Night hunting is prohibited. I like to take an aerial and topo and eliminate areas I think people will be hunting. Some of the biggest whitetails in the country are taken from cattail marshes, bogs, and unforgiving tamarack swamps, Wisconsin bowhunter Curtis Zabel said. US $16.06Economy Shipping from outside US. If you want to provide winter cover, a good option is to plant salmohum; otherwise, corn is the better option for food plots. If you cant access on food with rubber boots or waders, its time to deploy a canoe or kayak. The slaughter caused such indignation that an . These areas are difficult to hunt for several reasons. Oxbows in rivers have been really good to me. Deer oftentimes bed and feed in these areas, never really needing to come out, especially if water borders or cuts through fields. Places like Colorado, Idaho, and Montana reign supreme. I hadn't even considered that one-acre island as a place where a buck might be found. It has been extirpated in Pakistan and Bangladesh, and its presence is uncertain in Bhutan. I know I will. Creek crossings are more great places to arrow local bucks. A typical swamp has little to no mature timber, leaving much of the terrain comprised of grasses, cattails, open water, or shrubs. The challenge of the hunt, their uniqueness as a trophy, and the excellent flavored venison they provide, has resulted in a steadily increasing harvest. Stan Potts discusses which archery releases may be best for you. This took place 20 years ago, and I now live a couple hundred miles from that slough, but I looked at it on Google Earth as I was writing this piece and I can see a trail leading from the land to the island through the cattails. Make no mistake, there are a lot more deer on waterfowl production areas than you might think. Growing Files My first encounter with a swamp buck was a real fiasco. There is no definitive answer to this question as it depends on a variety of factors such as the specific location of the swamp, the time of year, and the deer population in the area. Some head to the middle of the property, some to the edge of private on the far side, and some hunt closer to the parking lot, but very seldom do I see anyone deer hunt along the road between parking areas. Bucks will work towards creek crossings and pause for a long drink when they arrive. Bucks are not going to be where people think they are going to be. Lake Panasoffkee WMA: Eight archery deer/hog hunts. These areas are also difficult to hunt because getting into position without spooking deer is extremely difficult. Consider the Southwest for Coues deer hunts. If deer cant get that far away from access roads, theyll likely vacate onto neighboring private lands (if less pressured), find the thickest cover around, or get especially crafty in their bedding area selections. When aiming for the opposite shoulder, the deer may be less likely to notice you drawing your bow. You can also bring silenced and melee weapons with you to help you explore the map without drawing too much attention to yourself. Want to be the first to get our premium content? I was thinking it would take a really big buck for me to let an arrow fly way back in there, because of the nightmare it would be to get a buck out. It is impossible for deer to pass through anything that is difficult to pass through. Gordon Whittington offers tips on ensuring your weapon is accurate while traveling. The best islands for me have been ones that taper to a point on the dominant downwind side and have thick cover and good bedding there. Generally, deer (and hunters) must wade through water to get to such places. For years, it is critical to develop an extraordinary game plan in order to consistently take older-age-class bucks on public lands in a number of states. Neither public nor private land hunting is easy. Determining what elevation deer are spending the most time at begins with an educated guess, but it takes effort to confirm what you believe. When the deer senses that it is time to flee, they instinctively drop their bodies into their legs to spring-load. Including General and . One of the most important things to do when hunting deer in a swamp is to wear the right clothing. Glassing the edges and looking for low areas, swamps and ponds can lead you to bucks that other hunters overlook. That way I can walk right to them and determine a way to set up an ambush point. Hunting with a bow requires a great deal of preparation as well as a great deal of skill. 