Marsh island sharp transition

Discuss deer hunting tactics, Deer behavior. Post your Hunting Stories, Pictures, and Questions/Answers.
  • Advertisement

HB Store


MNarrow
Posts: 362
Joined: Thu Sep 05, 2019 9:56 pm
Status: Offline

Marsh island sharp transition

Unread postby MNarrow » Fri Dec 27, 2019 4:03 am

Will a buck bed on an island in a cattail marsh, let's say a 1/2 acre in size that is perfectly circular and has no points jutting into the marsh and the transition is fairly sharp from island to marsh all the way around? Would they much prefer islands with that slow transitional point with brush to bed on, or maybe even just a lone tree out in the marsh with a patch of high ground?


User avatar
Singing Bridge
500 Club
Posts: 7162
Joined: Wed Feb 17, 2010 1:11 pm
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/pro ... 1329617473
Location: Logged in - from above
Contact:
Status: Offline

Re: Marsh island sharp transition

Unread postby Singing Bridge » Sun Jan 05, 2020 5:08 am

Yes... and yes.

Bucks will bed on a marsh island type that you describe, it depends on many things... hunting pressure, distance to mainland, weather and wind, other deer... and many other factors.
User avatar
PK_
500 Club
Posts: 6894
Joined: Tue Nov 20, 2012 5:10 am
Location: Just Off
Status: Offline

Re: Marsh island sharp transition

Unread postby PK_ » Sun Jan 05, 2020 8:24 am

They can, they will, I wouldn’t say it’s the preferred scenario for a mature buck tho in most cases.

Depends if there is other deer traffic on/off the island as well as other things.

But they seem to much prefer small humps, trees, clumps of bushes/dogwood etc... around the periphery of an island of that size. During the fall anyways...

During summer they will bed right on that island if that is where the shade is but they likely will be bachelored up so that changes the bedding tendencies anyways, many times.

Edit; also depends on how thick the island is. I was picturing an island with mature trees. If it is all thick then they would be more likely to use it for bedding obviously.
No Shortcuts. No Excuses. No Regrets.
Everybody's selling dreams. I'm too cheap to buy one.
Rich M wrote:Typically, hunting FL has been like getting a root canal
dan
Site Owner
Posts: 41588
Joined: Sat Feb 13, 2010 6:11 am
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HuntingBeast/?ref=bookmarks
Location: S.E. Wisconsin
Contact:
Status: Offline

Re: Marsh island sharp transition

Unread postby dan » Sun Jan 05, 2020 10:18 am

You might find beds there, and even kill deer there... But that does not sound like scenario I would expect to shoot mature bucks at unless one makes a stupid and random mistake in rut.
MNarrow
Posts: 362
Joined: Thu Sep 05, 2019 9:56 pm
Status: Offline

Re: Marsh island sharp transition

Unread postby MNarrow » Sun Jan 05, 2020 12:18 pm

Thanks for the responses.

So, a marsh with a few islands in it.......the best bedding of the islands will generally be with the brushy points and not the ones with the sharp transition to cattails all the way around.
User avatar
NorthStar
500 Club
Posts: 1518
Joined: Thu Sep 15, 2016 6:43 am
Status: Offline

Re: Marsh island sharp transition

Unread postby NorthStar » Sun Jan 05, 2020 3:37 pm

MNarrow wrote:Will a buck bed on an island in a cattail marsh, let's say a 1/2 acre in size that is perfectly circular and has no points jutting into the marsh and the transition is fairly sharp from island to marsh all the way around? Would they much prefer islands with that slow transitional point with brush to bed on, or maybe even just a lone tree out in the marsh with a patch of high ground?


Is this a hypothetical island or one that you have scouted? If this is an island you have scouted, was it done with boots on the ground or cyber scouted?

