I didn't get to go into that island because surrounding the island is a stream that is about waist high and my boots are just below knee high. I think i know how to access it now, but it's obviously too late. Lol
While walking I scared 1 buck. I didn't see his size, but I could see a rack and a rather large body. His body may have been smaller than I'm thinking because I didn't get a good look at his leg to body ratio, but from what I saw he looked pretty thick. He has a dark colored rack, so I couldn't tell how big it was. I scared him less than 30 minutes before sunset, so I'm guessing he was coming from the island, going into the field, or looking for does. I looked for a bed and couldn't find one.
Seeing the deer helped me to realize the southern tip of the swamp was more shallow, there were 5'x5' dry spots all over, but none of them had a bed (maybe they will in the late season). I followed the swamp edge all of the way up to the steam, but couldn't find an easy way to cross, so i turned around. Oddly enough, i didn't see any fresh buck sign, just like on the other side, just last years sign. Well, I did find one rub in a weird spot. In the middle of the swamp, on the northern side, right next to that stream that separates the island from the rest of the swamp. I didn't see any sort of trail leading to it or from it.
BUT the biggest thing I discovered is the wind direction when in the swamp comes from the south, even though the weather channel states it'll come from the west and it's coming from the west by that soy bean field, and where im walking in from. That was the biggest but if information I could obtain. And i was there a little after dark and never felt thermals change direction, and start heading south (which has worried me).
What I'm thinking of doing is sitting in the evening on the western side of the swamp, as far south as I can find oak trees and see what comes out of that swamp, even an hour after dark. What do you guys think?
Here's a photo of my travels:
Green arrows are the wind direction in the different areas i tested.
Red line is where I scared a buck and the direction he ran.
Blue lines were two beds that had absolutely no use recently. There were no fresh tracks or hairs. Both beds have trails leading to each other, 1 trail to the western side of the swamp, one to the eastern, and one straight towards the island.
Orange dot is where I was sitting.
Purple is the main trail to the island.
Here's a photo of the buck rub:
Here's a photo of 2 of the trails coming from the marsh like area (the blue lines):
Finally, one of the southern part of the swamp, where you can see it dries up a little, this spot is where i scared the buck, but i couldn't find a bed: