Swamp_bucks public adventures

[Swamp_bucks]

Sit number 2 on stateland was friday nothing bust a wash out in the morning

[Swamp_bucks]

This was on private land

Morning hunt was a bust spooked something very big going in. Weather man got the forecast wrong so I got wet.  This is one piece of private I hunt so I asked the owners where they've been seeing them. So I setup for the PM hunt.  

PM hunt.  Didn't have any action untill 520.  When I had a doe clear a 15 acre meadow in 2 seconds not sure what spooked her.  About 10 minutes later I had a fawn come in and feed for 10 mins.  About 6 I had another doe work through the only thing that saved her was a branch. She ended up feeding out into the meadow.  Then 630 came and I could here deer working their way towards me.  When all of a sudden I catch a blob of white in the brush.  All I could think was that piebald buck.  After 5 mins of trying to see if it was him I see  deer walking towards me from his spot out steps a basket 4 that I chose to pass and a doe.  Well right behind them at 30 yards was that little piebald buck.  I was so busy watching him that the doe and 4 point caught me moving.  

It was well worth possibly missing my chance at a deer just to be able to see that buck.  If he comes in again with that doe she won't get lucky next time.

Be back out in am

Also found my first rub and little scrape of the year

[Swamp_bucks]

Sit number 3 on stateland

Well I tried biz style from the ground.  Result was a fun morning but I messed up.  Same stateland I hunted friday just farther down the ridge.  I can see the road from the setup I found.  At 7 I had a doe come through where I didn't think they would so I couldn't get turned to shoot her. So once she walked off I repositioned my chair thinking if more come through they will most likely take the same path.  Well at 8 o'clock here comes another one.  Well I thought it was a small buck and it walked passed looked body wise like a large 1.5 basket 4.  Well at that time I could hear another one coming thinking it may be bigger I looked over and saw a spike at 5 yards. When I saw him I realized i just let a 2.5 walk and turned to shoot him well he saw me move.  That's when I realized he wasn't a basket 4 he was a 5 point out to the ears.  Needless to say after a stare down he bounded off.  It was a lot of fun but I found a tree to get them coming in next time.   All 3 deer passed by at under 12 yards. Really pushing myself to take a 2.5 and up this year.  He was a lot bigger than that spike just judged his body wrong with and yes his antlers played into that judgement and just tgought he was younger.  Now I know he's there.

[Swamp_bucks]

Forgot to post this but finally have a big buck on camera.  The little buck I'm pretty sure is the 4 I passed saturday night.

[Swamp_bucks]

Nothing today.  I either went to far into the piece or they got out of there before I went in.  Did get to see a ton of ducks. Not sure what type they are but they were pretty maybe a wood duck?  But there had to be forty of them.  Aldo watched a blue herring fish for a long time.  Be out in the morning for the youth gun. I'll be putting my friend and his boy in a good area and I'll be hunting down next to a little swamp they like to bed in.

Edited October 10, 2020 by Swamp_bucks

[Swamp_bucks]

Well last 3 sits came up with nothing on stateland.  Sunday morning was on a swamp edge but the wind kept swirling. saturday morning was in a hemlock/oak bottom the only thing that came out was a red fox.  I did jump a bunch in that stateland just not sure how to hunt them there yet.  Tonight's sit is on a bench that is usually torn up with sign and it was again.  So I'll be putting my focus on that chunk this weekend since it has the best sign so far. Picture is from my sit tonight

Edited October 13, 2020 by Swamp_bucks

[Swamp_bucks]

Midday sit resulted in another 2.5hrs with no deer sightings.  Honestly wasn't expecting to much but usually there's always a doe up midday in that spot.   Last 12hrs on stand and no deer sightings hoping tomorrow's cold changes that.  View from my spot.

[Swamp_bucks]

Well finally saw 1 at a distance  no idea what it was.  Brother saw 4 going 100mph there was alot of hunter on this peace of stateland so I'm sure they got bumped by someone.   Works for us we seem to be the only ones that hunt as deep as we do so the pressure helps us.  Going to start focusing on 2 pieces of stateland for now and the one small chunk of private.  Haven't sat same piece twice so i think its time to start narrowing my focus to a couple areas.

[Swamp_bucks]

Good sit this morning had a tom and a bunch of hens come in and feed about 60yards out for an hour.  Had a huge massive doe come in to about 20yards and all she needed to do was go 5 yards to the right for a 18 yard shot.  She didn't do that and went to the left and caught my scent and instantly started looking into the trees.  She ended up calming down and wondering off.  That's 4 deer in 2 sits in this spot so it's been my most productive piece so far.  I'll be hitting this piece a little more often.  

[Swamp_bucks]

Just heard a monster buck was hit by a car possibly on the backside of a chunk of stateland I hunt.   Waiting to hear where exactly and see the pictures.   

[Fletch]

That’s never what you want to hear


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[Swamp_bucks]

Just now, Fletch said:

That’s never what you want to hear


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

You are correct but that seems to be how the big ones go.  

[Swamp_bucks]

Looks like I'll be getting out Saturday on a small chunk of private and then sunday if needed I'll get out to  a piece of public in between 3 bedding areas.

[Swamp_bucks]

Just found out a piece of private has turned into state parks land.  Contacted local forest Ranger he pointed me in the right direction.  Going to scout tomorrow am.  This chunk I've always wanted to hunt and hoping nobody else knows about it yet. Its roughly 400 acres.  I'm pretty excited

[Swamp_bucks]

So I've been studying the map on this new piece and have driven past this spot a thousand times so i have an idea how they move off the fields.  Here's a picture of it.  The wind is supposed to be blowing straight out of the big field on top.  Towards the stand logos,  there is a swamp at the bottom of a hill.  I'll be sneaking in the dark using my phone to help guide me to the spot I want to get to.  Wind will be in my face walking in from the right hand side it's supposed to switch by 730.  I'll bring my stand so I can either end up in a tree or I'll tuck myself into some brush see what it looks like. 

