Bogs in the big woods

[Mckayam1]

Anyone have luck finding good sign in big bogs in the big woods? (north western Maine mountains here) mid to late November. Some small average, larger tree, islands.

[Singing Bridge]

The Beast should have some great bog footage in the near future.

Bogs hold some me of the most overlooked big buck bedding potential out there. More to come.

[headgear]

I hunt a ton of them, you won't find much sign in the bogs themselves but on the transitions or islands around bogs is where the good stuff is. I often setup in bogs just a few feet off the ground near these tiny little islands. If you hunt wolf country the deer will use them even more as they slow down wolves and people while the deer can just fly through them like they aren't even there. When I first started on the beast I just took the marsh dvd and applied it to bogs and other swamps, worked like a charm.

[Cchez]

I hunt a ton of them, you won't find much sign in the bogs themselves but on the transitions or islands around bogs is where the good stuff is. I often setup in bogs just a few feet off the ground near these tiny little islands. If you hunt wolf country the deer will use them even more as they slow down wolves and people while the deer can just fly through them like they aren't even there. When I first started on the beast I just took the marsh dvd and applied it to bogs and other swamps, worked like a charm.

Headgear, I know we both hunt similar terrain in different parts of the state. I was curious if you'd be willing to throw up and example visual of one of your setups for reference? i promise i wont go looking on Google earth for your spot, haha. I've got more than my own share of areas to hunt locally, just would be cool to see how a seasoned big woods guy does it.

[Mckayam1]

Thanks guys. I know it works where there's a lot of hunting pressure and not enough areas to bed in Southern Maine, but I didn't know about in the Big Woods of Northern maine. They obviously have a lot more area to roam and didn't know if they would prefer the bog still with little hunting pressure and low deer numbers. I am also thinking because there's not a lot of mast crops or AGG Fields, they probably would like the browse in there.

[Cchez]

Thanks guys. I know it works where there's a lot of hunting pressure and not enough areas to bed in Southern Maine, but I didn't know about in the Big Woods of Northern maine. They obviously have a lot more area to roam and didn't know if they would prefer the bog still with little hunting pressure and low deer numbers. I am also thinking because there's not a lot of mast crops or AGG Fields, they probably would like the browse in there.

Listen to this podcast with Hal Blood. He hunts northern Maine. He talks about how he goes about looking for sign both with and without snow. Hopefully there's some takeaways for you in there.


https://wiredtohunt.com/2018/03/02/wire ... ods-bucks/

[ThePreBanMan]

Lots and lots of cranberry bogs here in MA. It's our #1 crop. I've always kind of dismissed them because there seems to always be a lot of human activity in them. They also change alot. They get regularly flooded, etc. But I've had people tell me they have cut open the belly of deer they have harvested and found them full of cranberries... I should pay them more attention.

[greenhorndave]

I hunt a ton of them, you won't find much sign in the bogs themselves but on the transitions or islands around bogs is where the good stuff is. I often setup in bogs just a few feet off the ground near these tiny little islands. If you hunt wolf country the deer will use them even more as they slow down wolves and people while the deer can just fly through them like they aren't even there. When I first started on the beast I just took the marsh dvd and applied it to bogs and other swamps, worked like a charm.

At least in one area I've visited around here, there are a boatload of treestands on the transitions and small islands. They must produce, but, right or wrong, I have no interest in them because of that. The challenge is then unlocking overlooked areas. I haven't gone back to dig in since uncovering all those stands.

[headgear]

At least in one area I've visited around here, there are a boatload of treestands on the transitions and small islands. They must produce, but, right or wrong, I have no interest in them because of that. The challenge is then unlocking overlooked areas. I haven't gone back to dig in since uncovering all those stands.

Ya if there is pressure then I would avoid it too, just have to find those harder to access places. I am pretty far up north so the pressure isn't an issue as much as having not many deer around. I have pulled bucks out of bog areas that were surrounded by rifle stands but you need to have the right area. Bucks aren't going to hang around in a wide open bog, they like the thicker areas of the swamp and there can be every level of thickness from wide open for miles to you can't see ten feet in front of you.

[headgear]

Headgear, I know we both hunt similar terrain in different parts of the state. I was curious if you'd be willing to throw up and example visual of one of your setups for reference? i promise i wont go looking on Google earth for your spot, haha. I've got more than my own share of areas to hunt locally, just would be cool to see how a seasoned big woods guy does it.

Sure here is a swamp I scouted this spring but haven't hunted yet, there was some decent buck sign on all 3 of the little islands I circled. Some beds and old and new rubs but not a ton of them, I suspect maybe these heat up more when rifle season is rocking but I will hunt them bow season as well if the sign is there. They are too small to setup on the islands so I have to hang back a bit. You can also see the big area between the islands is pretty wide open, not much for trails out there, the bucks seem to stick to the thicker cover.

[headgear]

Here is a short but good read from a couple weeks back.
http://thehuntingbeast.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=50951

[Dewey]

One of my favorite big woods spots is a large bog surrounding a small remote lake. I have consistently had my best mature buck encounters in that area. So many it was really eye opening compared to anything else around. It's also where I saw my largest bodied mature buck by far. Killed a few in the 220's dressed and he made them look small. I'm guessing all of 300 lbs dressed easy. An absolute monarch of which I was in total awe of. Still easily one of my best hunting memories.

The biggest problem I have had is trying to find consistent bedding. Bucks up there are nomads and hunting particular bedding is extremely hard. They may be there one day and 5 miles away the next. The great part is the bog has a slight ridge running across one part of it. It's only 1-2 feet higher than the actual bog but it creates hard ground for deer travel. It's a great ambush spot for rut cruisers when the time is right. The bog itself is full of deer trails and they create quite a maze but seem to mainly connect feeding areas on the edges of the bog. I haven't found too many beds right in the bog itself. Another issue is there are very few trees large enough to hold a stand but using a saddle now opens up a few more options. Hunting on the ground has been my best option previously but have killed a few deer there on the fringes with a rifle from larger trees. Getting close enough with the bow has been very difficult. I haven’t hunted there much recently so many of those smaller trees have likely grown a bit since I started hunting there 20 years ago.

I'm watching this thread closely. This spot has been a tough nut to crack. I know the bucks are there but killing them has been a huge challenge.

[Cchez]

Headgear, I know we both hunt similar terrain in different parts of the state. I was curious if you'd be willing to throw up and example visual of one of your setups for reference? i promise i wont go looking on Google earth for your spot, haha. I've got more than my own share of areas to hunt locally, just would be cool to see how a seasoned big woods guy does it.

Sure here is a swamp I scouted this spring but haven't hunted yet, there was some decent buck sign on all 3 of the little islands I circled. Some beds and old and new rubs but not a ton of them, I suspect maybe these heat up more when rifle season is rocking but I will hunt them bow season as well if the sign is there. They are too small to setup on the islands so I have to hang back a bit. You can also see the big area between the islands is pretty wide open, not much for trails out there, the bucks seem to stick to the thicker cover.

Looks like a lot of the stuff i have around me. Were the red dots where you anticipate your stands?

[greenhorndave]

I highly recommend this thread and particularly the podcast within it.

Unfortunately, it's not going to be a silver bullet, but Magic's description of how patternable big bucks are in the big woods was a major revelation to me. Not easy, but sounds like it's been possible for him. (he ain't your average big woods guy, however)

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=50767&hilit=Magic

[Grasshopper]

What's the difference between a marsh, bog, and swamp?