Flooded Marsh scout 03/17/2013
- Jackson Marsh
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Flooded Marsh scout 03/17/2013
Went for a walk today in the marsh, the rain over the past couple of weeks as well as the snow has really flooded everything. Made for tough walking, some areas I broke through with every step, other areas I didn't.
It would be great to tell you that I found great sign and setups but ..............apparently the deer hate walking on shifty, untrustworthy ice as much as I do. No fresh tracks in over a three mile loop I walked. Much of the usual bedding was under quite a bit of water. Seems the deer have temporarily vacated the area. I have been finding the deer have stayed in the marsh all winter, but the high water level has booted them out of this area for now.
This half picture shows a flooded transition line. A lot of the timber which always has bedding on it was flooded as well.
As I was making my way back to the truck I finally found a deer track that was somewhat fresh................it looked lonely
The geese are back.
I'm glad I covered a lot of ground this winter.............as Dan said, the spring scouting window may be [glow=red]small.[/glow]
It would be great to tell you that I found great sign and setups but ..............apparently the deer hate walking on shifty, untrustworthy ice as much as I do. No fresh tracks in over a three mile loop I walked. Much of the usual bedding was under quite a bit of water. Seems the deer have temporarily vacated the area. I have been finding the deer have stayed in the marsh all winter, but the high water level has booted them out of this area for now.
This half picture shows a flooded transition line. A lot of the timber which always has bedding on it was flooded as well.
As I was making my way back to the truck I finally found a deer track that was somewhat fresh................it looked lonely
The geese are back.
I'm glad I covered a lot of ground this winter.............as Dan said, the spring scouting window may be [glow=red]small.[/glow]
- PLB
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Re: Flooded Marsh scout 03/17/2013
Good job!! Still fun to just be out there!!
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Re: Flooded Marsh scout 03/17/2013
I have been seeing the same, I am not really finding the beds but plenty of fresh tracks from big bucks. I have not really found any buck beds yet but at least I know they are still in the area, and they are spots I have not hunted for awhile, so the confidence is back. Out my way a lot of the public is river bottoms and it looks very similar to what you have over there.
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Re: Flooded Marsh scout 03/17/2013
Brad,
I would get on a fresh set of tracks heading for likely looking bedding areas and just follow them all day if necessary.
I would get on a fresh set of tracks heading for likely looking bedding areas and just follow them all day if necessary.
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- xpauliber
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Re: Flooded Marsh scout 03/17/2013
DEERSLAYER wrote:Brad,
I would get on a fresh set of tracks heading for likely looking bedding areas and just follow them all day if necessary.
That's essentially what I did today. The hardest part is cutting a track worthy of following!
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Re: Flooded Marsh scout 03/17/2013
Jackson Marsh wrote:Went for a walk today in the marsh, the rain over the past couple of weeks as well as the snow has really flooded everything. Made for tough walking, some areas I broke through with every step, other areas I didn't.
Man, that would be tough to have known bedding areas under water because the ones that you haven't found yet are likely submerged too. Hopefully you got enough info from winter scouting to work with since we won't have the usual amount of spring time.
- Dewey
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Re: Flooded Marsh scout 03/17/2013
I didn't bother going out this weekend since I noticed everything was under water and froze earlier in the week. It will be nice if the water levels this year will be a little more near normal levels since bedding will be much more predictable. This past season was really a challenge since the bucks were bedding pretty much anywhere with the severe drought conditions.
Time to finally get the hip boots out when the ice melts and do some good old fashioned spring scouting again. My hip boots never left my garage last season!
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Time to finally get the hip boots out when the ice melts and do some good old fashioned spring scouting again. My hip boots never left my garage last season!
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Re: Flooded Marsh scout 03/17/2013
Marsh is froze over and abandoned here in MI too! I think they abandon it because the ice effects their escape, and because dogs/people can walk freely in the marsh without having to slosh through the water! Still been finding the beds though, the well used ones are in such strategic spots it would be stupid to bed anywhere else.
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Re: Flooded Marsh scout 03/17/2013
I think the deer in the marsh by me, completely abandon the areas they frequent in Summer and Fall. The primary food source in most of my spots are acorns and other green plants, which are gone now. Without the food to hold them, they are forced to move near the private land that borders the marsh. Most of the properties are cornfields and smaller tracts of woods, with houses mixed in. I am sure they are eating the shrubbery and other plants in the subdivisions, as I see the most tracks in that area. There are still tracks and sign way back along the river in the thick willows and dogwoods as they provide cover and food as well. The past few years I have noticed an increase in hikers and dog walkers on the main trails throughout the marsh, and I am sure that has something to do with the deer going further back in there also.
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Re: Flooded Marsh scout 03/17/2013
The marshes by me are still void of deer and you can't see the beds... We need a little more sun, and a little less snow.
- Hodag Hunter
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Re: Flooded Marsh scout 03/17/2013
Looks to me you have a whole lot of dedication going in with all that water.
Be carefull out there.
Be carefull out there.
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- Jackson Marsh
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Re: Flooded Marsh scout 03/17/2013
Hodag Hunter wrote:Looks to me you have a whole lot of dedication going in with all that water.
Be carefull out there.
There is a fine line between dedication and crazy..............I like to straddle the line
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Re: Flooded Marsh scout 03/17/2013
You did cover a lot of ground this winter. It sounds like you have a lot a good set ups for this fall. Be careful are there on the ice, a little too cold yet for a swim.
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