Northern Minnesota Swamps
- Wolfie417
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Northern Minnesota Swamps
Helli there! I'm a new beast member from central Minnesota. I hunt a lot of public land around home. And some good patches in the north woods of crow wing county. I've noticed some large differences between the swamps up north and the swamps around home. Most of the swamps around home are as Dan and other beast members typically describe swamps. Full of good bedding cover like head high cattails, dogwood, cedar.... I find these areas extremely promising.... HOWEVER! I have noticed the opposite with a lot of my northwoods swamps. It's pretty much just ugly brown grass that grows maybe 2 ft high. It's like a wet field. I'm assuming that bucks are not bedding in that kind of a swamp, and instead they will probably bed in the thick cover like old clear cuts... can anyone on here tell me how right or wrong I am? I've seen some nice bucks crossing the low cover swamps but never found any good beds in there. Also do cattails just not grow after a certain point up north? Thanks guys!
- bowhunter15
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Re: Northern Minnesota Swamps
From the scouting and hunting I've done in northern MN in the past, which is only a handful of trips, the deer still seem to relate to edge habitat. I've also seen deer bed down in dry rolling aspen/maple hardwoods where they can have a wind and sight advantage. I always thought it was much harder to figure out than the stuff in the central part of the state. Usually we would just head up there for the rut and hunt funnels along swamps.
- headgear
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Re: Northern Minnesota Swamps
There are absolutely buck bedding tendencies that apply to northern swamps, its like universal thing with mature deer. What you might find is those golden little honey holes are more spread out and there are less deer around so it makes it a little harder to find them but they are out there. Not all bedding areas are created equally so you have to find the best of the best, they will be a little harder to hunt because the bucks will use the most secure areas.
Cattails don't grow as much up here but you can find pockets of them here and there, I put most of my focus on other swamps like cedar, bog, alder, tamarac, anything along a lake or river, black spruce & in and around beaver dams. The grass you mentioned can work but it can't be any grass, there has to be a good reason to bed there. Look for places with cover or places where they can see a long way like a beaver dam but you also have to mix in places that might have a thermal or swirling wind advantage for the deer, there is usually a combo of ways they are protecting themselves. Clearcuts can work but it will be the does that use them more often, the bucks will bed there if there is a good hill country bed in the area or a point, they also might use it during the rut if they can monitor doe bedding area or two.
You have to be scouting at least as much as you are hunting, hopefully a lot more and you will eventually find these spots. Once you get the hang of things it gets easier to pick them off on a map and focus on those areas to up your odds of finding a good to great bedding area.
Cattails don't grow as much up here but you can find pockets of them here and there, I put most of my focus on other swamps like cedar, bog, alder, tamarac, anything along a lake or river, black spruce & in and around beaver dams. The grass you mentioned can work but it can't be any grass, there has to be a good reason to bed there. Look for places with cover or places where they can see a long way like a beaver dam but you also have to mix in places that might have a thermal or swirling wind advantage for the deer, there is usually a combo of ways they are protecting themselves. Clearcuts can work but it will be the does that use them more often, the bucks will bed there if there is a good hill country bed in the area or a point, they also might use it during the rut if they can monitor doe bedding area or two.
You have to be scouting at least as much as you are hunting, hopefully a lot more and you will eventually find these spots. Once you get the hang of things it gets easier to pick them off on a map and focus on those areas to up your odds of finding a good to great bedding area.
- headgear
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Re: Northern Minnesota Swamps
One thing for us northern swamp guys to remember is the extra wolf pressure, these bucks bed with the wolves in mind probably more so than hunting pressure. The wolves are on the hunt every day of the year, the deer and bucks seek out very secure bedding and more important they need some solid escape routes. There is always a method to their madness, they bed with a purpose, its never random, there is an intelligence to it.
When I hunt deer in places closer to houses or town that don't see nearly as much wolf pressure you can sometimes see a night and day difference in how jumpy the deer are. Even fawns will lock up and stare you down for a while in wolf country, it's kind of impressive for such young deer. They are still young and dumb but there are some extra levels of caution there.
When I hunt deer in places closer to houses or town that don't see nearly as much wolf pressure you can sometimes see a night and day difference in how jumpy the deer are. Even fawns will lock up and stare you down for a while in wolf country, it's kind of impressive for such young deer. They are still young and dumb but there are some extra levels of caution there.
- Wolfie417
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Re: Northern Minnesota Swamps
Thanks guys!! Super helpful information, and I appreciate it.
- magicman54494
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Re: Northern Minnesota Swamps
they like to bed on the high edges overlooking the swamps. swamp downwind from prevailing wind.
They will bed on raised humps in the swamps as well especially when pressure is applied. you may find them bedded near beaver ponds or ox bows. older clearcuts along swamps are another place they bed.
They will bed on raised humps in the swamps as well especially when pressure is applied. you may find them bedded near beaver ponds or ox bows. older clearcuts along swamps are another place they bed.
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