Marsh sign not there yet...

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Natenlsn2
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Marsh sign not there yet...

Unread postby Natenlsn2 » Tue Oct 16, 2018 3:58 pm

I have several marshes pre scouted, some had upwards of a hundred rubs in and around them with bedding areas. So far this fall in my efforts, I have found zero fresh rubs/scrapes in and around those marshes. We do not have much for acorns in my area. Do you notice bucks not using marshes till closer to the rut in your area? Why do you think the sign might be so dry in my spots so far? Are marshes without acorns just not attractive to bucks until the rut?


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Re: Marsh sign not there yet...

Unread postby Strenke629 » Wed Oct 17, 2018 3:07 pm

I think it depends. Do you get a lot of pressure in that area during early season? If you don’t then maybe the deer haven’t been pushed back into the swamps yet. I’m sure you see the sign during the rut because by then the deer have been forced into the swamps by hunting pressure.
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Re: Marsh sign not there yet...

Unread postby hunter_mike » Wed Oct 17, 2018 3:15 pm

Ive was kind of wondering the same thing earlier this season. My guess was lack of hunting pressure as well. But in reality im sure there are lots of factors at play. Ive seen some spring scouting in certain areas have really good rubs in them and the next spring have none. I guess that's why in season scouting is important
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Re: Marsh sign not there yet...

Unread postby Babshaft » Wed Oct 17, 2018 9:56 pm

Are you hunting the same areas as me?! lol

I'm experiencing the same issues on most of my properties and I'm almost willing to bet it's pressure related. I've either got properties that have acorns everywhere or no oaks. No agriculture for miles. I've found it very challenging to find the hot food source so far. It's been very difficult to find any early season sign. I haven't run across another bowhunter yet. Not one. We're allowed to run dogs here and our firearms season starts the first week of November. Last season, as soon as the dogs and orange army hit the bush, my properties became a lot easier to hunt. They take to the only place the dogs won't go - the swamps.

I'm dead set on finding a good buck in October. Hopefully the guys that like to setup bait stations have finished their setups and have added enough pressure to put the bucks in the swamps. Who knows? Certainly not me.

And I also just put it together with your avatar picture. Just wanted to say that you sir are an amazing videographer. I subscribed to your channel; awesome stuff!
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Re: Marsh sign not there yet...

Unread postby Crazy4bucks » Wed Oct 17, 2018 10:39 pm

Where I live in Southern Ontario it’s pretty common not to see much buck sign until later in October and you really don’t see much of a rut. In a spot I hunt an hour west of here there is a lot more sign and I see way more rut activity. I think it’s a due to deer density. I’ve heard Dan and others say it that there will be more buck sign in places where bucks home ranges overlap and it makes a lot of sense. Early season I try to rely more on visual sightings and tracks.
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Re: Marsh sign not there yet...

Unread postby bowfreak8 » Wed Oct 17, 2018 11:59 pm

I'd say it's probably a combination of little pressure and just now getting to the point of the season when deer start laying down a bunch of sign.
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Re: Marsh sign not there yet...

Unread postby cw2gsp » Thu Oct 18, 2018 12:22 am

I'm experiencing the exact same thing! My perspective is that the only variable to change for my area is no acorns this year. I mean not a single nut. I guess based on that I'd have to draw the conclusion that these bucks have to be bedded much closer to other food sources. Glad you posted this.
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Re: Marsh sign not there yet...

Unread postby headgear » Thu Oct 18, 2018 12:32 am

Crazy4bucks wrote:Where I live in Southern Ontario it’s pretty common not to see much buck sign until later in October and you really don’t see much of a rut. In a spot I hunt an hour west of here there is a lot more sign and I see way more rut activity. I think it’s a due to deer density. I’ve heard Dan and others say it that there will be more buck sign in places where bucks home ranges overlap and it makes a lot of sense. Early season I try to rely more on visual sightings and tracks.


