Swamp Hunters - The Creek

[Singing Bridge]

Little has been written or stated regarding the significance of creeks within swamps... and their relevance. A question was asked once here on the Beast and I realized just how little is out there regarding creeks and a swamp.

Some of the most accomplished swamp hunters I've met clearly understand the significance of these sometimes incredibly small bodies of flowing water... but its like a legend, these guys are vanishing and the knowledge they have is disappearing and not understood at all by the hunting majority... at least not in its entirety.

Beaver ponds, rut travel, scent highways, buck and doe bedding, rubs and scrapes, security cover beyond compare, "Edge", stand access....

If you are a swamp hunter / big woods hunter this is a topic / scouting and stand placement influence that deserves your attention.

[Singing Bridge]

Here is my reply that was posted quite some time ago to an inquiry here on the Beast and it just begins to scratch the surface:

How do you guys utilize creeks that runs through swamp? I've got a small creek (4-6 ft wide and max 3 ft depth) that runs relatively straight through a swamp I hunt. I'm going to use it to access a few stand locations this yr in the interior of the swamp. Can small creeks like this act as a transition line where bucks may bed if conditions are favorable? I found one bed in relatively close proximity to this creek in the spring. The bed was in a thicker section of the swamp where a small spruce tree had fallen over and the buck was using this to bed against, looking out towards the creek where it opens up slightly. Another questions I have is, do bucks use these creeks frequently as travel corridors to check doe bedding areas, food sources etc.. ? I didn't find an awful lot of tracks along the creek in the spring, but the coyote hunters had gone through this area a few times with dogs prior to my scouting trip.

Excellent observations on your part. Bucks in large swamps will use creeks... even smaller than you mention, as navigational aids for bedding, rut travel, negotiating between doe areas, food sources and more.

Many times bucks and does will bed along the seemingly small transition of a creek when they find a bedding advantage. It is important to realize that the advantage may or may not be right at the creek. Many of the beds will be just off a short distance, perhaps by a fallen tree or a spot where the wind currents moving through give them an advantage.

Regarding navigation, picture a giant cedar swamp where the buck has almost no visibility due to the dense canopy right down to the ground. A buck's sense of smell is so acute he will use the creeks just like we use highways. He doesn't even have to be within sight of it, he can smell the creek and travel the highway to any of the aforementioned areas.

Many swamp hunters will observe fresh rubs and scrapes along these creeks, near swamp edges and see that the bucks are following them during the rut phases... but few understand that they are utilized throughout the year and can cross miles of giant swamps with highways creeks create.

This is barely scratching the significance of what you have asked, but it hopefully gives you ideas.

Bridge

[freezeAR]

Good info Bridge, thanks for bringing it back up. When you identify a scenerio described does it change the way you scout the area? Are you keying in on proximity to creek to find beds?

[JakeB]

Very good points. I have noticed scarily similar things down here in Louisiana.

The creek, ditch, or slough are great edges in seemingly very plain swamps. Lots of times down here a slough will also create somewhat of a “spoil bank” on its edges creating a very slight elevation change.

The deer use these edges for basically all of their needs travel, food, does, security. It’s like the interstates for swamp deer. And actually all animals in the swamp travel these same creeks.

I usually find beds a small distance away from the actual creek itself though. If you can find a spur or point jetting out into the swamp away from the creek you can almost bet your paycheck on a bed being there. I have found hogs love these spots too and that the presence of hogs will sometimes push the deer further out into the swamp to bed.

I have a theory that the lack of beds I find right up next to the creek is just from it being so highly traveled by all animals in the swamp and the deer like to be near it but away from all of the activity.

It’s pretty cool to see someone across the country find extremely similar things in similar but different areas.

[tgreeno]

Great topic Bridge!

I am just starting to utilize this type of feature. And have a couple questions. Do you see the travel more crossing or following the creeks? Do you think they're bedding more with the creek at their backs, and wind blowing from the creek, or facing the creek?

[Tufrthnails]

Great topic Bridge!

I am just starting to utilize this type of feature. And have a couple questions. Do you see the travel more crossing or following the creeks? Do you think they're bedding more with the creek at their backs, and wind blowing from the creek, or facing the creek?

Where I am at Crossings are more distinct, but there is nearly always a trail along the creek. Beds are situational and very hard to spot in FL anyways, but a downed tree near a creek especially if there is even a gradual slope to the tree. I find beds right on the creek occasionally if its a really thick point of foliage that juts out of a transition intersecting a creek.

[Singing Bridge]

Good info Bridge, thanks for bringing it back up. When you identify a scenerio described does it change the way you scout the area? Are you keying in on proximity to creek to find beds?

most definitely- both doe and buck bedding areas. The creeks influence where I scout for beds and are I-75 highways Inside the big swamps when the hunting pressure is high... and again during the rut.

[Singing Bridge]

The deer use these edges for basically all of their needs travel, food, does, security. It’s like the interstates for swamp deer. .

