tnichols

Scouted a remote area of my hunting property were no one goes. A thick cyprus swamp that you can only hunt when it is cold. The water mocassins are everywhere during early bow season. It is a treacherous drive back to the area even on my ATV. The deer back in this area are basically undisturbed. Well me and buddy decsided to scout yesterday because it was pretty cold. We make it back to the very back were the swamp borders a thick cutover. We were walking the line between the 2 areas when we hit the deer highway. It was undoubly the largest deer trail I have ever seen. I have never seen more deer tracks in my life, going and coming. Then we walk up on 2 rubs right off the trail. The rubs were heading back into the cutover so we backtracked the trail into the swamp. We walked into the motherload of rubs, they everywhere. We found a young cyprus tree(good size) that the whole left side was literally tore up!!!!. I could look back up the trail and see rubs all the way back into the swamp. I need some advice on how to hunt this, both areas would be excellent bedding areas. My buddy thinks they are bedding in the swamp, I think their bedding in the cutover( its the thickest). I am going to hunt it tommorrow afternoon. I going to sneak in with a climber and setup 25 yards off the trail. The wind is going to be blowing out of the south back toward the swamp. If the buck heads out from the cutover to the swamp, I have a chance at harvesting him. If he comes out of the swamp to the cutover I am screwed. I am going all out on being totally scent free......either way from the sign I know I am going to see deer.

Charlie P

That' s the sort of stuff that just gets your heart pumping doesn' t it?

buck huntin fool

It' s really hard to tell where the deer are bedding without checking out the sign. Sometime' s you just need to take a chance based on an educated guess. Sounds like you' ve found a real hotspot though, good luck to you.

PABowhntr

Good luck and take a camera with you. If you don' t get a deer then I would still love to see that sign.

Doemasters

Definately take a camera or camcorder.
Shoot Straight!

tnichols

I guess the only way I can find out is hunt it . I am going to get in early and hunt it until dark. The bucks are starting to cruise down here and I hope I see some action. It' s suppose to be in the low 70' s tommorrow so I know the mosquitoes will be waiting on me. The Bowtech EXT VFT is ready to go!!!!!!!

badshotbob

Like the other' s have said, hard to tell without being there and knowing what' s around for food source and all that, but my guess would be the bucks are bedding in the thick cutover. This provides not only good shelter but a dry bedding area as well. I' ve been hunting a 40 acre cedar swamp here in MI for 20 years and the only time the deer bed in the swamp is when the place is froze over. They prefer the high ground around the edges of the swamp and the thickets coming up to high ground to a hardwoods. They don' t even bed in there when the water level is low and the place is dry. It is a great place to travel to and from bedding/feeding, and certainly a great place to hide come gun season. I' m thinking that the swamp you talk of provides great cover all the way to their food source.

Good luck and nail em. Send us pics of this trophy beast. (You sure you don' t have elk running around down there?)

hoythunter48

I dont know how much time you have but usually when i come upon a situation that stumps me i will try to find a spot where i can get a real good view of the area without getting spotted and do a little in-season scouting, thats how i have killed my last three bucks, i hunted the first couple days from afar and narrowed down the travel pattern then made my move and nailed them, like they say usually the first time you hunt a stand is the best thats why i hate moving right in on them without knowing the travel patterns and bedding areas first