Too many beds?

[JakeB]

Sorry for the long read but I want to put as much information out there as I can without posting a map on a public forum.


I have this spot close to my house I've been messing with on and off for a few years now with several big Buck encounters.

The best way for me to describe it would be like the red brush bog in the swamp bedding DVD where they have beds basically everywhere. Except this isn't a small chunk I can setup on the outskirts of, it's miles of swamp.

This swamp is in LA so it's different species of trees and brush (cypress, button brush, red maples, and willows) but for the most part it looks similar. Knee to waist deep mud with humps at nearly every willow tree and some humps at the bigger cypresses.

Literally every hump has a worn bed with hair and poop in it. I'm talking like dozens and dozens. It has a descent deer population but scouting it you would sware it's covered in deer!

The problem I'm having is trying to figure out how to hunt it! My access point is down a small straight ditch by boat with a levee on each side but very little deer activity on the levee. Ditch runs E-W and there's also a cleared pipeline running N-S. The area is bordered by the ditch to the north, pipeline to the west that transitions into open cypress swamp for miles, to the south is miles of this dirty mixed brush area and to the east is more nasty swamp with what appears to be a block of hardwoods aprox. 1 mile away on some private.

I've scouted quite a bit but there's very little for visible trails and tracks cannot be seen under the water. Trail cameras haven't shown me very much for daytime activity. Atleast anything that wasn't random anyway. There's really no food source that would have the deer heading to and I believe the deer are just living off of browse in the swamp.

I'm pretty much stumped on this spot and I really hate it because even for a Louisiana swamp it's bad walking (miserable). But the pictures of big bucks and sign has me trying to figure it out.

Should I just try to setup in the middle and hope for the best? For me to be in the game basically requires me to bust some deer out. There's really no hard transitions to relate a buck bed to and rubs scattered evenly throughout.

[JakeB]

Also I forgot to mention, these beds do not seem to relate to any sort of transition it's basically random humps, with beds on them.

[dan]

Sounds like a tough one... I can give some limited advice, but this area is going to be tough no matter how you go at it... 1st off, it may seem like bedding is random, and travel is random, but I bet its not... In similar spots I hunt once you learn where the big bucks bed, they generally keep bedding in those spots. To your eye it may look no different than 100 yards away, but to a bucks nose and way of looking at things there is a specific reason he pic's a specific spot. Its going to take a lot of hopping around, and time to figure the area out. There are short cuts, but they won't seem to short. I would break the area up into about 15 or 20 acre sections and pick the best spot in each section and set it up and hop around hunting all the sections until your onto big bucks. Also, pick trees that allow you to see buck movement if possible rather than just kill trees... Also, this is a great type of area for stacking, once you have a grip on where the big ones like to hang out, walk a bunch of the other stuff and stack your kill area a few days prior to hunting.

[PK_]

That is the problem with large flooded timber type swamps. Too many secure bedding options if it is a large area. Like you said about the swamp DVD, Dan even said the bucks will bed 'anywhere' within that area, now take that area and expand it by a few miles or more. Unless you have a crazy high deer density you are left with a lot of empty beds and a lot of ambiguity in the exact bedding of any deer especially any particular deer on a given day.

I would look for funnels within the swamp where the buck will feel safe moving during daylight and just rut hunt it. Trying to hunt a specific bed when a buck has several dozen to choose from in the same area is just a losing proposition most of the time.

Dan has also spoken in the past about picking ideal terrain to bedhunt. Ideally you want as many or more shooter bucks than good beds or bedding areas. What we have in these large expansive swamps with ideal bedding literally everywhere is exactly they opposite. Not to mention most areas have pretty low dpsm these days.

I drive past millions of acres of huntable areas to get to places that have predictable terrain for bedding and travel. Even I these areas I often walk through miles of good habitat and don't even think of hunting it because it lacks definition in transitions. When you start thinking of things this way, you are able to quickly cross out giant sections of ground without ever stepping foot on it.

Sorry for the ramble. Just my thoughts on it.

[Lockdown]

Dan and PK basically summed up my thoughts. I've got a couple spots that I don't really hunt because they aren't conducive for success. I'm not telling you to give up on the area, but it will likely take years and years to figure out.

Just some food for thought: Which is better... An area that holds mounters but it's vast and hard to hunt? Or a "decent" property where bedding and movement is easy to predict?

