Cattail Marsh Stands

[mibowhunter]

I am pretty sure this has been discussed on here, but I can't find the thread.. In the areas that I hunt, there are some pretty massive cattail marshes and 99% of the hunters stick to the outer edges in the tree lines. I would like to get back in the marsh a bit to try to pick up on the daytime movement. I know Dan has used a ladder before for gun hunting, does anyone else have any setups they use to get their field of vision up over the top of cattails?

[Dewey]

I have used plenty of muskrat dens especially during the muzzleloader season. Usually lots of them in any marsh and they get you up high enough you can usually see just over cattails. Of course this works best when there is ice otherwise they are usually surrounded by deeper water. Might not be as much of an issue this year as dry as it is.

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[dan]

Here is a tip for those treeless areas... Take a look at this marsh picture. I marked actual buck beds in red. If you look close you can see the actual deer trails in the cattails. In this case, a mature buck might not move far enough to reach the woodlot from the bedding islands...



Now take a look at this actual set up...

Red= deer bed

Green= hunter sitting on stool on piece of plywood.

black= deer trail enhanced to be more visible

Blue= shooting lane cut into cattails on an angle so the deer is past you quartering away for the shot. Notice that there are two windows or lanes, the big one is for shooting, the small one is to get a glimpse of the deer to decide if he is a shooter so you can pull back before he gets to the shooting window. The spy window only needs to be big enough to see the deers head, any bigger and he will use it to spot you. Only cut what you need to, to much will spook them. Cut these spots in July. If you cut the spy window or the shooting window broadside, the buck will see you as soon as he comes to the opening and spook. It helps to leave some cattails around you for cover and have as sharp of a quartering angle as your confidant making.

[Pullintoobs]

One of my favorite set-ups. Been messing around with this for a few years now. I have gotten busted quite a few times. I was clearing way too much stuff out and was cutting pretty much straight to a trail. Definately need to trim lanes at an angle and just enough to shoot through.Went and bought a 2 step kitchen stool that works awesome and easy to transport. At first I made a ton of noise but you can really get quiet after a few times. It is an exciting setup with deer at close range. You can hear them coming forever. And obviously sit on the downwind side.

[Dewey]

That is a good tactic Dan and one I have used myself in the past. I know of a few guys that have killed some slobs that way but haven't been succesful myself doing this. I should really put more effort into doing this and get out of trees once. Many times mature bucks will totally avoid any trees but will move through a sea of cattails at ease. Don't think they expect danger out there.
I know of one guy that killed a 215" non typical this way while sitting on an aluminum lawn chair in the cattails.

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[mibowhunter]

Thanks for the visual Dan... That makes total sense. I was thinking about a little step stool also, and putting some kind of back on it to make it bearable to sit in.

Here's a little mock-up of one of the places I was going to try. I would only hunt this during the rut becuase that is the only time I will probably be able to make it back to WI, and the river and lake make for a sweet little funnel. My access would be via canoe following the yellow line. To the north is hundreds of acres of cattails, private land. I know the people that own it and there are some beasts every year that live in those cattails. To the south of the funnel is another 60ish acres of cattails that I have access to. All of the other hunters that have access to this property hunt the trees (brown dots) and don't venture in to the cattails much. Because I won't know which way the deer will be coming from necessarily during the rut (could come from the north or the south IMO), would you suggest cutting small spy windows facing NE and SE with one big shooting window going straight East? Would you change how I have my planned setup? I'm open to ideas/input...

[dan]

I would really strongly suggest not cutting a shooting lane that has the buck show up broadside. They always seem to look at you. In your case I would cut one in both directions, forget the sight window, and pull back when you hear one coming and make a quick decision when he enters your window... The only thing that scares me about not having the sight window is that I once walked into another guys set up with him at full draw on me... Sure wish that dude had a sight window...
Just keep in mind, everything that sounds like a deer, ain't always a deer.

[Edcyclopedia]

I suggest you call this hunt location "Little Italy"...
Sometimes a cool name makes the difference, you know, sometimes it's the little things


Kidding aside some great info and tactics here

[DEERSLAYER]

Dan,
How big do you typically cut your shooting lanes?

[dan]

Dan,
How big do you typically cut your shooting lanes?

4 to 6 feet...

[mibowhunter]

I would really strongly suggest not cutting a shooting lane that has the buck show up broadside. They always seem to look at you.

Ok, thanks for passing on the knowledge... It's interesting information. In my situation if I cut 2 lanes that are at an angle, I could let the deer pass through the first window if I felt it was necessary and wait for it to enter the second shooting lane... so in a sense that first lane would serve as a spy window. You said you created a shooting window 4-6', I think I might cut mine a bit smaller than that only because I'll have 2 of them and really hate getting picked off.

The only thing that scares me about not having the sight window is that I once walked into another guys set up with him at full draw on me... Sure wish that dude had a sight window...

EEEESSSHHH, that's not cool. At least he was patient enough not to let the arrow fly at the first sign of movement... on some of the public I hunt here in MI, I would bet money an arrow would have been on its way already.... yikes.

This spot has me excited becuase of the sweet access and prior patterning of other hunters, knowing they don't go in to the cattails becuase they don't like to get wet. :) That, and I can only imagine the size of some of the bucks out there buried in those cattails - every time I hear an approaching deer my heart will probably start racing until I can get a visual on it.

[DEERSLAYER]

...That, and I can only imagine the size of some of the bucks out there buried in those cattails - every time I hear an approaching deer my heart will probably start racing until I can get a visual on it.

That's what it's all about right there.

EEEESSSHHH, that's not cool. At least he was patient enough not to let the arrow fly at the first sign of movement... on some of the public I hunt here in MI, I would bet money an arrow would have been on its way already.... yikes...

A friend of mine was walking to his stand in the morning without a flashlight when he was shot in the eye with a four blade Satellite broadhead by a guy that mistook him for a deer. My friend was fifteen when it happened.

[Jackson Marsh]

Got me thinking now

[DEERSLAYER]

Dan,
How far off the trail do you like to sit?

[BuckHunter1988]

hey lance that makes me scared to come hunt the marsh with you. I think if I come out I might have to bring a spotlight so people know im coming through.