How cold will they still Bed in swamps?

[Blakebry123]

Hey guys, just curious how cold it can be that you’ve noticed he big boys still bed in swamps? We’re gettinf a really cold snap of about 38 he end of this week and half way through next week. No snow though. Just curious what the more senior guys have noticed about their patterns.

[Jonny]

It all depends on food and security. If it’s secure, they might never leave. A swamp would also be warmer since there is less wind due to the cover.

As long as their are dry spots in a swamp. There will be deer bedded there, unless there is zero food or no pressure to put them there.

[magicman54494]

the only thing i have noticed is they dont like crossing thin ice. there is always a time where the ice is there but not strong enough. they might change their pattern until the ice gets firm enough. other then that if there is good bedding they will keep using the area.

[TNstalker]

Let’s review this. Now my partner Bill Vale sent me a pic of his buddies buck he killed Christmas Eve. Buck was bedded in a swamp on a dry knob hump whatever you call it. The high was 24 and sunny as the day went on over cast plus 20 plus mph wind hit. With snow. So if u add in water no sun moist air and a stiff wind is it really warmer in a swamp on those conditions??? He left 50 mins early than what Bills calenadar said he would. This was private land in Michigan so no he wasn’t pressured in the bedding but I bet he was when he left that 17 ac. So why did he leave? Cloud cover,stiff moist wind,with a cold temp, water all around him and snow. Could there be some swamps that will hold them in this weather I’m sure there is. But this swamp didn’t. I agree with bucks bedding where Pressure dictates but there is more to it than that.

[dan]

They tend to move when 1st ice comes. They don't like walking on ice. As Magic said, especially thin ice. Snow that pushes down the cover can kill bedding spots too... They also like to migrate to food sources. In some cases the food they migrate to is in the swamp, like red rosier dogwood. But in areas with more agriculture its usually out in thick near the fields... Big woods it can be near thick cutovers with lots of browse.

I don't think cold has has a whole lot to do with it. Sometimes pines are a better area in cold cause of thermal reasons, but it might also have more to do with getting out of the sun and having good cover. Snow and ice seem to be the biggest migrating factors based on my observations. They don't like bedding all day in direct sunlight and there are a lot less spots like that in the swamps up north when winter sets in...

[Blakebry123]

Gotcha. I sat the edge of that swamp one day and heard him sloshing around in there. Next day I pushed in and he wasn’t Bedding in there. Guess all I can do is go back on the same wind I heard him in there and if he’s not there find his food source. Also Dan, when it comes to hunting non-wind specific beds, how do you decide when to hunt that spot? Just a pre, rut, and post rut sit per spot?

[Hatchetman]

They tend to move when 1st ice comes. They don't like walking on ice. As Magic said, especially thin ice. Snow that pushes down the cover can kill bedding spots too... They also like to migrate to food sources. In some cases the food they migrate to is in the swamp, like red rosier dogwood. But in areas with more agriculture its usually out in thick near the fields... Big woods it can be near thick cutovers with lots of browse.

I don't think cold has has a whole lot to do with it. Sometimes pines are a better area in cold cause of thermal reasons, but it might also have more to do with getting out of the sun and having good cover. Snow and ice seem to be the biggest migrating factors based on my observations. They don't like bedding all day in direct sunlight and there are a lot less spots like that in the swamps up north when winter sets in...

Very true.
Something else to consider, if you happen to have expanses of Red osier dogwood ( red willow) that grow on humps in deep water marshes, these areas can be real deer magnets once the ice firms up. All this great browse has been untouched due to the deep water since the previous winter so all that new regrowth from the summer is there for easy pick'ns .

[dan]

Gotcha. I sat the edge of that swamp one day and heard him sloshing around in there. Next day I pushed in and he wasn’t Bedding in there. Guess all I can do is go back on the same wind I heard him in there and if he’s not there find his food source. Also Dan, when it comes to hunting non-wind specific beds, how do you decide when to hunt that spot? Just a pre, rut, and post rut sit per spot?

Sign, predictable nearby food sources, doe bedding proximity, pressure, it is all a factor... And if you add all that up and still don't have a clue... Then I just plain old throw 3 sits at it ( early season, late season, rut ) and see what produces.

[Sam Ubl]

Circumstantial, but in most cases I’ve found that once the water freezes in wetland areas, the deer will move out, or move to the edges. A combination of things could be why, but between slippery hooves on ice, thin ice breaking and making travel hard, and coyotes now able to access the spots that were at one time potentially safe by way of a natural moat around it, the deer tend to shift into higher ground. That’s what I’ve observed, anyway. I’ve been hunting wetlands for 20+ years in southern Wisconsin, so again, circumstantial and very much dependent on the size of the wetland and even depending on geography.

[JoeRE]

I don't know swamps very well. But I do know weather and extreme temperature (both hot and cold) have major effects on where deer bed down in the hills and farm country. Instance right now its around zero, damp wind - most of the deer will be a little lower down on leeward slopes seeking shelter from that wind chill. They also will be tight in the thickest cover. If it was cold but calm and sunny, they will be up higher on or right above the military crest seeking to bed in the sun. They won't be in as dense of cover, or at least to the edge of dense cover, because it blocks the sun. Even big bucks - they will still bed in "safe" areas but I still see them adjusting actual beds like this.

I suspect swamps would be similar, no idea if they end up clearing out in extreme cold but I bet they do use specific beds for specific conditions. Some beds would be more protected from the elements than others.