[JakeB]

Thanks for the input guys. It was what I expected to hear and I agree with you all. It's not very conductive to bed hunting and if it wasn't so close to my house and with the little amount of pressure it receives I would give up on it.

I'm thinking another option I have is to climb 30+ foot in one of the big cypress trees early one morning and see what I can see. I think if I can get high enough I'll be able to see movement from a good distance away and then make a plan. Or atleast Learn something.

If it would ever dry up just enough that I could see tracks, it would save me so much trouble!

It may come down to becoming a spot I just rifle hunt several times a year. But, I'm not ready to write it off yet. Although the effort vs reward is starting to accumulate, I know I'll be able to figure it out it'll just take years and lots of sweat!

[Killemquietly]

Thanks for the input guys. It was what I expected to hear and I agree with you all. It's not very conductive to bed hunting and if it wasn't so close to my house and with the little amount of pressure it receives I would give up on it.

I'm thinking another option I have is to climb 30+ foot in one of the big cypress trees early one morning and see what I can see. I think if I can get high enough I'll be able to see movement from a good distance away and then make a plan. Or atleast Learn something.

If it would ever dry up just enough that I could see tracks, it would save me so much trouble!

It may come down to becoming a spot I just rifle hunt several times a year. But, I'm not ready to write it off yet. Although the effort vs reward is starting to accumulate, I know I'll be able to figure it out it'll just take years and lots of sweat!

sounds like a good plan in theory, but unless you're on a power line or some other transition, 30' up all you see is green, we don't have hard enough winters to "de-green" anything enough to see, (tree canopy) I've often been up high thinking I could see what was going on. One time I shot two arrows into what I thought was 2 foot high grass at a leaf or something, When I got down an over to that grass it was over 6 feet high. Deer could be and probably were right under my nose. There were trails all through it, but unless you're right over them, you can't see them. I never did find those two arrows....

[JakeB]

Thanks for the input guys. It was what I expected to hear and I agree with you all. It's not very conductive to bed hunting and if it wasn't so close to my house and with the little amount of pressure it receives I would give up on it.

I'm thinking another option I have is to climb 30+ foot in one of the big cypress trees early one morning and see what I can see. I think if I can get high enough I'll be able to see movement from a good distance away and then make a plan. Or atleast Learn something.

If it would ever dry up just enough that I could see tracks, it would save me so much trouble!

It may come down to becoming a spot I just rifle hunt several times a year. But, I'm not ready to write it off yet. Although the effort vs reward is starting to accumulate, I know I'll be able to figure it out it'll just take years and lots of sweat!

sounds like a good plan in theory, but unless you're on a power line or some other transition, 30' up all you see is green, we don't have hard enough winters to "de-green" anything enough to see, (tree canopy) I've often been up high thinking I could see what was going on. One time I shot two arrows into what I thought was 2 foot high grass at a leaf or something, When I got down an over to that grass it was over 6 feet high. Deer could be and probably were right under my nose. There were trails all through it, but unless you're right over them, you can't see them. I never did find those two arrows....

Actually this particular area, after what leaf drop we do get, may offer a descent view. It doesn't have very many tall trees, more like 1 tall one hear 1 tall one there. It mostly consist of button brush, small maples with a larger cypress mixed in here and there and ofcoarse the random larger willows that make bedding humps with their root growth. At ground level its very dirty but once you get above that (in certain spots) I believe I should be able to see into the brush somewhat. The button brush takes up most of the real estate which will loose their leaves late nov - early dec. and allow me to see to the ground, maybe not shoot but, atleast see. Although it borders the usual Louisiana cypress swamps, this area isn't the norm as far as vegitation. Not sure if the ground isn't capable of supporting the dense cypress and tupelo trees or what? Can't figure out the reasoning to it but, I do know it created an edge in a mostly featureless swamp and allows sunlight to reach the lower level. This is by far the worst walking swamp I hunt in (I hunt lots of bad ones too) and if it wasn't for the mature deer that frequent it there's absolutly no way I would continue to hunt it. As of now I know of 3 3-4+ year olds and one small 8 that should be 3 this year. All regularly frequent this small aprox. 1/4 sq mile area. That might not seem like a big deal but, down hear thats almost unheard of.

