Yesterday evening I had some great action with seeing 3 mature bucks (two 3.5's and a 5.5). To the south, south west, south east of this stand (the white dot) Is a huge marsh/swamp. Mostly I believe It's a doe bedding area but I believe bucks bed In here too from time to time. My question Is would bucks cruse the outer edge of this swamp on the lake side looking or winding for doe's? I'm thinking they'd prefer a N to NW wind to do this? On the red line that has the white circle there's some trees that could possibly be big enough for a stand. What ya think?
Red Is the boundary's of the land. The yellow Is the swamp/marsh. The white dot Is where my stand Is and where I hunted when I saw these 3 bucks yesterday. The blue dot to the NE of the stand Is where I believe the 5.5 year old was bedded or close to It anyway. The 2 blue dots WSW of my stand are where I saw the two 3.5's come from and that's also where the 5.5 year old went to.
Thanks!
Hunting this swamp
- Schultzy
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Re: Hunting this swamp
I see most of the cruising buck action adjacent to doe bedding areas on the side where the does normally enter the bedding areas, not necessarily the downwind side. It appears to me that the bucks have a lightly used trail that crosses the doe trails somewhere from 50 to 100 yards give or take a little from the doe bedding area. If you look at the doe trails going into the doe bedding area you will usually notice a buck rub along the trail. Most people mistake this rub as being made by a buck traveling into the doe bedding area, but really he is crossing and if you look at the next trail over, there is probably a marker rub there too. Even if the rubs are old ( last years ) this is the place to hunt for bucks cruising to see if the does are in heat.
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Re: Hunting this swamp
dan wrote:I see most of the cruising buck action adjacent to doe bedding areas on the side where the does normally enter the bedding areas, not necessarily the downwind side. It appears to me that the bucks have a lightly used trail that crosses the doe trails somewhere from 50 to 100 yards give or take a little from the doe bedding area. If you look at the doe trails going into the doe bedding area you will usually notice a buck rub along the trail. Most people mistake this rub as being made by a buck traveling into the doe bedding area, but really he is crossing and if you look at the next trail over, there is probably a marker rub there too. Even if the rubs are old ( last years ) this is the place to hunt for bucks cruising to see if the does are in heat.
Does this thoery apply no matter the wind direction as long as a person would setup down wind of the trail the bucks would tend to be using(the faint trail that runs across doe entrance trails) Thus I mean you wouldn't nessesarally be on the leward side of hill in hill country or does this only apply in the marsh?
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Re: Hunting this swamp
The swamps I hunt will often have deer in general entering the swamp area on the upwind side so they can smell their backtrail as well as hunters and other predators in the woods upwind. In heavy pressure areas this works two fold for cruising bucks, as they refuse to give up the wind for protection while moving along the transition line- they want to be able to smell hunters/predators upwind in the woods/mainland while checking the doe runs. Heavy pressure bucks will often use the upwind swamp/mainland transition line when no does are bedded in the swamp- the swamp protects them downwind while their nose protects the upwind side. I find the same thing with wooded points jutting out into the swamp, the prevailing downwind side gets more use and has more rubs/scrapes.
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Re: Hunting this swamp
Does this thoery apply no matter the wind direction as long as a person would setup down wind of the trail the bucks would tend to be using(the faint trail that runs across doe entrance trails) Thus I mean you wouldn't nessesarally be on the leward side of hill in hill country or does this only apply in the marsh?
Correct... In hill country they use the leeward side of a hill to travel between bedding areas. But at the bedding areas they might not stay up on the leeward side depending on how the does are bedded.If the does are bedded on the typical bedding points and the Leeward side does sometimes fall into place with that though.. There have been plenty of doe bedding areas that I have observed several bucks cruise past at the bottom of the hill though checking the trails... The biggest point is that you should try and find that sometimes faint trail with the crossing rubs and set up there.
Hill country will generally have the does bedding high on a leeward side and entering there beds from below, so most of the time it is the leeward side, but I just want to keep your mind open because its not as predictable as the way they travel the leeward hills inbetween the bedding areas..
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Re: Hunting this swamp
What you said here Dan Is exactly what their doing. Amazing!! Thank you sir!! East and a tad North 50 yards of where the 2 blue dots are there's a nice rub where 2 trails crisscross. The one trail leads to the point (peninsula) that goes Into this bedding area. I've saw 6 bucks the last 2 hunts here, 4 of them bucks were with In 20 yards of that rub running the outskirts of this bedding area on the transition line. While In stand today I made my mind up I'm moving my stand (the white dot) west another 50 yards. A NW wind should be fine yet for the cruising bucks but not so good for the doe's In the bedding area. Think I'm alright doing that with my scent going Into this doe bedding area some? It's not catching all of It, half I'd say.If you look at the doe trails going into the doe bedding area you will usually notice a buck rub along the trail. Most people mistake this rub as being made by a buck traveling into the doe bedding area, but really he is crossing and if you look at the next trail over, there is probably a marker rub there too. Even if the rubs are old ( last years ) this is the place to hunt for bucks cruising to see if the does are in heat.
The area I'm hunting Isn't hunted to hard right now. It's private land but come next weekend the neighboring land owners will be pounding the outskirts of It. I'm nervous about It as this Is the best year I've saw for mature buck numbers In 15 years. Thanks a bunch SB!!The swamps I hunt will often have deer in general entering the swamp area on the upwind side so they can smell their backtrail as well as hunters and other predators in the woods upwind. In heavy pressure areas this works two fold for cruising bucks, as they refuse to give up the wind for protection while moving along the transition line- they want to be able to smell hunters/predators upwind in the woods/mainland while checking the doe runs. Heavy pressure bucks will often use the upwind swamp/mainland transition line when no does are bedded in the swamp- the swamp protects them downwind while their nose protects the upwind side. I find the same thing with wooded points jutting out into the swamp, the prevailing downwind side gets more use and has more rubs/scrapes.
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