Middle of the swamp

[sbuff]

Has anyone ever placed a stand right smack in the middle of a swamp. I've seen doe go in and doe go out but the only time we see bucks is when we send 3 drivers through the swamp. Wondering if one would benefit from sitting in a stand right in the middle of it . Thoughts ?

[Team Hoyt]

Dont know til you try

[moog5050]

Cattails?   Scout it.  Walk the deer trails. Often there are high points where they can bed.  Large trees are a give away but not all high spots have the trees.  And if you can find the bedding, then you can assess how to hunt it. It will depend. Swamps hold deer, especially when pressure is on.  Those drivers prove they are hiding there.  Figure out where and movement from the beds.  
 

Also, sometimes you can see defined trails and where they converge from satellite pics.  Good place to start. 

Edited January 17, 2020 by moog5050

[Robhuntandfish]

we hunt a lot of swampy areas on our lease.   Biggest issue is getting in there without getting busted.  So thick and water esp when it freezes and is crunchy.  So we tend to leave those mostly as sanctuary and hunt the edges and trails into/out of it. But depends on how big and how to access it I would think. 

[sbuff]

No cattails, bogs, marsh type with trees . Depending on beaver dam depends on water height .Any where from 2 feet to waist heigh in water . Your going to get busted walk in ,it would have to be an all day sit. 

Edited January 17, 2020 by sbuff

[mowin]

Had a old stand in the middle of a swamp for a number of yrs.   It was there when I got permission to hunt the property.  Didn't know it was there until I was talking to a friend of mine, and it turned out he built it few years back. 

Was a pain getting to it as the water was up to your knees if you took a wrong step.  The trails were incredible in there.  Reed grass was 6-8' high.  With some open areas.  

Shot a bunch of nice bucks in the hell hole. Getting them out wasn't fun. 

[NFA-ADK]

I hate and love swamps!  The deer seem to like them as cover.  I would do as stated above and find some entry and exit points to set up on.  They are magnets for deer especially when they find out how much food is in them!  I just don't like them because I tend to get stuck in them till after dark and usually have a hard time finding the exit. 

[moog5050]

Standing water year round 2’ deep is not something I have dealt with.  I have no doubt deer will travel through it.  But I think there has to be high ground for them to bed there.   The fact that there exists trees there would suggest some high ground.  Can you see and follow deer trails?  Any other sign?

[Nomad]

Used to hunt a swamp across from my main spot, cattails , dead trees with high spots around them, water knee  deep on dry years, wet years forget hunting in it . From the old stands and blinds guy seemed to hunt the edge, can’t cover the whole thing from inside it, so,they set up on trails into it .

Dont care for bow hunting it as there’s not really a good blood trail on standing water .

To much of a hassle for me, I’d rather set up in the woods a couple hundred yards from it, same deer .

blue is swamp red X stands I’ve killed bucks back in the day .

Edited January 18, 2020 by Nomad

[NonTypical]

Keep the swamp as a sanctuary and hunt the edges of it. 

Edited January 18, 2020 by NonTypical

[grampy]

We have a forty or so acre swamp surrounded by hemlocks. Water depth varies between a few inches to a few feet. There are high spots were the deer do bed. But getting to them will either get you wet, or blow the deer out ahead of you.

We've tried for almost 50 years, and have gotten a couple nice bucks out of the middle of the swamp. But found that multiple stands and blinds, on the edge of the hemlocks, and swamp works better.

Most mature bucks will work the thick edge, coming and going to feed and bed. And also for scent checking the doe during rut. Having multiple set ups is the key, for using wind direction in your favor. And quietly getting in to position, through the hemlocks is a much better option than sloshing through the water. Shots are close, usually fifty yards or less. As the edge is very thick and overgrown. Much more open inside the swamp, as well as in the hemlocks. But by no means is either side considered open. 

The thick nasty stuff is the key here, for holding deer when they are pressured. 

[cdbing]

As others have said, I have not hunted the middle of swamps, but have hunted the edges. I have not taken any deer from them, but have passed on several deer and seen a few before legal light that would have been chip shots. I always worry about recovery, so tend to hold off on any shots other than what I consider the perfect opportunity, before sending an arrow.

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[wolc123]

In 2018, I killed a large buck from a stand on the edge of a swamp.   It was my second encounter with him.  The first time I saw him was much deeper in the swamp.  He busted me there, on the last weekend of archery season from about 20 yards away, and I was unable to get a shot at him.  I was able to get a very good look at his big 8-point rack, with 11" G2's.     As he walked away, I carefully noted where he disappeared.   I then removed the hang-on stand from the tree where he had seen me.  I moved it to the area where he disappeared, at the edge.

On opening day morning of gun season, true to plan, I heard him sloshing thru the partially frozen water about a half hour after sunrise.   He stopped in an opening and I was able to put him down there, with a 100 yard shot from my 12 gauge slug gun.   Getting that 200 plus pound carcass (182 pounds field-dressed) out of the swamp was a pain.  I called my brother, and he brought a big plastic sled which we used to "float" him out.  Fortunately, I was saved the expense of a shoulder mount, because the buck had busted a couple of his points off during the prior week, making him a good candidate for a "free" power-washer euro mount.    

That swamp holds a lot of deer and I killed a mature doe from the same stand on opening day last season.  She was a little closer, and out of the water, so I did not have to get my feet wet like I did with the buck the year before.   I imagine that will be my opening day stand until it fails to produce some year.   The edge of the swamp is a good place to be on that day.  I may need to invest in some taller boots.

In my case, I am not able to hunt the back side of the swamp with a firearm because it is too close to some buildings on the next road (less than 500 feet).   The front edge is my only option during gun season.  I will probably put a hang-on back up on that island, near the back side, just for archery season.  High boots will definitely be required to get to it, on anything other than a drought year.  A bonus of that island, is that that it is loaded with white oak trees, making it a prime food source.   

Edited January 18, 2020 by wolc123