Swampbuck 2020
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Swampbuck 2020
Started the season with an early season trip to Kansas. Scouted a ton of public land but had trouble finding the bucks. Had a close encounter with a solid buck the last evening I was there but luck bit me the wrong way. A coyote came in and i think the buck winded him and went the other way. Close but no cigars, the hot early season is tough. I took a doe on opening day though to put some meat in the freezer!
Next was a solo trip to Montana and it was a pretty tough trip, but awesome. The public lands there are overwhelming.. The rutting action seemed to be late and the bucks were not with the does and were tough to find. Covered a ton of ground driving, walking, glassing etc. Wound up settling on a place that the roads became to nasty for people to drive so i was able to hike in a couple miles and glass an area that wasn't getting pressure. I was down to my last 2 days and had glassed a couple bucks and had watched them for awhile back and forth between a couple blocks of woods. A big one had popped out to survey the field at one point and i had a gameplan on how to setup for the evening with hopes he would return. Just prior to making my way over there, i saw this buck bedded down in the sage and decided to go for it, if it failed i would be where i needed for the evening anyway. I stalked through the woods about a mile and was able to get to a spot keeping some high ground between us. By this time he was on his feet with a couple does. I was surprised i had made it this far, the snow was so crunchy i didn't think i would be able to pull it off. There was a couple bushes i had made note of to try to get to for the ambush. I bumped a doe on the way and thought i was had, but she didn't alarm them much and i was able to crouch/crawl my way to the bush and get settled. Once they settled down, he headed to where i figured it was now or never. Took the shot and he buckled! As i was walking up I was still surprised it all came together. It was a tough trip but the scenery is unmatched and stalking is a blast!
Back home to the swamp! Some hard scouting last season led to finding this area, but i couldn't really access it due to vegetation and low water for awhile. Had to work a half a day to get to it and the first trip in was an evening hunt. As i approached the tree i was starting to second guess whether i should climb or push in a bit further as i knew i was right on the edge of doe bedding. As i was standing at the tree contemplating, a nice buck jumped about 80 yds from me. So i climbed up thinking he may return. No dice. But i returned early the next morning. Right before daylight i started hearing that awesome sound of a deer walking through the water. I thought i heard a grunt so figured it was a good buck, it was still pretty grey but as he got close i could see it was a decent buck, but in the back of my mind i was hearing more steps than i was seeing. Once he got to about 20 yds i was looking all over for another and then he appeared and could immediately tell he was the better one. He was following the same path and when he got to about 20 yds i dropped the hammer. Pretty sure it was the deer i had jumped the evening prior so it worked out perfect!
I pulled this log out the swamp last season for my skull mounts.
Next was a solo trip to Montana and it was a pretty tough trip, but awesome. The public lands there are overwhelming.. The rutting action seemed to be late and the bucks were not with the does and were tough to find. Covered a ton of ground driving, walking, glassing etc. Wound up settling on a place that the roads became to nasty for people to drive so i was able to hike in a couple miles and glass an area that wasn't getting pressure. I was down to my last 2 days and had glassed a couple bucks and had watched them for awhile back and forth between a couple blocks of woods. A big one had popped out to survey the field at one point and i had a gameplan on how to setup for the evening with hopes he would return. Just prior to making my way over there, i saw this buck bedded down in the sage and decided to go for it, if it failed i would be where i needed for the evening anyway. I stalked through the woods about a mile and was able to get to a spot keeping some high ground between us. By this time he was on his feet with a couple does. I was surprised i had made it this far, the snow was so crunchy i didn't think i would be able to pull it off. There was a couple bushes i had made note of to try to get to for the ambush. I bumped a doe on the way and thought i was had, but she didn't alarm them much and i was able to crouch/crawl my way to the bush and get settled. Once they settled down, he headed to where i figured it was now or never. Took the shot and he buckled! As i was walking up I was still surprised it all came together. It was a tough trip but the scenery is unmatched and stalking is a blast!
Back home to the swamp! Some hard scouting last season led to finding this area, but i couldn't really access it due to vegetation and low water for awhile. Had to work a half a day to get to it and the first trip in was an evening hunt. As i approached the tree i was starting to second guess whether i should climb or push in a bit further as i knew i was right on the edge of doe bedding. As i was standing at the tree contemplating, a nice buck jumped about 80 yds from me. So i climbed up thinking he may return. No dice. But i returned early the next morning. Right before daylight i started hearing that awesome sound of a deer walking through the water. I thought i heard a grunt so figured it was a good buck, it was still pretty grey but as he got close i could see it was a decent buck, but in the back of my mind i was hearing more steps than i was seeing. Once he got to about 20 yds i was looking all over for another and then he appeared and could immediately tell he was the better one. He was following the same path and when he got to about 20 yds i dropped the hammer. Pretty sure it was the deer i had jumped the evening prior so it worked out perfect!
I pulled this log out the swamp last season for my skull mounts.
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- szwampdonkey
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Re: Swampbuck 2020
Good Stuff man those are some nice bucks too!
- hunter_mike
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Re: Swampbuck 2020
Congrats, awesome season and very cool pics!
“The master has failed more times than the beginner has even tried.”
- PK_
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Re: Swampbuck 2020
Heck yes man awesome. But leave them little swamp lizards alone, otherwise he may come back to say hello in a few years
No Shortcuts. No Excuses. No Regrets.
Everybody's selling dreams. I'm too cheap to buy one.
Everybody's selling dreams. I'm too cheap to buy one.
Rich M wrote:Typically, hunting FL has been like getting a root canal
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Re: Swampbuck 2020
Wow congratulations. Good story and respect for all of th hard work you out in!
- OH nontypical
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Re: Swampbuck 2020
Love the log for the mounts. I only do euro mounts now and they can be tough to display.
- greenhorndave
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Re: Swampbuck 2020
Awesome season and awesome recap
----------
Sometimes when things get tough, weird or both, you just need to remember this...
https://youtu.be/d4tSE2w53ts
Sometimes when things get tough, weird or both, you just need to remember this...
https://youtu.be/d4tSE2w53ts
- Jackson Marsh
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Re: Swampbuck 2020
Great year
- G3s
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Re: Swampbuck 2020
excellent season and nice pics
- muddy
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Re: Swampbuck 2020
Congrats
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Leading the way for habitat and management information
"It's a good thing you don't need commas and colons to kill deer" -seaz
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Re: Swampbuck 2020
Your a animal buddy! Hunt some of the toughest conditions out there in those swamps and still manage to have great success in great caliber deer. Congrats on another great season
- JakeB
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Re: Swampbuck 2020
Looks like you had a real good year! Congrats! Got to love the splosh splosh
Are those maven 18x’s?
Are those maven 18x’s?
- Matt Gill
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Re: Swampbuck 2020
Awesome year, congrats!
- UntouchableNess
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Re: Swampbuck 2020
Awesome year, Congrats!
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Re: Swampbuck 2020
PK_ wrote:Heck yes man awesome. But leave them little swamp lizards alone, otherwise he may come back to say hello in a few years
The lilies were so thick when I was fighting through a ditch the little guy got stuck, I'm hoping I made friends with him so he will remember in a few years
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