Deer that live in the marsh

[fenderbender62]

Im hunting public land for the 2nd year now and I've been studying the aerials of the properties focusing mainly on the deer trails that are visible in the marsh and using topo maps to pinpoint where they are coming up on dry land.

The mainland is around 50-60ft in elevation, with points that taper down into the marsh. Some of the points have steeps sides or ends which kind of funnel the deer to use certain spots on the point for access in/out of the marsh.

I believe the majority of the deer (especially anything mature) on the property which is about 3k acres live in the marsh 99% of the time.

I hunted a point/ramp opening day and saw a doe come up out of the marsh right at last light but nothing else, and the area was bare of any sign.

So my questions is...It's only the 2nd week of archery where im at, should I be hunting on the points waiting for the deer to hit the mainland at last light? At what point do I need to push into the marsh and try to get right on top of them? Should I wait until gun season to make that move?

Thanks

[dan]

Im hunting public land for the 2nd year now and I've been studying the aerials of the properties focusing mainly on the deer trails that are visible in the marsh and using topo maps to pinpoint where they are coming up on dry land.

The mainland is around 50-60ft in elevation, with points that taper down into the marsh. Some of the points have steeps sides or ends which kind of funnel the deer to use certain spots on the point for access in/out of the marsh.

I believe the majority of the deer (especially anything mature) on the property which is about 3k acres live in the marsh 99% of the time.

I hunted a point/ramp opening day and saw a doe come up out of the marsh right at last light but nothing else, and the area was bare of any sign.

So my questions is...It's only the 2nd week of archery where im at, should I be hunting on the points waiting for the deer to hit the mainland at last light?At what point do I need to push into the marsh and try to get right on top of them?Should I wait until gun season to make that move?

Thanks

I would start day #1

With that said, sometimes the spot is on the main land right where they exit, sometimes its in the middle of the marsh... You may experience a thermal drop at sun down when hunting where hills meet marsh.. That needs to be taken into account at set up time when thermals are either rising or n on-existent.

[fenderbender62]

Thanks Dan. So to clarify, you think i should be out in the marsh and getting as close as possible?

From what I can tell, the deer dont bed near the shore. Theyre at least 6o yards out into marsh. There arent any lone trees or islands out in the marsh either. Just grass with areas of taller grass, especially out near the bank of the river which i believe is where they bed. Not really even any cattails.

thanks again

[Mossberg90MN]

Thanks Dan. So to clarify, you think i should be out in the marsh and getting as close as possible?

From what I can tell, the deer dont bed near the shore. Theyre at least 6o yards out into marsh. There arent any lone trees or islands out in the marsh either. Just grass with areas of taller grass, especially out near the bank of the river which i believe is where they bed. Not really even any cattails.

thanks again

I’m in the same predicament! I think I need to find a new spot that has more points and islands I could work. I feel the dry year has pushed them deep into the cat tails