2021 TerraStride Inc. All Rights Reserved. Last fall while hunting with a friend in Kansas, I witnessed creativity in the extreme. These are very useful for finding bedding areas, food sources, water sources, travel routes, pinch points, etc. Each four-day hunt - $100; 20 hunters on 8,676 acres. You might need to get pretty creative on some stand placements and even altering the area to make it work. News, promotions, and latest products, delivered to you in your inbox. PRAIRIE & CRP: TIME TO HUNT BUCKS LIKE UPLAND BIRDS They will even lie down in the water to keep cool. Fortunately, apps such as HuntStand, make it simpler to get back to the truck after the hunt. If deer see, hear, or smell you coming, its over before it starts. September 2019 Distinct trails develop in these cattails, and tracks are easy to read in the soft muck. But larger islands are more easily accessed and will hold more deer. Several grains are recommended for planting, including corn, sorghums, oats, wheat, buckwheat, and millets. This was the first time I had truly understood the concept of a water barrier between landlocked deer bedding and dry ground. When there are, these become peninsulas rather than islands, which deer still use, but not as much. Home. I was scouting on the first day of a western Iowa hunt a few years ago, more than a mile back into a good-looking public hunting area. It was oftentimes regarded as a second-rate option for hunters who couldnt afford to own or lease land. I know one hunter who used a 4-wheeler to drag a dead tree to the water's edge to guide the deer into his shooting range. They might be the location you shoot your next buck. Tips to Achieve Success: Spend several months getting in shape prior to the hunt. An arrows broadhead kills by causing a massive blood loss, and a passing arrow allows blood to escape from the chest cavity. "The advantage [of swamps] is that it's one of the easiest habitat types to identify transition lines, bedding areas, and isolated food sources without ever touching foot on the property," experienced swamp hunter Garrett Prahl of DIY Sportsman said. Don't believe that? So, if cattails start shaking and water sludging, theyll know something is amiss. When you make a mistake or make a noise, a deer will snap its head and you will be the one who is hurt. I have found that bucks will often choose wet areas to bed in during the summer and early fall. August 2019 The point is, there are a lot of diehard hunters on public land who are willing to do whatever it takes to find and shoot a deer. Wearing camouflage is a good way to blend in with your surroundings and make it more difficult for deer to spot you. Whitetail Deer Hunting Inside the Mind of the Big Buck Serial Killer Dan Infalt of The Hunting Beast consistently tags mature whitetails on public lands by getting ultra-close to their beds. Deer Property Design, Food Plots, Hunting Strategies and Nursery Stock, This is a multi-part series on finding and hunting swamp bucks. The buck was shot by a bowhunter the following year on opening day of the bowhunting season. If you carefully scout around the island, you can find a bucks preferred exit and entry routesthey may or may not be one and the same. If you watch the HuntStand weather forecast carefully, and move when the conditions are right, your chances of ambushing similar island-bedding bucks are pretty good. Paydirt! Please note the delivery estimate is greater than 7 business days. You can unsubscribe at any time. This is also the best place in hilly terrain to catch a buck cruising for does. This usually makes it necessary to use a trolling motor, canoe, or kayak, to reach smaller islands. Heres the island with bedding, here are the transition lines where theyll travel and feed, and here are trails crisscrossing throughout showing exactly how they travel between it all. Whitetail hunting strategies for the next generation. Arizonas Units 36A, 36B and 36C are great. Become a D+DH Insider for FREE! Tripp yelled out to Captain. The biggest advantage of knowing this is that you can eliminate a lot of ground and concentrate on the leeward ridges. Refuge main gate opens at 5:00 am.Legal hunting hours are in accordance with state law. As always, use your HuntStand app to watch the weather and wind direction. Sticking with the water theme, marshes and swamps offer security to deer, too. One of the best examples comes from a study conducted by the University of Delaware and the Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife. Three miles north of my home acreage was a 600-acre State Waterfowl Production area with 400 acres of slough where duck hunters congregated. I have seen these potholes literally laced with deer trails and beds. Bucks live and thrive in wet areas. This is the actual HuntStand app screen I studied to discover primary deer trails through the swamp and tall reed grass found in one of my hunting areas. It really was as simple as that.". The