Found an area of marsh while satellite scouting on the property I am hunting this year that looks like it is a heavily used cattail marsh. Our prevailing winds in this area are from the Southeast, and my only entrance access is also from the southeast. I am wondering how to approach this marshland. I have yet to scout on the ground, but the sat photo shows what appears to be MAJOR game traffic in the cattails. What I am thinking is that the yellow line (blue in the topo, since yellow didn't contrast enough) will be my entrance for a typical wind out of the southeast. I would drop into the creek bottom and follow it to the open timber in the bottom. From there, I would work my way almost to the west side of the marsh and set up north of one of the west side exits. My ideal setup would be on a north wind (rare around here) and come in on the red path, setting up below the bluff on the east side of the marsh just as close as I could stand to get. The large open area on the right is about a 8-9 years fallow field, and is so thick with plum thickets and blackberries that you have a hard time navigating. I am assuming that this will be the primary food source for this area, though our forest here is predominantly oak, so acorns are EVERYWHERE and will start dropping this week or next. Any suggestions on how to hunt this area with only Digital scouting in advance?
What is my approach here?
- IkemanTx
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Re: What is my approach here?
The red path currently shows walking the treeline on the top of the bluff, but that would just be until I picked out the trail that I would set up on before heading down to the hill. I would try to be 30ish yards off the marsh on setup.
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Re: What is my approach here?
Nothing?
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- Jphunter
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Re: What is my approach here?
Maybe wait for a Northerly wind put the wind in your face start at the south end and walk the transition where the marsh meets the timber until you find fresh sign and then set up.
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Re: What is my approach here?
Sneak in and find something they are feeding on like dropping oak trees. Like stated before, find fresh sign with evidence of heavy browsing and set up there. Does don't bed far from food and bucks not farther behind them if not pressured. I go in blind a lot to new grounds and this strategy works well. You just got to worry about how you are going to get out when deer are everywhere.
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Re: What is my approach here?
Jphunter wrote:Maybe wait for a Northerly wind put the wind in your face start at the south end and walk the transition where the marsh meets the timber until you find fresh sign and then set up.
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Is this what you are talking about?
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Re: What is my approach here?
OK, I am going to bump this thread one last time before I do this hunt. Does anybody think that there may be deer bedded between the marsh and the top of the hill which would be the east side of the tree line? I don't see any reason, With the wind out of the north, for a buck to bed in that area. My winds are looking to be out of the north or out of the Northeast. I am hoping to be able to get close enough to the marsh to catch late evening movement to the fallow field above to the east, but this is my first time hunting this close to bedding. I am pretty sure I can move quietly enough, and stay far enough away from the transition to not be detected, but I know that my scent control is not good enough to not be winded.
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Re: What is my approach here?
Hard to say...lots of factors and can't get a feel for size..
May not be a cat tail Marsh..may or may not be holding deer...
In an area like that that appears pretty flat they are likely to bed on the high spots.I guess that's what you are calling a bluff..the only 2-3 contour lines on the map...
If I was a deer I'd bed on top of that high spot with the wind to my back overlooking the world below me...smelling what's behind me and seeing what I can't smell...
Good luck!! Its always interesting to go see what is actually out there!! Sometimes it's frustrating... Sometimes it's better than imagined!
Once it starts looking like deer woods start looking for a tree! I made that mistake this evening kinda...started to take a couple more steps before I realized I was standing where I needed to kill them...
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May not be a cat tail Marsh..may or may not be holding deer...
In an area like that that appears pretty flat they are likely to bed on the high spots.I guess that's what you are calling a bluff..the only 2-3 contour lines on the map...
If I was a deer I'd bed on top of that high spot with the wind to my back overlooking the world below me...smelling what's behind me and seeing what I can't smell...
Good luck!! Its always interesting to go see what is actually out there!! Sometimes it's frustrating... Sometimes it's better than imagined!
Once it starts looking like deer woods start looking for a tree! I made that mistake this evening kinda...started to take a couple more steps before I realized I was standing where I needed to kill them...
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- IkemanTx
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Re: What is my approach here?
Yeah, that is a pretty big elevation change for around here. (I know, it's not even noteworthy everywhere else) We are known for some very flat properties! As little topography as we have around here, I keep finding myself trying to find topographical maps with three or 5 foot elevation lines instead of 7.5. That's just not enough detail in north Texas. The hillside is pretty darn thick, so no deer would have a view down more than 20 or 30 yards max, so that would leave them with really exposed flanks. I guess they could bid on the north side of that draw, so they have the wind from the north coming over the edge, and could look over the draw to the south. I think I'll set up south of the draw at the top of the hill and hope they haven't had enough pressure to wait till dark to enter the field.
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Re: What is my approach here?
Maybe hook all the way around on the outer edge of the property until you feel you are far enough up to put the wind in your face then work it from there?
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Re: What is my approach here?
tbunao wrote:Maybe hook all the way around on the outer edge of the property until you feel you are far enough up to put the wind in your face then work it from there?
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Ya, I think for hunts with winds out of the southeast I will have to do that. I should have marked out the "se approach" on that trail because I got lucky enough to get a north wind for my first hunt. Just still torn between bottom of the hill or top. I will either head to the stand around 3:00 and do the top, or head out around noon and pick my way to the first fresh sign on the transition edge between the marsh and wood line.
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Re: What is my approach here?
I would be very interested in the point jutting into the swamp straight north of your green whale/turkey leg.
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