Stumped

[mauser06]

Did take some pics today...















Hard to see...there is a bed in the center of the pic. BIG. Worn out...well used bed. Top of that rub was just under shoulder height. Tine marks on the surrounding brush and saplings too.



Definitely a successful day. 3 years scouting that marsh and I finally feel like I've found what I was looking for. I have a mix of stuff to hunt depending on time of season, acorns, etc.

I still want to proceed with the plan and camera bomb it. I am afraid of theft...but I'm not seeing hardly any people sign...New or old. No shotgun hulls from waterfowl or small game guys...no candy wrappers...no tacks or flagging. I think it'll be worthwhile to monitor when the movement is in specific areas....and the biggest question...are there bucks I am actually looking for and how many and where.

Thinking about hanging a couple early..maybe in some of the oaks. (Our acorn drop usually starts before the season does...) then as I hunt my way in, drop cameras throughout the season. Only checking or pulling ones I don't plan to hunt again or whatever.


Definitely excited to see what's out there. Muddy tracks can be deceiving. But I'm seeing some that are noticeably larger than the rest. It just rained for like 14hrs a couple days ago so a lot of tracks were real tough to read today..and a lot of stuff is under water that wasn't before that rain.


Off to the hills tomorrow or next week..tomorrow was supposedto be a wash out but doesn't look like it now...I wanna get a couple more scouting trips in...then off to Ohio for turkey/deer scouting.

Kinda disappointed I missed the last couple weeks...my allergies have been kicking my tail.

[szwampdonkey]

Find a spot with the LEAST amount of sign in the swamp and most likely the buck youre seeking is bedding there.

Be mindful of those tiny, barely visible faint trails that look like nothing when youre walking a main run in the cattails and follow them this time of year. If you find a single bed within 100-200 yards of those mashed up doe bedding spots with sign everywhere if he is actually in there like you think those beds are his.

Also, its my belief large bucks do NOT like phragmites. Any trails through them are predominantly used by does so look for trails skirting around spots loaded with phragmites.

Good luck

[mauser06]

This is actually a completely different spot and not the same marsh from the last post.

The swamp in this post is actually a wooded thicket along a lake shore...some completely dry. Some flooded tangle stuff.

Mostly wooded hilly terrain there..the big tracks taking me to a concentration of big sign caught my attention.



I did notice that in the marsh though. The phragmites turned to cattails and grass and brush and scattered trees and that's where I was finding the bedding.

[mauser06]

Haha. Got my own posts mixed up.

[briar]

One of the best posts on the beast was something PK said. The hardest part of killing a big buck is finding a big buck to kill. It is so hard to put a big buck where you think it should be in the real world.

Big bucks are so hard to find. Big bucks on public in western PA making daylight movements outside the pre rut and rut are extremely hard to find. Until you have a verified sighting or photos or very fresh sign, everything else is just not reliable enough year to year around here.

Best of luck capitalizing on all your work.

[mauser06]

Thanx Briar!


Thats absolutely true.


I figure all I can do is work at it and try.


My effort isn't wasted. My hunting is getter better every season. Usually isn't taking but a couple hunts to have a 80-100" buck in bow range on public.

I'm trying to up my game. Hardest part is not sticking one of those bucks. But now with Ohio in play, my rut and gun hunts are likely focused there. I know I'm setting a high bar looking for a mature buck on PA public pre rut...

If I fall short, I'm still consistently killing 2.5-3.5yos on PA public pre rut. Not something most guys around here are doing.


I enjoy it all...or I would be fishing or golfing or whatever most guys do this time of year...opposed to trudging through a marsh.


For me, I like learning. I like challenging myself. I like different things. I counted recently. I think it was my last 6 or 8 bucks have all been from a different county. Bow, rifle, inline, flintlock. I just enjoy it. I have pins dropped in 4 states and most of western PA. Most places I may never see again. But, if I every want to, I have some Intel in my pocket to get me headed in the right direction.

[briar]

You sound a lot like me. I really enjoyed my early exit from archery season this year and i logged a lot of miles just exploring and trying to learn and have something to look forward to for next year. In my 35 years in the PA woods ive seen a couple true daylight giants. Both have been on suburban pockets that were probably less than 100 acres. Both are experiences ill never forget.

My question for all of the guys on here is...realistically what would make a big buck live on public land? Of all the safer options that are a hop and a leap away.. why stay there and deal with the things we call pressure?