Your Best Tip for Releasing an Arrow in the Swamp

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Your Best Tip for Releasing an Arrow in the Swamp

Unread postby Double Draw » Tue Sep 25, 2018 4:54 pm

Swamp or marsh land can be made up of grasses, reeds, rushes and a variety of other vegetation. In many places it is very thick and considerably taller than a deer. What is your #1 tip to ethically release an arrow with intent to kill knowing there aren't many/any open areas? Get high in a tree? Pick out a small opening? Something else?


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Re: Your Best Tip for Releasing an Arrow in the Swamp

Unread postby Ccwalker » Tue Sep 25, 2018 5:04 pm

I normally like to find a natural opening in the grass, if I have to I’ll matte down one with my bow. The problem is getting them to stop in the gap. If possible find where they have to duck under something or cross a ditch. They tend to pause but are generally on high alert, so be at full draw
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Re: Your Best Tip for Releasing an Arrow in the Swamp

Unread postby Brandonkinchen » Tue Sep 25, 2018 5:04 pm

Be willing to pass if you don't have a good shot. The guy that got me into bow hunting told me to "just get one in him". My first bow kill was a doe that I shot in the neck. She was a behind a tree and her head and neck was the only thing I could see. Luckily I found her. I will never take a shot like that again. I've also lost 2 deer NY following his advice. I later learned he has shot and wounded over 30 deer. I don't follow his advice anymore. I've passed on deer because of bad angels or an unclear shot. It sucks but what sucks more is making a bad shot and never recovering the animal.
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Re: Your Best Tip for Releasing an Arrow in the Swamp

Unread postby Dewey » Tue Sep 25, 2018 5:19 pm

I hunt much lower if the cover is thick. Usually I’m pretty limited with shooting lanes since we can’t trim anything but if I try hard enough I can usually find a tree that will work for the spot I want to hunt. If you can’t find a good tree the other option is to hunt on the ground and use the thick cover to your advantage.

If the shots not there I won’t take it, simple as that. Forcing one into thick cover is a disaster in the making and rarely turns out good. Cattails are especially good at concealing the kill zone. I have passed close shots on some very large bucks because I didn’t like the shot. It’s tough to watch them walk away but in the end I always know it was the right decision.
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Re: Your Best Tip for Releasing an Arrow in the Swamp

Unread postby Double Draw » Tue Sep 25, 2018 11:38 pm

Thanks guys. Yeah, I won't shoot unless I am confident it will be lethal. I passed a 150"ish buck at 8 yards while on the ground last year because of all the vegetation between him and me. Probably stood there in one spot for almost 10 minutes. I know you can't control everything especially on public but am trying to avoid a repeat with some new knowledge for this year...if possible.
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Re: Your Best Tip for Releasing an Arrow in the Swamp

Unread postby Octang » Wed Sep 26, 2018 2:31 am

Brandonkinchen wrote:Be willing to pass if you don't have a good shot. The guy that got me into bow hunting told me to "just get one in him". My first bow kill was a doe that I shot in the neck. She was a behind a tree and her head and neck was the only thing I could see. Luckily I found her. I will never take a shot like that again. I've also lost 2 deer NY following his advice. I later learned he has shot and wounded over 30 deer. I don't follow his advice anymore. I've passed on deer because of bad angels or an unclear shot. It sucks but what sucks more is making a bad shot and never recovering the animal.


Absolutely! I passed on a doe twice opening weekend because I couldn't get the ethical shot I wanted. That was real hard to do after eating tag soup for the past two years, but I don't regret doing it.
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Re: Your Best Tip for Releasing an Arrow in the Swamp

Unread postby Edcyclopedia » Wed Sep 26, 2018 2:37 am

Set a target up and simulate this during practice run...
I bet you will will convince yourself to pass on a lot of shots. :whistle:
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Re: Your Best Tip for Releasing an Arrow in the Swamp

Unread postby Jonny » Wed Sep 26, 2018 2:46 am

Octang wrote:
Brandonkinchen wrote:Be willing to pass if you don't have a good shot. The guy that got me into bow hunting told me to "just get one in him". My first bow kill was a doe that I shot in the neck. She was a behind a tree and her head and neck was the only thing I could see. Luckily I found her. I will never take a shot like that again. I've also lost 2 deer NY following his advice. I later learned he has shot and wounded over 30 deer. I don't follow his advice anymore. I've passed on deer because of bad angels or an unclear shot. It sucks but what sucks more is making a bad shot and never recovering the animal.


