area.

Edited October 11, 2013 by 5.9cummins

[Jeremy K]

My swamp stand has been worthless due to wind direction.

[New York Hillbilly]

Chin up! Most of our swamps where we (you and I) hunt are at the bottoms and surrounded by cornfields. There is frequently brushy areas and tangled stuff, rock piles, old farm equipment etc., pushed up against these swamps to get the junk out of the way of the actual land being used to farm. I've glassed areas like this and watched buck hang back and let does and smaller bucks walk out into the fields first before stepping out. These brushy areas also have saplings and small trees growing in them and they are used heavily for rubbing. If there are no trees big enough for a stand and you don't like hunting from the ground, use a ladder stand if you have one. If I was home I would let you borrow one of mine. Good luck and go get em!

[asav2013]

iv found spots with massive rubs and scrapes last year, these spots don't seem to have much daytime activity, there are limited apples around the swamp, not much for mast, soy beans,corn and hay fields, I didn't have much time to scout out a portion of this swamp that seems to be he "core" of the area where most of the tracks and deer iv jumped have headed, its super nasty and difficult to access but it may be my plan here soon to get in and get a stand set trim a trail in and let it settle for a week or 2 and hope to surprise them, I guess its the game we all play chasing a giant, but the swamps id say are the most difficult by far, but its a morale killer not even seeing does and young bucks but iv heard on swamps big bucks wont tolerate young bucks in there area most likely because they could get them killed lol, but d say these few big ones I have tabs on know the game and I cant even explain the set up , they got it locked down hard from most tactics, one side is easier access but winds blowing right in, ones hard access with good wind but making noise on the way in is near impossible,

[cbx46]

Every area is different but the swamp I hunt on my property rarely has does and very little food I find that they summer there for whatever reason temp is cooler maybe. Then they hit the food sources elsewhere early fall with the does they chase etc... But when the people hit the woods and the pressure is on.... Back to the swamp to hide out we e pulled some nice deer out of it. But be careful walking it you hit a big deep mud hole alone and you might disappear. One buck we searched for in it my bro and I carried 50' rope and 8' 2x6.

[JFB]

One other factor no one has mentioned is the pressure it sounds like you are putting on it. If you've hunted or even scouted lightly there 7 out of the 12 days so far this season, that is my best bet why it's taken a bad turn. There have been some very warm days and lingering scent, even when rotating stands over 200 acres, has a big impact. Good luck. 

[growalot]

 

found my biggest ever scrape on the very tip of that finger 12+ feet

Wow I thought 3ft was big...lol

 

You mentioned bucks you have "tabs" on and ...been in there and seen....Could it be that there MAY have been too much intrusion into their "core area" and it's been abandoned for a bit?..just asking....if there isn't a good food source right now...you may find that swamp a great area during the pressures of gun season...their escape haven...

but.... if your not seeing doe at this time....chances of seeing buck get progressively worse as the rut arrives...unless the doe go to swamp in order to avoid the buck pressure...or the buck push them there to isolate them

[cbx46]

I've had bucks push the die into my swamp literally out of the swamp grass nose in a#* but I find swamps are not the comfortable area does like. They bed in fields broad daylight for example how many times have you seen a shooter buck bedded down right in the open.

[AaronBlaine]

Yea the high temps have messed everything up so far.  Everyone's saying its going to explode once the temps drop some more.. Cant wait for that to happen I haven't seen jack moving around yet