HuntingNet.com Forums - action in the Swamp.

There is this island out in the public cattail marsh, that I have been wanting to hunt. I figured now or never cause the duck hunters will likly screw it up this weekend when quacker season opens. So my little guy who is just starting bowhunting at 14 years old (Rat Slayer) has really been getting into the hunting and to be honest, I have been sticking him in the better spots hoping he would get a chance. He has been working very hard, practiceing with his bow and getting all his school work done so he can tag along.
Anywho, on a work night / school night / night before the big Iowa weekend, Dan the Man comes up with a plan :shock: I decided we would haul our Lone Wolf stands 1 1/2 miles back into the swamp to this remote island becuase the deer must be near the water with all the ponds and creeks dried up. Dan, You are a "Super Genius" I said to myself. Well... it sure is thick back there at this time of the year!! We were good and sweaty by the time we got back there with only about an hour left of daylight :roll: Anywho, I put Jamie in the S.West corner of the island in a staging area 75 yards from the bedding area. I snuck around to the N. West side of the island and set up on the oak trees that were dropping like crazy. I just new we would see deer. The island was just littered with huge tracks and scrapes all over the place. I used a climber, and went about 25 feet up a staight tree that would give me a good veiw of the island and surrounding cattails.
I was only sitting there for about 10 minutes when I herd the Rat Slayer shoot, and a deer bolt into the swamp. I scanned the cattails for movement then after about 5 minutes a nice buck came into an opening from the direction of Rat Boy, heading my way. It was real hard to make out the antlers in the cattails but with the aid of my camera I was able to zoom thru an opening and see just the right side of his head. thru the glare of the sun it was hard to make out but it looked wider than the ears, I could not see any tines, they must of blended in with the cattails. It was atleast a 2 1/2 year old buck, maybe older. It stood out in the cattails for about 5 minutes then headed straight at me. About 50 yards out it dissapeared into some thick brush and never came out. Being that it looked all hunched up, I thought it best to wait till tomorrow to track. Two does came by just after that and gave me an opertunity to earn my T-Zone buck tag and get a whack on film with my bow mounted camera, but I passed worrying it might spook the buck I was thinking Rat Slayer had gut shot. If that deer jumped into the swamp, we would probably never find it.
I got down and looped way around to the Boys stand after the does left. We quietly packed up and left. Man was he excited, he said "Dad I shot a huge buck" It was really wide. (He held his arms out about 4 feet to show me how wide) He showed me where he shot it and we came to the conclusion... Gut shot. Its a dead deer, just hope we can find it tomorrow. He had a coyote run by to right after dark, but it seemed to be spooked from our scent, and was headed the opisite way, so hopefully it don't come back and harrass the buck or eat 1/2 of it.
Just before the shot, Rat Slayer got to watch it make a scrape and work a licking branch less than 30 yards from his stand. I was very impressed with the fact that he was able to keep his composure and wait till the buck got to a good opening for the shot..... Say some prayers and cross your fingers he is still lyeing in the brush where I saw him last.