 

Edited October 24, 2020 by Swamp_bucks

[Swamp_bucks]

Well didn't see anything from my scouting trip from the truck.  So we drove in while it was raining.  Didn't see any we jumped but found 4 or 5 fresh beds so I think we jumped a doe group.  Found a ton of scrapes and trails.  Not to many runs.  We also found our way in and out so I'm going in first thing in the morning hope to be in am hour before sun up and sit until 11.  Home for lunch then off to a little piece of private.

Good thing is I'm getting better with reading the topo maps and satelite pictures because where I picked last night and went today had the sign I was hoping for.  Itll take me and my one friend all year 2 figure it out but we are excited.  Just hoping it stays off the radar for everyone else for a couple years.  

[Swamp_bucks]

Up dressed and ready to go.  10 minute drive 25 minute walk.  Good luck.  Hoping first time into this piece pays off and that rain washed most of our scent out of there after we left.  Winds will be blowing at my back on the walk in. But I'll be on a ridge 20yards off the logging trails on a steep part hoping to help have my scent get pulled down and away from meadows above me.

[Swamp_bucks]

Nothing today on the new piece.  I'll be hunting all my other planned spots and save this new chunk for gun/muzzle loader.  Not wasting to much time on a spot I dont have alot  of intel.  I have 2 doe tags for that area so I'll try filling them there.

[Swamp_bucks]

Got an extra day off tomorrow. Looks like rain is going to hold off until 1. It's the start of my dark to 2pm sits.  Checked trail came dates and looks like most the bucks are on the little piece of private I hunt tuesday-thursday.

[Swamp_bucks]

Nothing today did have a buck come in the dark and rub the piss out of the trees about 80yards up the hill.  I'm pretty sure he bedded down there because I never heard him walk off.  Then about 8 I had deer blowing off to my right.  I'm guessing a coyote because I was in thick stuff so no way they saw me and wind was blowing from their direction.  Couldn't tell if it was 1 or 2 deer.  Weather man was wrong again said no rain until 11 came in at 830.    Buck was up above those pines in the last picture

View from my stand.  

Edited October 29, 2020 by Swamp_bucks

[Swamp_bucks]

Just checked my bowhunter log.  37hrs on stand 11 deer spotted.  It's been rough this year for me.  

4 bucks

4 does

1 fawn

2 unknown 

[Robhuntandfish]

38 minutes ago, Swamp_bucks said:

Just checked my bowhunter log.  37hrs on stand 11 deer spotted.  It's been rough this year for me.  

4 bucks

4 does

1 fawn

2 unknown 

grinding it out !  youll get em.  I havent seen a buck in stand yet other than one tiny button buck.  That usually changes soon and all i see is bucks.  Usually small ones but bucks.  

[Swamp_bucks]

2 hours ago, Robhuntandfish said:

grinding it out !  youll get em.  I havent seen a buck in stand yet other than one tiny button buck.  That usually changes soon and all i see is bucks.  Usually small ones but bucks.  

Yep just keep going at it.  Tomorrow I'm going to where I killed my 8 last year opening day if gun.  It's been getting a ton of pressure and they get pushed way back to where I'm going.  Just usually dont get this pressure until gun and this spot hasn't been touched in months.  Told my wife now I remember why I dont pass much because I don't see much.  Lol

[Swamp_bucks]

what a shit show this morning.

made my way 1.5 miles to the area i wanted to hunt.  well I've only been in there 3 times now in the dark so i missed my tree and had to walk back across the ridge to get to my stand.  once i finally found it i was frustrated with myself for putting down so much ground scent and got my stuff ready and went up the pre hung stand.  got onto the platform(i know I should've been tied off going up) went to put on my safety strap and it wasn't around my chest it was back at my truck.  At this point i was pretty upset with myself so i collected myself went back down the tree and made my way 30 yards down the ridge to where there was a blow down and got myself ready.  At this point its almost 710 I'm pissed that I left my safety strap, soaked from the snow and sweat and felt that the day was a bust.  

730 i decided to do a grunting sequence to maybe draw something in before I froze.  Within 5 minutes i look up and see a big 8 walking across the top of the ridge.  Ears pinned back looking for a fight.  I new the path he was on so i found a hole at 20 yards he had to get to.  As he approaches  I draw my bow he is 3 steps from the hole when he stops.  His nose and tips of his tines are in my shooting lane and then the wind shifts right at him and off he goes. 

Realizing he didn't completely freak I waited 20 minutes and decided to rattle and grunt to see  if I could draw him back.  Within 3 minutes I look up and see the buck i shot coming my way fast with his nose to the ground.  He made it past my shooting lane and continued feeding and moving quick along the ridge.  He was cutting all the doe trails.  He made his way out to about 80 yards and turned it was coming back on the same exact trail.  at one point i thought he had me pinned but he licked his nose and through his head back down.  i went to full draw right before he hit the opening.  I stopped him with a whistle settled the pin and spined him.   I thought he was pushing 25-30 yards so i held like i practiced and he was more like 15 so i hit a little high.  So I rushed up to him and put a second arrow in him.  From first shot to his last breath was under 2 minutes which made me feel better.

My biggest bow buck to date and I couldn't be happier with him.  It took 4 hours to get him out and to the truck and total miles walked was about 5 miles.  I am very glad I made that deer cart because it was a life savor and I would probably still be dragging.  I've hunted this spot 3 times 2 bucks down 6 or 7 6points or bigger spotted.

[Swamp_bucks]

last picture is blurry but it's the little hole I was in