The only reason I ask these questions is that I have found small point beds on islands like these that don’t show up very well on aerial maps. Anyone else’s encountered this?
“The lazy do not roast any game, but the diligent feed on the riches of the hunt.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭12:27‬ ‭NIV‬‬
MNarrow
Posts: 362
Joined: Thu Sep 05, 2019 9:56 pm
Status: Offline

Re: Marsh island sharp transition

Unread postby MNarrow » Mon Jan 06, 2020 2:16 am

NorthStar wrote:
MNarrow wrote:Will a buck bed on an island in a cattail marsh, let's say a 1/2 acre in size that is perfectly circular and has no points jutting into the marsh and the transition is fairly sharp from island to marsh all the way around? Would they much prefer islands with that slow transitional point with brush to bed on, or maybe even just a lone tree out in the marsh with a patch of high ground?


Is this a hypothetical island or one that you have scouted? If this is an island you have scouted, was it done with boots on the ground or cyber scouted?

The only reason I ask these questions is that I have found small point beds on islands like these that don’t show up very well on aerial maps. Anyone else’s encountered this?

These are marshes that I have looked at aerials and will scout this spring. It seems that there are always islands that look to have no brushy points and ones that do have the obvious bedding points, and the all the islands have heavy trails between them. Good tip on checking these islands anyways since not everything will show up on an aerial.
User avatar
NorthStar
500 Club
Posts: 1518
Joined: Thu Sep 15, 2016 6:43 am
Status: Offline

Re: Marsh island sharp transition

Unread postby NorthStar » Mon Jan 06, 2020 2:36 am

Yes, this took me by surprise during my last scouting trip. And I even looked at 4 different time frames in google earth before scouting. Keep us updated!
“The lazy do not roast any game, but the diligent feed on the riches of the hunt.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭12:27‬ ‭NIV‬‬
User avatar
Singing Bridge
500 Club
Posts: 7162
Joined: Wed Feb 17, 2010 1:11 pm
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/pro ... 1329617473
Location: Logged in - from above
Contact:
Status: Offline

Re: Marsh island sharp transition

Unread postby Singing Bridge » Mon Jan 06, 2020 3:06 am

Although optimal scouting may be when the snow just came off, I wouldn't wait and I scout the year 'round even with lots of snow.

A lot of guys with jobs / family wait and it costs them dearly because they miss out on many areas they wanted to check out when they run out of time.

Some of the biggest and most mature marsh bucks in any given area bed on sharp island transition locations that cannot be detected on aerials or topo's... the time to find those islands with easy walking and frozen marshes is now... I wouldn't wait.

The half acre you mention is only 35 yards by 35 yards or so and I can assure you that many marshes have islands that size that hunters cannot see... boots on the ice and snow scouting is how you typically find these areas.
dan
Site Owner
Posts: 41588
Joined: Sat Feb 13, 2010 6:11 am
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HuntingBeast/?ref=bookmarks
Location: S.E. Wisconsin
Contact:
Status: Offline

Re: Marsh island sharp transition

Unread postby dan » Mon Jan 06, 2020 3:57 am

You need to physically scout them to know for sure.
User avatar
Marshbuster89
Posts: 405
Joined: Thu Oct 12, 2017 4:32 am
Facebook: Jordan Kurkowski
Location: WI
Contact:
Status: Offline

Re: Marsh island sharp transition

Unread postby Marshbuster89 » Mon Jan 06, 2020 3:47 pm

dan wrote:You need to physically scout them to know for sure.


Exactly this. Friend of mine is starting to venture into public a little more as I’ve gotten him to realize that he severely overhunts his private.

Today we walked a piece that is within reasonable distance of his home. It had classic “good” islands with points, bowls, etc and there was not much good sign at all. I thought for sure there would be. This told me that they don’t feel same on them for whatever reason. With that being said, there were a few little patches of brush with some smaller trees about 200 yds away from the islands and more in the open, but guess what we found. That’s where they’re living. And it was obvious why, they can see and smell for a long ways from those little patches. Sometimes stuff looks awesome on a map, and it just isn’t what they prefer once you get out there. We found a climber out there so I’m guessing it gets hunted enough, and the deer know it.

Never rule anything out 100%. They’re wild animals and don’t always follow the plan completely, but they’re probably not too far away. Let the deer tell you where they are :handgestures-thumbup:
How bad do you want it?


  • Advertisement

Return to “Deer Hunting”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: D1ngo_, marqum2, thwack16 and 82 guests