Difference between marshes & swamps for scouting & hunting?

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tmarbut
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Difference between marshes & swamps for scouting & hunting?

Unread postby tmarbut » Mon Sep 28, 2015 2:01 am

I grew up hunting river swamps nearby but have no experience with marshes - they are just not around this area. I am getting back in the swamps scouting & hunting & trying to cyber locate spots to check out as I plan to hunt mobile.
I know to look for food, but what about terrain? There is not always a good, defined line to follow at the edge of swamp & high-ground. Sounds crazy, but there Are so many winding channels & sloughs that I am struggling.

Anyone's suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

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Re: Difference between marshes & swamps for scouting & hunti

Unread postby headgear » Mon Sep 28, 2015 2:29 am

I hunt pretty much all swamps in northern MN, not too many sizeable marshes in my area. It is very similar to marsh hunting but you just have to apply those general rules to the swamp you hunt. They are on the islands and point, they are in the nasty wet locations on a small hump of high ground just like marsh bucks. A lot of times I find them on interior transitions, meaning not on the edge of the high ground but on a 2nd or 3rd transition inside the swamp. I also find more bedding zones where the bucks might have a dozen or more beds in a core area so you have to get in and get close but not in a spot where he can bust you. There are going to be other deer in the swamps as wells so you might have to soft bump one or two going in to get to where you need to be, just go slow and take your time going in and it won't be too bad bumping those deer. Also look for them to take advantage of thermals around water and coming off of hills on the high ground.
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Re: Difference between marshes & swamps for scouting & hunti

Unread postby tmarbut » Mon Sep 28, 2015 3:05 am

Thanks...will try to get a pic up later.

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Re: Difference between marshes & swamps for scouting & hunti

Unread postby Singing Bridge » Mon Sep 28, 2015 3:15 am

tmarbut wrote:I grew up hunting river swamps nearby but have no experience with marshes - they are just not around this area. I am getting back in the swamps scouting & hunting & trying to cyber locate spots to check out as I plan to hunt mobile.
I know to look for food, but what about terrain? There is not always a good, defined line to follow at the edge of swamp & high-ground. Sounds crazy, but there Are so many winding channels & sloughs that I am struggling.

Anyone's suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

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Some pics posted up will definitely give us a better idea of what you are dealing with. Also, Headgear's post was solid. Your riverbottom swamps / sloughs / channels can certainly funnel a lot of buck travel during the rut periods, especially the sloughs.
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Re: Difference between marshes & swamps for scouting & hunti

Unread postby tmarbut » Mon Sep 28, 2015 3:17 am

Thanks SB. Also am listening to your swamp hunting podcast a bit. Trying to absorb the details from it. Great info in that podcast!

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Re: Difference between marshes & swamps for scouting & hunti

Unread postby tmarbut » Mon Sep 28, 2015 4:47 am

[img]http://www.thehuntingbeast.com/copper/displayimage.php?pid=5120/img]

[img]http://www.thehuntingbeast.com/copper/displayimage.php?pid=5119/img]
tmarbut
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Re: Difference between marshes & swamps for scouting & hunti

Unread postby tmarbut » Mon Sep 28, 2015 4:49 am

Can anybody help get these pics posted correctly?

tmarbut wrote:[img]http://www.thehuntingbeast.com/copper/displayimage.php?pid=5120/img]

[img]http://www.thehuntingbeast.com/copper/displayimage.php?pid=5119/img]
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headgear
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Re: Difference between marshes & swamps for scouting & hunti

Unread postby headgear » Mon Sep 28, 2015 6:19 am

Image

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Re: Difference between marshes & swamps for scouting & hunti

Unread postby TN Whitetail Freak » Mon Sep 28, 2015 7:43 am

I hunt mostly Cypress swamps with sloughs everywhere...my strategy is hunt the habitat differences or habitat transitions with success finding deer

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Re: Difference between marshes & swamps for scouting & hunti

Unread postby tmarbut » Mon Sep 28, 2015 12:07 pm

Thanks for the thoughts guys. It will definitely help out.
Best of luck to you all

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Re: Difference between marshes & swamps for scouting & hunti

Unread postby headgear » Tue Sep 29, 2015 12:20 am

Hey tmarbut finally had some time to look at this aerial, I highlighted a few areas I would look at first. If possible you really want to scout everything you can but I would start with those inside corners by the river, even scout the whole river edge just to see what is there. After that anything with a change in vegetation is worth a look, a single large tree or group of trees that stands out, a grassy thick area. Swamps like this where everything is the same can be harder to hunt but they are going to have a general area they call home. I would even scout that power line edge as they might bed on that transition and be able to see a long way. You will also want to walk the entire transition near the high ground, sometimes there are things you just can't see from an aerial that stand out once you get your feet wet.

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Re: Difference between marshes & swamps for scouting & hunti

Unread postby tmarbut » Tue Sep 29, 2015 6:04 am

Thanks headgear! That really helps out a lot. Now I can transition from the forest to the trees, literally.
Best of luck on your end.
TM

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Re: Difference between marshes & swamps for scouting & hunti

Unread postby stash59 » Tue Sep 29, 2015 7:41 am

Have any of you experts used the vegetation type maps found on county GIS mapping sites. I've used these to mark my aerial photos to tell me what kind of trees or bushes and plants are actually growing in different spots. This helps alot when there are similar looking ares on the aerials. It helps to recognize the soft transitions on the aerials. Or find the preferred foods in these big woods scenarios.

I just haven't put boots on the ground to verify these yet. How much deer traffic they get. Because of my disability.
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Re: Difference between marshes & swamps for scouting & hunti

Unread postby tmarbut » Tue Sep 29, 2015 1:11 pm

Stash: this particular county does not have the particular gis capabilities you were describing. Do you now if there may be anywhere else that would provide this access? The only other thing I know is to use google earth & use the timeline to look back at vegetation changes.

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Re: Difference between marshes & swamps for scouting & hunti

Unread postby stash59 » Wed Sep 30, 2015 1:42 am

tmarbut wrote:Stash: this particular county does not have the particular gis capabilities you were describing. Do you now if there may be anywhere else that would provide this access? The only other thing I know is to use google earth & use the timeline to look back at vegetation changes.

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I know that there is something Federal that I came across but I can't remember where or the name. It was a little more complicated to use so I stayed with the state and county ones I had found. Maybe google land cover vegetation types for your state.

I too go back on the timeline on google earth. If you can find a fall pic then many of the soft transitions do show up, but not all. Plus you don't know for sure what type of plants are actually there. If you can find another county with similar habitat to yours. That has this type of GIS map. Go to a fall pic of the area and use the land cover map to study what the different vegetation types look like. Then use this knowledge to study your area.

If your just looking for soft transitions a fall google earth map will do. But if you need to find food sources you'll need a land cover vegetation type map.


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