Buenos Aires NWR is too. Click here for more deer hunting articles and videos. The odor of blood is slightly metallic or neutral. When done correctly, it can be a very successful way to take deer. Higher elevation takes significant energy, too. They have one dry entry predators can enter on. Wildlife Plots. Mature bucks like them because they can travel using both the wind and their eyesight to feel secure while they enter and exit them. Keeping an eye out for deer trails or feeding areas will keep you from being detected. I look for edges or transitions from low elevation to high elevation, cattails to dogwoods, or swamp grass to hardwoods. All of these features visually pop on maps, as indicated by changes in color, texture, or topo lines. Tips to Achieve Success: One of the best ways to break down a large hunting property is to use apps or maps. Deer hunter Chad Weatherford loves to hunt the high rises in swamps as end of the season approaches. Josh had never caught a speckled trout before, and Justus was fishing for the first time ever. You still need bedding cover, but when the ingredients are there, this can be one of the hottest areas to concentrate on. These simple tools can be used to dress everything from turkey to moose. It keeps out the predators, coyotes, wolves and humans. When starting from scratch while looking for public land, there E-scouting, the act of using apps to scour satellite imagery in search of hunting hotspots, is a skill that needs honing. A ground blind placed well before the season can be the answer. December 2019 Creek crossings are an excellent spot to ambush one of those thirsty bucks. As deer get older, they realize these places protect them from hunters. Mike Clerkin is in Pike County Illinois chasing whitetails with his muzzleloader. Swamps will prevent about 95 percent of the people who hunt public land from scouting them to see if any deer movement is there. During hot weather, secluded water holes become active during the daylight. The deer bed in and around the swamp to the left side of the photo, and move into the lush alfalfa (above right) to feed just before dark. One takeaway stood out above all else: mature bucks, 5.5 years or older, are creatures of the swamp. I look at swamps as one of the only habitat features that will allow a buck to reach maturity on my home turf. 2023 Jordan Outdoor Enterprises, Ltd. All rights reserved. Martin, CapTAIN, CAPTAIN, I GOT 1! I have seen deer out in tamarack swamps that bed down on islands of high ground. Deer know this, and they take advantage of it for survival. After all, success favors the prepared. I always slip in from the downwind side and take my time, only taking a few steps at the time, he said. Jeff Burleson is a native of Lumberton, N.C., who lives in Myrtle Beach, S.C. After 30 minutes of walking quietly around the deers stand, return to the spot where you shot it. Clinton's Stan McCollough didn't have his climbing stand set well when he looked up and saw this 158-inch 9-point looking at him during a hutn ont Panther Swam Naitonal Wildlife Refuge. Find the water and find the deer. . The more there is, the harder the hunting, especially if you cant find overlooked pockets of ground. Swamps are characterized by their murky water, dense vegetation, and often humid conditions. The Cheat Code Exercise aside, higher elevations can be difficult even for fit hunters. Avoid these mistakes to keep does and young bucks from overtaking your property. My Kansas friend will go to any extreme to use water to bring deer to his hunting area during the daylight. Islands dont have to be large at all; deer will hold up on very small areas, some barely big enough for their bodies. Properties that get used by more duck hunters than deer hunters offer the bucks a chance to grow to maturity and with little pressure. Pull up an aerial view of a swamp and you can see it all spelled out clear as day. They will cruise the leeward ridges right in the thermal tunnel checking for does. The best ones are the ones that point in the direction the dominant wind for the area blows. Hunting is prohibited on Sundays and November 24-27, 2022 Hunt Hours You may access the refuge from two hours before sunrise until two hours after sunset. Low, cool spots in the open prairie, or hidden in dense CRP fields, are typically buck magnets. Large islands are almost always several miles from shore, making it necessary to use a safe, reliable boat with a good motor. Where regulations allow, some of the islands along the great lakes offer incredible hunting opportunities. The combination of dry, warm, blister-free feet makes hunting easier and more enjoyable. On Target: Are AR Rifles a Good Option for Whitetail Hunting.