They are the indeed, I call them the I-75 interstate of deer runs within the huge swamps.

More to come...

[greenhorndave]

The swamp I've been scouting actually isn't a pure swamp, it actually has water flowing under all of it. So what I find in the densest parts are small pockets of what I assume to be springs. They're not frozen and it's been cold for a while. Everything else in the swamp is frozen solid.

Some sign that the deer are using them now, but since I didn't hunt here last year, I don't know if they will be significant in-season. Any thoughts around those kinds of features?

[Singing Bridge]

I have a theory that the lack of beds I find right up next to the creek is just from it being so highly traveled by all animals in the swamp and the deer like to be near it but away from all of the activity.

I have interacted with big swamp hunters from Louisiana before and we agreed on this very point. I would add that not only do the animals utilize the creeks, but hunters do as well as it gives them a sense of security from the fear of getting lost and the comfort of recognition of an area they have previously travelled.

The creeks, just as you noted, contain lots of activity. Big bucks like to bed away from them but still be able to monitor the activity with their greatest sense... smell. Changing wind directions will often shift their bedding location so that they can monitor the I-75 Interstate trails.

Other times, a bullet proof bedding area will have them bedding nearby in almost any wind direction.

[Singing Bridge]

Great topic Bridge!

I am just starting to utilize this type of feature. And have a couple questions. Do you see the travel more crossing or following the creeks? Do you think they're bedding more with the creek at their backs, and wind blowing from the creek, or facing the creek?

In regard to crossing or following, it depends on the terrain. For example, in a big cedar swamp an island with access and escape will most times trump bedding along the creek- and I find crossings with bucks or doe families headed to the island. In featureless areas they tend to follow and bed near the creeks. During the rut you will see a lot of traffic both ways- bucks leaving their bedding areas near the creeks and utilizing them for travel to intercept main exit trails from doe bedding areas. I almost always find a rub or three where the creek trail intersects the doe bedding primary exit trail. Sometimes a scrape or two as well. When rut travel is taking place a few rubs and scrapes pop up along the creeks as the bucks continue to monitor and travel to the doe bedding areas. In truly large and intimidating swamps, daylight rutting activity occurs along these creeks and the deer are almost always completely undisturbed- hunters don't penetrate far due to the nastiness of the cover.


For bedding the bucks tend to bed with the prevailing wind to their back and monitor their entry trail which is normally coming from the creek area, despite some thermal activity from the creek. I also find some bullet proof buck bedding areas that they will bed within during almost any wind direction.

[Singing Bridge]

The swamp I've been scouting actually isn't a pure swamp, it actually has water flowing under all of it. So what I find in the densest parts are small pockets of what I assume to be springs. They're not frozen and it's been cold for a while. Everything else in the swamp is frozen solid.

Some sign that the deer are using them now, but since I didn't hunt here last year, I don't know if they will be significant in-season. Any thoughts around those kinds of features?

Those spots within that have springs are heavily utilized in a couple of different situations. They are outstanding wintering areas for big bucks and they know where the open water areas are. They really like to bed close by so they can water throughout the winter without having to eat snow.

In high pressure areas the bucks hone in on the springs to get away from all the hunters on the outside of the swamp. They bed near and can water throughout the day without being disturbed. The springs can really be key buck bedding areas within the swamps. The springs represent instinctive mineral intake along with watering.

[Acer18]

I can't think of a time were I havent been in a swamp with creeks that hasn't held good bedding in relation to the creek. (Unless it sees kayak or fishing pressure). The creeks certainly seem to "centralize" bedding and travel. I'll add that in addition to travel corridors ive observed some primary scrapes here, especially in areas where 2-3 creeks connect or branch off. -West Michigan locale

[JAK]

I just recently scouted a spot it was a little oak island about half acre in size butted right up to a creek. Loaded with rubs old and new and really big scrape. There was a beaver damn crossing the creek onto this little island and a strip of high ground roughly 70 yards off the creek running north and south . On south east side of the island With a NW wind which is predominet dureing hunting season almost a perfect setup for that buck ... It was just loaded with buck beds.

I played it off as a good spot thinking just a really good spot i had found. Never thinking of the coralation to the creek.. All the beds set up for a predominant wind of NW to beable to smell the creek and see it with enough ccover..

Im glade you brought this up never would have gave it a second thought. Always learning

[Singing Bridge]

I can't think of a time were I havent been in a swamp with creeks that hasn't held good bedding in relation to the creek. (Unless it sees kayak or fishing pressure). The creeks certainly seem to "centralize" bedding and travel. I'll add that in addition to travel corridors ive observed some primary scrapes here, especially in areas where 2-3 creeks connect or branch off. -West Michigan locale

Great observations- intersecting creeks are big advertising spots for bucks as the travel corridors intersect. Where I've found intersecting creeks with prevalent buck sign I have nearly always located buck bedding nearby during rut phases.