Scouted a small piece of public yesterday and found some good buck bedding in a small cattail swamp. Curious on how you guys would hunt this and when you would hunt it?
Found good bedding on south side of cattails. The field to the north is grass/hay field. Small ridges to the east and west of the swamp with doe bedding on the ridges. The red are exit trails from the beds and yellow are doe trails. To the east and west I found scrapes in heavy brush on trails that parallel the swamp with a few rubs.To the south the exit trail goes to a large cluster of rubs in what seems to be a staging area circled. There are crop fields about 500 yards away. The green stand at the north edge is another hunters stand. The access path from the pulloff leads to that area.
Thinking of a sit at the south end staging area early season and maybe one of those scrapes in prerut. Thought about a camera on a scrape to see when it heats up but they are only 80 yrds or so from the beds so probably will not.
Swamp bedding setup
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Swamp bedding setup
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Re: Swamp bedding setup
Good looking spot. Sounds like more of a pre rut spot, but may be worth an early season too. I would focus on where the does are bedding for prerut and set up accordingly. Scrapes and rubs are cool but getting downwind of that doe bedding is what I would focus on. I would only set up on a primary scrape if its close to bedding after it rains or snows.
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Re: Swamp bedding setup
MichiganMike wrote:Good looking spot. Sounds like more of a pre rut spot, but may be worth an early season too. I would focus on where the does are bedding for prerut and set up accordingly. Scrapes and rubs are cool but getting downwind of that doe bedding is what I would focus on. I would only set up on a primary scrape if its close to bedding after it rains or snows.
Thanks for the reply! The ridge to the west of the swamp had the best doe bedding. Downwind would be a west wind blowing into the cattails. Would you set up in the evening? Maybe a little bit North of the exit trail so the thermals don’t pull to the bedding?
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Re: Swamp bedding setup
naternate wrote:MichiganMike wrote:Good looking spot. Sounds like more of a pre rut spot, but may be worth an early season too. I would focus on where the does are bedding for prerut and set up accordingly. Scrapes and rubs are cool but getting downwind of that doe bedding is what I would focus on. I would only set up on a primary scrape if its close to bedding after it rains or snows.
Thanks for the reply! The ridge to the west of the swamp had the best doe bedding. Downwind would be a west wind blowing into the cattails. Would you set up in the evening? Maybe a little bit North of the exit trail so the thermals don’t pull to the bedding?
No problem! I'm no expert by any means- but just what I would look to do. Then once I get eyes on him, move to him the following day.
But yeah to answer your question- I think that sounds like a good plan. Bring some milkweed though and adjust accordingly.
Evening or morning is worth a try. I would say evening in early season and morning later during pre-rut/rut. I really like morning in the pre rut period to catch the does coming in. The buck is usually not far behind.
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Re: Swamp bedding setup
Interesting thing....I found a bed at the north end of the swamp by that other hunters stand. Had some rubs close. I can see a buck bedding there in the AM and catching does coming back from those fields. The terrain slopes down from the middle of the field to the swamp. In the morning a buck could sit there and smell the thermals before they switch from the field and see/hear does exiting to either side of the swamp. Its the first “rut” bedding I have ever really pinned down.
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Re: Swamp bedding setup
Right along the transition on the South side on a North wind only a couple times a year would be all id hunt that spot. Id completely ignore the North side of the swamp.
Good Luck
Good Luck
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Re: Swamp bedding setup
szwampdonkey wrote:Right along the transition on the South side on a North wind only a couple times a year would be all id hunt that spot. Id completely ignore the North side of the swamp.
Good Luck
I agree with this 100%.
“From the point of ignition, to the final drive, the point of the journey is not to arrive.”
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