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.
my dads talkin hes wanting to find a random spot that looks good off the main road this gun season and hike back a mile or so to where no ones gonna be, easier said than done i noticed not too many pple do that .. but this bowseason i hunted alone so i didnt go too far to where id get lost...but i wouldnt mind going the extra distance if im gonna get a chance at a gnarly old swamp buck
Right now, here is what I would do.
I would find a hardwood bottom with a thicket around it. Find a spot on that bottom where you see trails coming and/or going in and out of the thicket. Find an oak tree close to the edge that is dropping acorns and sit 20 yards downwind of it.
Right now the acorns are dropping heavily. What the deer tend to do is get up out of their bed, go pick up a few acorns and go bed back down. If you can be in a spot to intercept them between bedding/feeding you will have a shot. I have seen this time and time again this time of year when they are falling. They will poke their heads out in a hammock for a quick 10 minute feed and go back and bed down
Also right now thru central and northern Fl we are in the pre rut. Look for scrape lines and rub lines along edges. If you find a scrape line get down wind and sit on it.
Another thing is starting about now you need to sit as late as you possibly can. These bucks will "stage up" in the edge of a thicket and just stand there watching a bottom or open area. A lot of times they will not step out till the last 5 min of daylight or later
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.
i sent you a pm
Right now, here is what I would do.
I would find a hardwood bottom with a thicket around it. Find a spot on that bottom where you see trails coming and/or going in and out of the thicket. Find an oak tree close to the edge that is dropping acorns and sit 20 yards downwind of it.Right now the acorns are dropping heavily. What the deer tend to do is get up out of their bed, go pick up a few acorns and go bed back down. If you can be in a spot to intercept them between bedding/feeding you will have a shot. I have seen this time and time again this time of year when they are falling. They will poke their heads out in a hammock for a quick 10 minute feed and go back and bed down
Also right now thru central and northern Fl we are in the pre rut. Look for scrape lines and rub lines along edges. If you find a scrape line get down wind and sit on it.
Another thing is starting about now you need to sit as late as you possibly can. These bucks will "stage up" in the edge of a thicket and just stand there watching a bottom or open area. A lot of times they will not step out till the last 5 min of daylight or later
thanks for the info, every bit helps
