There are a good number of water oaks that are steady dropping acorns in the swamp next to my stand and tons of feeding signs.
Anywhere you have a transition area is your best bet. If you have pines meet hardwoods, or two different size pines meet each other. Look for game trails going into spots like this and go from there.
Also, if you can find a thin, narrow hardwood tree line meandering thru planted pines, that is where you want to be. Trust me. That is the only type of spots I hunt.
Use google earth to do some pre-scouting
the spot i shot my doe was a hardwood funnel leading out of a very large cypress swamp, im guessing that was the feeding area and the area was close qaurters, the edge of the swamp is not far from there and turns into a transition area of pines and palmettos with small patches of hardwoods.. There were game trails running right along the transition and leading in and out of the swamp...for gun season I would like to hunt the transition.. MY QUESTION is: where would be a good stand placement near the transition?
I would hunt the swamp itself, if the deer are moving in and out of it to get to the transition area you are hunting, remember gun season will bring alot more people and will change the way the deer move. They will stick more to the swamps and heavy cover once the guns start going off. The water levels in the area we are hunting are dropping,the swamp I had to cross to get to my stand has dropped over a foot in the past 2 weeks, so you should be able to find some good trails where they are travelling back and forth. I plan on going out there Saturday morning if you want we can meet up and do some scouting.
gotta agree with TIME1 once the pressure is on smart old bucks are gonna head for the places we hate to go to the most,I know I've gotten spoiled hunting farmland, flat and easy to get to all areas with 4wd truck. slogging thru ankle to thigh deep muck is not my idea of a good time and waders are for fishing not hunting. but this type of hunting is for the realy determined, physicaly fit and willing to do whatever it takes. I'll be sitting comfy and quiet along the edges/transition areas, be a pal and push one my way while your in there.
I would hunt the swamp itself, if the deer are moving in and out of it to get to the transition area you are hunting, remember gun season will bring alot more people and will change the way the deer move. They will stick more to the swamps and heavy cover once the guns start going off. The water levels in the area we are hunting are dropping,the swamp I had to cross to get to my stand has dropped over a foot in the past 2 weeks, so you should be able to find some good trails where they are travelling back and forth. I plan on going out there Saturday morning if you want we can meet up and do some scouting.
alot of the places ive scouted ive found that people have already been there, i dont think im going far enough from the trail and gun season im sure the trail im on will be packed so maybe ill just give have give that a try and set up somewhere a ways back in the bayhead
