I am out of shape! Good day in woods.

[mainebowhunter]

After reading Singing Bridges post last night, I decided to skip out on a meeting do some scouting. Got up this morning before daybreak. Grabbed my boots, jumped in my rig and headed for a marsh I wanted to take a look at.




The marsh turned out to be a bust. Honestly, the marshes do not seem to be that big of a draw. There is just so much bedding around, deer really do not seem to use it. Scouted a bunch of it really very little sign. Most of the sign and stuff that looked good was the cutover that abuts it. You can see the deer have eaten a lot of the shoots/buds off of the maple whips. Found some good sign. Found an apple tree that had different generations of rubs around it plus piles of old droppings. Also found a stand...ended up being someone I knew. The guys kiilled a great buck from that stand in there during rifle season 2 yrs ago. Found couple of beds on a couple slight elevation changes. Deer had been all over them. Not too far from 2 of the apple trees I found. Also discovered a very good access point from a public way.

All in all...I logged over 6 miles of walking. Did meet up with a guy who was headed to go worming (guys dig worms for a living on clam flats) -- ended up getting permission to hunt his ground. Thats the beauty of this state. Deer numbers maybe low...but you can cover hundreds and hundreds of acres of huntable ground. Never really saw a posted sign all day. And only saw 1 treestand. Ended up seeing 4 deer. And I have just scratched the surface of that area. Need more time to look at it again. Not sure how much I will hunt this area in the upcoming year. Definitely going to run some cameras. Maybe I will get an easy one...lol Not counting on it.

We are having such a strange winter, lots of bare ground. Really given me a leg up on spring scouting.

[Stanley]

[Hawthorne]

Nice day for sure. Marshes look different in the northeast just by looking at your pic

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[mainebowhunter]

After reading all about marsh beds and seeing all of the big rubs and big beds here...I had visions of grandeur.

[mainebowhunter]

The marsh other marsh has a bit more taller cattails in it. This one had some cattails around edges...but really was not that tall. I was really most interested in checking out all of the edges where it met the woodlines.

Good day. Very thankful to the good Lord above for legs that work! No matter how much sign you see...its a privilege just to be out!

[matt1336]

Sometimes winter marsh scouts are deceiving. A lot of the sign is under water and the trails aren't as easily read. You might be more impressed with the marsh and the sign in it come fall. Maybe not.

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[KLEMZ]

Sometimes winter marsh scouts are deceiving. A lot of the sign is under water and the trails aren't as easily read. You might be more impressed with the marsh and the sign in it come fall. Maybe not.

I agree. Marshes in the winter may be devoid of FRESH sign. However, I see there is no snow at all in your pictures, so if there are beds that are used in the fall, you will see them if you are looking in the right spots (unless they are under ice because of high water levels).

I find bucks bedding in highland (dry) areas during winter. These are typically in areas that are contaminated by hunters in the fall, but in the winter they are convenient, high and dry areas with no human intrusion. These areas are adjacent to the typical wet areas of the marsh.

[Singing Bridge]

After reading all about marsh beds and seeing all of the big rubs and big beds here...I had visions of grandeur.

I've had that happen to me too. Lots of hope for an area that ended up being poor. Sounds like it was productive in other ways and it sure beats having to work.

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[mainebowhunter]

Sometimes winter marsh scouts are deceiving. A lot of the sign is under water and the trails aren't as easily read. You might be more impressed with the marsh and the sign in it come fall. Maybe not.

I agree. Marshes in the winter may be devoid of FRESH sign. However, I see there is no snow at all in your pictures, so if there are beds that are used in the fall, you will see them if you are looking in the right spots (unless they are under ice because of high water levels).

I find bucks bedding in highland (dry) areas during winter. These are typically in areas that are contaminated by hunters in the fall, but in the winter they are convenient, high and dry areas with no human intrusion. These areas are adjacent to the typical wet areas of the marsh.

Good idea...but I don't believe the deer are using it. There would be trails and rubs coming into the marsh from the timber. Honestly, just no reason for them to use it. (that I can see). They have thick bedding in timber and feed.

These marshes are also fresh and salt water mix called tidal marshes. So tide rises and drops, reason for the ice in certain places.

[Singing Bridge]

If I recall correctly we had a Beast member that hunted tidal marshes and successfully. I cannot recall his username but perhaps a search with the right wording would produce results. As I recall he had taken some very nice bucks in tidal marshes. I believe he was in a State to the south of you though.

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[Florida]

I believe he was in a State to the south of you though.

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Well that should narrow it down.

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[mainebowhunter]

That would be UPman hunting in South Jersey...I think this is what you were referring to.
http://www.thehuntingbeast.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=27686&hilit=tidal+marshes

[headgear]

After reading all about marsh beds and seeing all of the big rubs and big beds here...I had visions of grandeur.

Focus on swamps with a marsh bedding theme and you might have more luck. From what I understand Northern MN, the UP and Maine are very similar terrain. Not much for cattails up here but plenty of different kinds of swamps to work with.

[mainebowhunter]

After reading all about marsh beds and seeing all of the big rubs and big beds here...I had visions of grandeur.

Focus on swamps with a marsh bedding theme and you might have more luck. From what I understand Northern MN, the UP and Maine are very similar terrain. Not much for cattails up here but plenty of different kinds of swamps to work with.

Lot of swamp hunting here. I don't do much of it myself unless I have need to. Some of the spots I hunt are on the edges of swamps. Nasty. Shot a doe near one in 2014...she ran full bore 125yds right into it. Tracked here through knee deep much at 10:30 at night.

We have a lot of swamps, bogs here. One of my favorite areas I hunt is pretty flat...so pretty boggy and wet. Deer tend to bed on the dry hummocks in the wet areas. Found some beds I believe a big buck is using couple weeks ago in this swale / wet spot in the alders.

[Singing Bridge]

That would be UPman hunting in South Jersey...I think this is what you were referring to.
http://www.thehuntingbeast.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=27686&hilit=tidal+marshes

I think that's it... Any relevance?

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