Absolutely! I passed on a doe twice opening weekend because I couldn't get the ethical shot I wanted. That was real hard to do after eating tag soup for the past two years, but I don't regret doing it.


I passed a doe this weekend for the same reason. Really don’t want to mess around with brush during archery. Only problem with going in blind is you don’t know what you have until you climb the tree.

If I don’t have any shots I move. Waste of time. Kind of like going out without a bow. What’s the point?
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Re: Your Best Tip for Releasing an Arrow in the Swamp

Unread postby Tufrthnails » Wed Sep 26, 2018 8:04 am

Edcyclopedia wrote:Set a target up and simulate this during practice run...
I bet you will will convince yourself to pass on a lot of shots. :whistle:


Ed hit it on the money. Once you see what a few blades or a limb can do to an arrow blindly shooting through brush at a deer with a bow is iffy at best. It's another reason I try to memorize any and all obstructions before it gets to the low light conditions. More then once I've thought I had a clear path only to hit a branch I couldn't see through my peep and fling the arrow into the wild blue yonder or worse redirect the arrow into the deer where I didn't want to hit it. One of my longest tracking jobs was on a deer a liver/ gutshot because I couldn't see their was a branch about 4 yards in front of her.
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Re: Your Best Tip for Releasing an Arrow in the Swamp

Unread postby Kraftd » Wed Sep 26, 2018 8:08 am

Dewey wrote:I hunt much lower if the cover is thick. Usually I’m pretty limited with shooting lanes since we can’t trim anything but if I try hard enough I can usually find a tree that will work for the spot I want to hunt. If you can’t find a good tree the other option is to hunt on the ground and use the thick cover to your advantage.

If the shots not there I won’t take it, simple as that. Forcing one into thick cover is a disaster in the making and rarely turns out good. Cattails are especially good at concealing the kill zone. I have passed close shots on some very large bucks because I didn’t like the shot. It’s tough to watch them walk away but in the end I always know it was the right decision.


Dewey wrote just about exactly what I was going to. More often than not in thick swaps and marshes I'm 1-2 sticks high. Find I have more lanes that way usually than higher. Higher also seems more likely to get me silouhetted.
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Re: Your Best Tip for Releasing an Arrow in the Swamp

Unread postby Double Draw » Wed Sep 26, 2018 9:59 am

Kraftd wrote:
Dewey wrote:I hunt much lower if the cover is thick. Usually I’m pretty limited with shooting lanes since we can’t trim anything but if I try hard enough I can usually find a tree that will work for the spot I want to hunt. If you can’t find a good tree the other option is to hunt on the ground and use the thick cover to your advantage.

If the shots not there I won’t take it, simple as that. Forcing one into thick cover is a disaster in the making and rarely turns out good. Cattails are especially good at concealing the kill zone. I have passed close shots on some very large bucks because I didn’t like the shot. It’s tough to watch them walk away but in the end I always know it was the right decision.


Dewey wrote just about exactly what I was going to. More often than not in thick swaps and marshes I'm 1-2 sticks high. Find I have more lanes that way usually than higher. Higher also seems more likely to get me silouhetted.


I appreciate this tip. Trust me, I am not going to shoot an unethical shot. I am looking for tips to deal with the density problem as I know it is a problem. This is helpful. Thank you!
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Re: Your Best Tip for Releasing an Arrow in the Swamp

Unread postby tgreeno » Wed Sep 26, 2018 10:16 am

I agree with with the guys above. My tip is...Higher isn't always better in the thick. I haven't been higher than 2 sticks yet this season. I set-up where the cover & shooting lanes dictate.
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Re: Your Best Tip for Releasing an Arrow in the Swamp

Unread postby Twenty Up » Wed Sep 26, 2018 10:25 am

I’ve switched to fixed blades to reduce the chance of a deflection or opening in flight. I’m also debating on building heavier arrows that have more momentum and hopefully less of a chance of being thrown off course.

Unfortunately where deer live isn’t conductive to bowhunting
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