Hunting Swamp Land Bucks

[tmccall]

I have recently moved and now find myself within 1/4 mile of a 28,000 acre Wildlife Management Area that is mainly a collection of tracts of swamp land.  I have been studying the area on the map and am intrigued by it.  It appears to be difficult to access and probably difficult to hunt as well. However, that's a large part of the appeal, there is likely to be little hunting pressure.

I've been able to glean very little information on the area.  Most of the people I've talked to forsake it to drive to other, easier to access areas with much larger deer populations.  Others that do hunt the area are mostly limiting their hunting to a couple of large areas of higher ground that are accessible by vehicle.  The state maintains several large food plots in those areas and keeps the roads and trails in good condition.

I'm more interested in the scattered tracts that can only be accessed by boat.  I talked to the local taxidermist, who has hunted the swamps by boat for years, and he says that they are very difficult to hunt.  The area is mostly long and narrow.  The public land in those stretches that are only accessible by boat may be a half mile wide and run between the river and a bar ditch.  His main statement was that the deer are hard to pattern in the swamp because they range for many miles up and down the river instead of concentrating in a single large area of land.

Saturday I floated my boat down 8 miles of the river just to get a feel for it.  Right now the river is way up and out in the swamp and it will be difficult to do any scouting until it recedes.  However, I did note the fact that there appears, at least from the boat, not to be much in the way of mast producing trees.  I saw a few young white oaks just off of the waters edge, but will have to wait until later in the year to examine the interior of the swamp.  

The whole area is surrounded with farm land.  There are even large farms on privately held high ground (heavily posted) that are positioned between the bar ditch and the river.  The area that I intend to focus on this year is about 3-4 miles long and, at its widest points, may be a half mile wide.  The way the river meanders thru it this is about an 6 mile stretch of river.

I have no experience, at all , hunting in a swamp.  I figure that there must be some of you who have experience in this area.  I'm looking for advice on how best to approach this thing...

[J-dog]

Look for RC on here, think he is have wooly swamp-booger. I usually start any new area with topos - take the high ground as they say!

J

[gregg dudley]

The RC recommendation didn't take long!    

It is sometimes hard to pattern deer in the wet stuff, but if you stay mobile and are prepared to hunt good sign when you find it you should do well.  Deer will range long distances to take advantage of food sources, but if you find a spot where the mast is falling on dry ground, the deer will be there.  Similarly, the deer will head to the islands or high ground to bed.  Do not discount a piece of dry ground as being too small.  Deer will sometimes bed in very small places.  

The big challenge in hunting around water is tracking.  Take high percentage shots that minimize the chances of lengthy blood trails.

I think you are going to have fun with this challenge.  Especially if pressure is as light as you have indicated.

[swampbuck]

I like to carry a change of close's in a plastic bag should I end up in the water which has happened to me once...up to my neck in Dec teen's brrrrrrrrr

good luck

[Basinboy]

I hunt the swamps. It isn't easy and will take some time to learn where to be and when. With the river rising and falling, you might find deer here today and the water pushes them out next week. If you send me a topo to look over I will try to help out. It will give you a starting point to look.
 

[wollelybugger]

I hunt a few swamps, make sure your shots are close and lethal, it is hard to track and retrieve in the water. I am older now and stay on dry land.

[Jim Wright]

Why don't you get in touch with the Wildlife biologist over the W.M.A.?  it has been my experience that they are a wealth of information that they are seldom asked about and they are usually very willing to divulge it.

[tmccall]

The topos have been ordered. I should have them next week.  This is a huge area, much of which is mingled with private land.  The tracts I plan to focus on are accessible only by boat and are not regularly maintained by the AGFC.  The main focus of the biologists is the area that they maintain with food plots on one of the high islands. It's called Hatchiecoon Island -- how's that for a name.     :D    

Thanks for all the input.  Keep it coming...

[RC]

I concentrate on food and funnels. Persimmons early followed by acorns. I will not climb till I find something I think is hot. Mr. Warren Womack is the Master Swamphunter . You may want to look him up.

   Funnels are deadly in tight water spots. deer will funnel around slews going to flats scattered with oaks. You can sit in a bottom full of oaks and see deer all evening on the wrong oak or sit in a funnel going to`m.RC

[Jedimaster]

I haven't done so in a while but did hunt some swamp in the Yazoo Wildlife Refuge here in MS.  A couple of things I learned are:
#1 - Find out which areas flood at high water.  It's never good to show up only to find your spot is under 4 feet of water.
#2 - Have a back up plan in case of high water.
#3 - Deer will lay up on tiny islands of "dry" ground, surprisingly tiny, and soggy.
#4 - Just like anywhere else - find the food source!
#5 - In my experience the deer will make travel lanes parralleling any major body of water (the river or a slough) especially if you can find a lane of high ground that stays above water.  They aren't afraid of water but will take the path of least resistance and skirt the edges rather than go through the deep stuff.

If you can find a food source whether it be a crop, acorn flat, or crabapple tree and then position yourself to watch the lanes coming from/going around the water then - watch out!

[Sliver Sticks]

I have hunted cattail swamps almost exclusively for the past 30 years, and I have some very unique techniques for those thick cattail swamps that are deer magnets up here in upstate NY. It sounds like you're dealing more with flood lands with plenty of open water. Correct?

[tmccall]

Originally posted by Sliver Sticks:
I have hunted cattail swamps almost exclusively for the past 30 years, and I have some very unique techniques for those thick cattail swamps that are deer magnets up here in upstate NY. It sounds like you're dealing more with flood lands with plenty of open water. Correct?

This is more flooded timber.  Wood duck habitat.  Lots of Cyprus trees and bottoms timber, few oak trees.

[reddogge]

I've hunted swamps for 35 years mainly for Sika deer in MD but have killed a couple of whitetail in them.  Their paths are harder to follow but you will eventually find them.  They can appear noislessly behind you one minute and sound like a herd of buffalo coming through the water the next.  They have absolutely no problem with mud, water, and high grass but you will.  Wear hip boots and take a good mosquito repellant.

[ethan]

I'm in North West Tn and just about gaurantee I'm hunting the same type of stuff as you.  Try to look for "ridges".  Keep in mind in these swamps a ridge may be only an elevation change of one or two feet.  But you can generally tell by the way the ground looks, like vegatation, trees, etc...   Also, deer LOVE cane thickets.  Lots of times I look for a large cane thicket on the edge of a crp field or other area where deer may be using for ease of travel.  The trails through this stuff is usually pretty easy to spot.  They'll probably be traveling to the private farms at night, but if you can find a good thick sections of cane between the farms and where they are bedding they may be using it as a "stageing area".  Also, things change so much with the water levels fluctuation that the sign you see today will be totally different  a few weeks from now lots of times.

[tmccall]

Originally posted by ethan:
I'm in North West Tn and just about gaurantee I'm hunting the same type of stuff as you.  Try to look for "ridges".  Keep in mind in these swamps a ridge may be only an elevation change of one or two feet.  But you can generally tell by the way the ground looks, like vegatation, trees, etc...   Also, deer LOVE cane thickets.  Lots of times I look for a large cane thicket on the edge of a crp field or other area where deer may be using for ease of travel.  The trails through this stuff is usually pretty easy to spot.  They'll probably be traveling to the private farms at night, but if you can find a good thick sections of cane between the farms and where they are bedding they may be using it as a "stageing area".  Also, things change so much with the water levels fluctuation that the sign you see today will be totally different  a few weeks from now lots of times.

You are right, pretty much the same kind of terrain.  Thanks for the info.