[Bonecrusher101]

This is one of my favorite type areas to figure out how to exploit. Move around the edges and try to climb up to different heights to find the best height to allow visibility. Sometimes climbing one tree will allow you to figure out the next best tree to climb and the easiest route to get to it.

Scope and continue to observe make a report when you start catching on a pattern. In these areas The patterns will likely repeat themselves every year so it could be productive for several seasons. Even if it takes you 3 or 4 years to figure out the when's and where's, you are doing something that very few will attempt. That's part of the appeal for me.

Look for antlers moving through an area, or watch for a sapling to start shaking as its getting rubbed. I've seen both while looking for bucks in a cutover. It's a rush knowing he's there but only being able to catch glimpses. If you can see him you can kill him, even if you must relocate. I have used my .270 before in cutovers but I have also had bullets deflect very easily in thick brush. A .300 win mag or an accurate slug gun would be my weapon of choice.

On a last ditch effort after Christmas or so in a spot like you described i would go all in. I know it's considered taboo on this site, but you could try hunting the wrong wind or just off wind and hunting high. If it's rut or post rut try using a drag rag with estrous scent and hanging estrous wicks in a line near you blowing towards the projected bedding. Try a mix of doe bleats and buck grunts too, might just get him on his feet and moving to you.

Good luck and stick with it, especially with your gut telling you to hunt it!

[JakeB]

This is one of my favorite type areas to figure out how to exploit. Move around the edges and try to climb up to different heights to find the best height to allow visibility. Sometimes climbing one tree will allow you to figure out the next best tree to climb and the easiest route to get to it.

Scope and continue to observe make a report when you start catching on a pattern. In these areas The patterns will likely repeat themselves every year so it could be productive for several seasons. Even if it takes you 3 or 4 years to figure out the when's and where's, you are doing something that very few will attempt. That's part of the appeal for me.

Look for antlers moving through an area, or watch for a sapling to start shaking as its getting rubbed. I've seen both while looking for bucks in a cutover. It's a rush knowing he's there but only being able to catch glimpses. If you can see him you can kill him, even if you must relocate. I have used my .270 before in cutovers but I have also had bullets deflect very easily in thick brush. A .300 win mag or an accurate slug gun would be my weapon of choice.

On a last ditch effort after Christmas or so in a spot like you described i would go all in. I know it's considered taboo on this site, but you could try hunting the wrong wind or just off wind and hunting high. If it's rut or post rut try using a drag rag with estrous scent and hanging estrous wicks in a line near you blowing towards the projected bedding. Try a mix of doe bleats and buck grunts too, might just get him on his feet and moving to you.

Good luck and stick with it, especially with your gut telling you to hunt it!

Yea man forsure!

Currently I'm planing to hunt it like this, Keep in mind rut doesnt get kicked off until aprox. mid dec -early jan. and even then it's not really much of a "rut" down here, doe's come in heat throughout a rather long period of time so you can't bet on a certain week. I also have suspisions that some of these deer move to this spot after pressure from surrounding private land starts to heat up but I haven't been able to verify that just yet.

I want to make 1 trip in there within the next few weeks, set a few cams and pick a couple more trees in the heart and have them marked for the first few hunts. Then stay out until it's time to hunt. I'm thinking I wait until early november to go back in to make the first hunt, hopefully I can catch a nice cold front but more then likely it'll be 80* and humid... I think I'll start with a morning hunt, I've had more movement in the mornings and i'll be less likely to blow the place out on my entrance. Check the cams I pass by on my way out and if nothing comes up I'll make another hunt around mid Dec. and start hunting my way around, mostly hunting spots with higher visibility and go from their.

I'll probally make the first few hunt without regard to the wind since I have no idea where to expect the deer to come from so it's not like I can really play it without that information.

I don't think I'll be able to hunt it traditionally beast style but, I believe this place is still huntable it will just take some out the box tactics. It's close to home so its not too much trouble to hunt it.

Last year I spent a lot of time back there scouting and the deer never left. I'm hoping that stays true this year.

I only get 1 week around christmas to gun hunt, I'll be hitting it hard that week. My 35 Whelen will be with me on those hunts, go big or got home. The rest I'll be with my bow. I like it like this, keeps people out and the outside private has nearly a 3 month gun season and some do run dogs making this spot even hotter.