A swamp scouting mission

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briar
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A swamp scouting mission

Unread postby briar » Tue Apr 14, 2015 4:44 am

So after reading and reading and reading I found myself a marsh/swamp to scout. I purchased hip waders loaded my stand and sticks and backpack and off I went. It isn't a huge area of public, but about 400 acres I would guess. I had looked on the map to attempt to find the areas very difficult to get to and where nobody would wanna go and off I went. I got in the marsh and lordy was it wet. Knee high water and muck for what seemed like forever. I was at the far end of the property where there was a bit of dry ground after mucking for about id guess 500 yards.......whats there? almost no sign and 2 stinking stands.....boy these PA hunters are motivated... :doh:

On the way back I wanted to get to the dry ground as soon as I could and cut across to where the main road was and a small hillside of oaks and a strip of dry ground between the highway and the swamp mess.......lo and behold a very nice trail, a nice rub line, some scrapes and NO stands!! I guess maybe I am looking at an overlooked spot? The dry ground extends past the public into a point out into the swampy water logged area.

How much water will deer use for cover? I couldn't see how a deer would make it through what I was walking through? Would the summer dry it up enough for them to use? This spot I found was for sure worth a sit, but it needs a wind we don't see a lot.

Any thoughts on the swampy area? Too much water? It has to be 2-2.5 deep with the mud.


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Jackson Marsh
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Re: A swamp scouting mission

Unread postby Jackson Marsh » Tue Apr 14, 2015 6:14 am

If you can get through a deer can too. I don't think it bothers them much. Sounds like a good spot.

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headgear
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Re: A swamp scouting mission

Unread postby headgear » Tue Apr 14, 2015 9:08 am

Deer hooves are made for the swamp, they can run in that stuff if they have to, our feet not so much. I think you found a spot worth hunting.
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Re: A swamp scouting mission

Unread postby Singing Bridge » Tue Apr 14, 2015 9:27 am

Congrats briar on getting into a marsh- way cool! It is very different from what most guys hunt. Deer can get through 10 times worse water/swamp/muck than we can and they do it every day.

I put 9 miles in scouting a swamp the other day (Fitbit), and 80 percent of the time I was in knee deep water and muck... I also used log bridges to cross beaver floodings, creeks and ponds that were way over my head (U.P. of Mich). The deer don't use my bridges and I bumped 15 off of a big island that I moved toward over a mile back in, they ran past one at a time like a deer train.

Keep up the good marsh work and there's lots of Beasts on here to ask questions of if needed.

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Re: A swamp scouting mission

Unread postby hunter10 » Tue Apr 14, 2015 2:07 pm

Sounds like a good spot
briar
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Re: A swamp scouting mission

Unread postby briar » Wed Apr 15, 2015 12:30 am

Thanks a lot guys, that is very encouraging. I really found walking in the waders not that bad. I have another marsh picked out, just gotta find the time to get there!! I appreciate the positive feedback.
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Re: A swamp scouting mission

Unread postby Swampbuck » Wed Apr 15, 2015 3:20 am

Most the bucks I've killed are in the nastiest bog. I've seen them run as if they were on hard ground and I go over there and it's over my waist So don't let that scare u.

Best buck I shot ran on the shot and looked like he was on hard ground. on my way to him it was up to my chest in places... amazes me

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stash59
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Re: A swamp scouting mission

Unread postby stash59 » Wed Apr 15, 2015 10:39 am

Good job.


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