Cyber Scouting - Need Advice

[mnswamphunter]

I found something interesting while I was cyber scouting.

Enclosed is a photo of a pond located in the center of a large swamp. It looks like heavy deer trails are passing though it. These trails have blue arrows pointing at them. There are also lighter trails that appear to circle the pond. They have red arrows pointing at them. The top of the photos is north. This is a very wet part of the swamp. The water is probably waist deep with a mucky bottom. Also the pond is about 40 yards wide x 90 yards long.

I have a few questions I would like the Beasts to share there opinions on.
Why are the lighter trails circling the pond?
Do deer walk straight through a pond enough to leave heavy trails?
When I go out to investigate what should i be looking for?
In general what do the Beasts think is going on at this location?
What feature in the photos get the Beasts excited?

Thanks in advance.

[Hodag Hunter]

Top picture is showing water in old trails.......some of these deer trails have been around 100's of years and with wet and dry years trails are used or not.

Bottom picture intrigues me......what are the green openings? Cant be food plots are they? There is one heavy trail on the north-west side of the north south narrow island. Looks like heavy deer travel.....not necessary big buck travel.

Most bedding is in the crap to the west on the edges would be my guess.

[MarshRunner17]

I doubt the deer are walking through the pond. Most likely too deep or too muddy. I agree with Hodag, most bedding will be to the west of the bottom picture. Good luck.

[mnswamphunter]

The green openings are little fields of grass hay. Sometimes thy can not get bailed because the ground is too wet.

[Rob loper]

I think some are trails and some are little creeks coming off the pond
I also agree bedding to west
Good luck

[Razorhead]

The blue arrows appear to be some form of water or small tributaries into the pond to me. When cyber scouting, a topo map beside an aerial photo is very beneficial. It may be flat as a pancake and impossible to figure out but I would still check it out.

[mnswamphunter]

Thanks for your opinions. I will check it out with boots on the ground.

[headgear]

Most of those "trails" next to water are beaver runs but the deer are probably using them a bit or getting something to drink. Like Hodag said, some of these trails are centuries old. 2nd pic is much more likely to be bedding.

[Strenke629]

Most of those "trails" next to water are beaver runs but the deer are probably using them a bit or getting something to drink. Like Hodag said, some of these trails are centuries old. 2nd pic is much more likely to be bedding.

Agree with this comment here. Trails that are running directly into a pond like that are more than likely beaver runs. They can get really worn down too which can be super misleading. I would probably disregard those trails and focus on the trails that are circling the pond and are near bedding. My brother has land with a pond in it and the beavers are terrible. There are beaver runs everywhere.

[mnswamphunter]

I was hope that the pond would be a feature that a buck would put down wind of his bed and have his back to the wind. Are those light trails his j hooks to sent check his bed before he enters??? If you look above the far right red arrow it looks like there is light trails that form a y and they connects to the light trails that circle the pond. I want to believe that this is were the buck makes his decision witch way around the pond he will go to sent check his bed???? I think this place is not hunt able due to lack of trees, and too much tall grass and standing water. But I will check it out.

[PK_]

If the water goes way down they will bed down in there. But in your pic the blue trails are beavers and the red are deer. You can see how deer are skirting the deep water. A deer will not usually go into a deep pond like that unless they are eating aquatic vegetation.