Agreed, I am still hunting bedding when most guys are on rut tactics, seems like a shorter rut window in the far north. Been seeing better deer numbesr the past couple of years so hoping we get a little more rutting this year. Like magic says, you don't see much for rubs and scrapes until the 20-25th of Oct.
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Re: Marsh sign not there yet...

Unread postby Lockdown » Thu Oct 18, 2018 12:38 am

Like others have said the pressure will most likely put them there. Around here there are several refuges and most don’t have all that many deer right now. After gun season, the dpsm will be 3 or 4 times higher.
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Re: Marsh sign not there yet...

Unread postby mipubbucks24 » Thu Oct 18, 2018 3:26 am

I am seeing the same thing, it’s pressure related, but by me it’s corn related. I have a corn field behind where I work that I run out and hunt before and after work. It has a lot of deer sign right now, I saw a mature buck on Saturday morning. But I go and hunt the public marshes that I scouted the last 2 Springs and I am hard pressed to find a rub, and have not seen any deer. The deer right now are mostly bedding in the corn. Now some really wide bucks will avoid the corn because they can’t move through it easily. At least in the area that I am hunting they are in the corn. Also I need to point out that I have not found a good producing white oak on any of the public that I hunt, so that is also a contributing factor.
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Re: Marsh sign not there yet...

Unread postby timberninja » Thu Oct 18, 2018 3:21 pm

This thread read my mind. Just got back from walking a new marsh this evening. Almost zero sign. I found a ton of old beds but, all were snow covered, and trails looked sparsely used. Acorns are extremely weak this year and the crops are still on the fields due to wet weather. I think once the crops come off and the guns come out it will be a different story. My next move is finding the hot food source and setting up accordingly.
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Re: Marsh sign not there yet...

Unread postby Lockdown » Thu Oct 18, 2018 5:21 pm

This thread reminds me of year #1 as a Beast. Same exact mind set/frustration/questions as you guys. Me and Tyler hit up a spot opening weekend that looks BEAUTIFUL on the map. We waded through cattails and bog to get there. There were deer trails, but they were so light you had to look for them...

The biggest thing is to not get discouraged. This stuff takes time and there is never a one size fits all answer for any situation. Put in the effort and your confidence will build pretty quick.
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Re: Marsh sign not there yet...

Unread postby greenhorndave » Fri Oct 19, 2018 8:50 am

Lockdown wrote:This thread reminds me of year #1 as a Beast. Same exact mind set/frustration/questions as you guys. Me and Tyler hit up a spot opening weekend that looks BEAUTIFUL on the map. We waded through cattails and bog to get there. There were deer trails, but they were so light you had to look for them...

The biggest thing is to not get discouraged. This stuff takes time and there is never a one size fits all answer for any situation. Put in the effort and your confidence will build pretty quick.


Sounds like first year guy me's experience yesterday.

Did you ever wind up finding anything in that particular marsh/swamp?
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Lockdown
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Re: Marsh sign not there yet...

Unread postby Lockdown » Fri Oct 19, 2018 9:58 am

greenhorndave wrote:
Lockdown wrote:This thread reminds me of year #1 as a Beast. Same exact mind set/frustration/questions as you guys. Me and Tyler hit up a spot opening weekend that looks BEAUTIFUL on the map. We waded through cattails and bog to get there. There were deer trails, but they were so light you had to look for them...

The biggest thing is to not get discouraged. This stuff takes time and there is never a one size fits all answer for any situation. Put in the effort and your confidence will build pretty quick.


Sounds like first year guy me's experience yesterday.

Did you ever wind up finding anything in that particular marsh/swamp?


Yeah they’re on the other end by the crops early season 8-) I don’t have many hunts back in the thick. Passed a spiker during rut bowhunting and someone kicked a two year old 8 to me while slug hunting. I passed him then he smelled me :lol:
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Re: Marsh sign not there yet...

Unread postby sureshotscott » Fri Oct 19, 2018 10:34 am

All the deer on DeerBook are laughing it up. :lol:


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