tnichols

I need some help from bowhunters that hunt swamps. I have access to hunt a nice swamp(70% Cyprus 30% hardwood) area on private land. According to the Landowner this is were the big bucks roam. I have not scouted it yet because it has been pretty warm in the south and the cotton mouths are still out in full force. The swamp is about 600 yards wide and probably 700 yards long. On on west side it is border by a hardwood ridge, on the east side is 5 year pines(bedding area). I shot a nice 8 pt last gun season hunting the edge of the swamp next to the hardwood ridge. he was heading into the swamp. To the south is a funnel of timber leading to agri field on the adjacent property. I want to scout the whole area cause I know there are several big bucks in there. I have a stand on the north perimeter
and I have hunted it 2 times, only seen a couple of does. What is a ideal setup to look for when scouting. I have a aerial that I have been examing looking for ideal entrance points for me to get into the swamp that will put smack dab in the middle of it. I have enclosed the link to the aerial. I would appreciate any suggestions on stand placement. Thanks
Click on album labeled "Hunt"
http://photos.yahoo.com/greengrizz660

coyoteseeker

hunting swamps with the bow is very diffacult thing due to the emence under growth,hard to thread an arrow thru it.the photo you provided dosn't show any water,if theres alot of water in there look for dry humps surrounded by heavy cover.deer will bed on these humps for obveous reasons.the biggest problem with this type of huntin is your stands have to be very high in order for you to see down into the brush.this is not the best kind of shot with the bow add this to the fact that your shooting thru heavy brush and this could spell disaster.at the top and bottom of the photo there aprears to be funnels and the two thin lines on the right side also appear to be some kind of funnel or ditch leading out of the swamp.theses could be possible hot spots that need checking very closly.if the deer are not pressured they may hang around the hardwood ridge,expecialy if theres acorns in there.if they are pressured then you will have to hunt inside.keep any trimming to a minamum,you don't want to change things to much.clear a good path to and from the stand and mark the trail with those relective pins,you will get very turned around in a thick swamp in the dark.the trails should be obveous winding all thru the swamp,fallow them and see if you can find any open areas that are on high,dry ground.look for rubs and scrapes and possible stand sites that offer good shooting.and remember while your milling around in there,there could be one or more large mature buck in there,push them to hard and they might leave the area.the best time to scout swamps is in the winter after deer season,this is also a good time to do any serious clearing.this way the deer have many months to get used to it.hunting swamps is very challanging and is better suited with a shotgun and slug but it can be done with the bow.and be prepared to get the work out of your life dragging a large bodied deer out of a heavy swamp,very very tough.