Deer hunting in a swamp?? HELP!?!

hi there everyone, this is my first ever post so it may turn into a trainwreck but bear with me.

there is a large swamp near where I live that I can get hopefully get permission to deer hunt in. it is primarily evergreens along with a handful of willows, always see huge tracks in there when turkey hunting. we also usually see some deer in there while turkey hunting, soooo what I want to know is how exactly is a guy supposed to hunt this area any time of year? I was thinking it would be a good place for a ground blind after the December gun hunt here. thoughts????


ANY help is greatly appreciated.

why would you wait till after the December hunt to put up your ground blind .I would go for a long walk and look for trails .look for areas were you have a divided like cedars that meet up with the willows or field edges .and transition areas were you have some kind of change .that is were deer like to travel .set up your blind well before October first .and I would be in there for the first light of the opening of bow season .look for any ridges or high points in your swamp as theses will be very good travel areas as well . scout and get the lay of the ground you will learn a lot from you looking .good luck and go get them .one more thing swamps tend to be goo bedding areas were deer go to spend the day so once you have scouted the area try to stay out of the area and just slip in with the wind in your favor to hunt and try not to spook the deer out Dutch

Agree with Dutch


Swamps are prime bedding land for deer - Especially big bucks. Don't go tromping threw there on a regular basis, They will avoid the area.


If you want to hunt it, I'd look for fingers or funnels where the deer are going to enter or leave the swamp. I hunt the edge of a swamp, In the long canary grass on the edge of the willows I have a blind built. I have some pics of huge bucks in there, I can hear them walking threw the water just before dark.


I only hunt the stand in a north west wind since my scent shouldn't hit the swamp. I have hunted in less favourable wind only to hear snorts as the bedded deer winded me. Game over.


Don't pressure the deer very much, Keep your scent to a minimum and don't set up too deep in the swamp that getting in and out of your stand will spook deer. I would say you spook a big buck in his prime bedding area he likely wont be back for a while, Unless its in the rut and he's got other things to worry about.

If it is a prime bedding area (likely) than there should be runs leading in and out of the bed areas connecting to food sources. Connect the active food sources to the bedding areas and then hunt those runs along the edges of the swamp. Like everybody said do not hunt in with marginal or poor wind directions.

ok, thanks a lot. I was thinkin of maybe going for a look and possibly putting the blind up on Monday afternoon. would it be better to hunt there in the morning or evening?

I love hunting in Dec.....my best stand is back in a swampy area that takes till Dec before I can get back there without walking thru water or over thin ice....(hard to sneak into a stand while your making that kind of noise).

Once the area has froze over it's ideal for hunting, quiet to get in, especially with a skiff of snow down and it will show you the deer flow areas as well as provide a better way to track a blood trail if need be .

Get yourself an ML and enjoy the Dec hunt or better a crossbow and hunt right thru till New Years eve.

welcome to the forum !!! Good first post :thumbup:

you will most likely have better luck hunting afternoons as if you try to get to your stand early in the morning you may spook the deer that are out in the fields feeding before thy head to the bed for the day .you should be able to slip in to your stand in the early afternoon with the right wind and not spook the deer that are bedded and wait for them to come out for the evening to feed the last half hour of legal shooting light should be your best bet to kill a good deer .there is another way to hunt these kind of swamps and that is with a group of guys .you get some guys that can shoot and put them on the escape roots and have two or three guys walk thru the swamp to kick the deer out .we do this in the December gun hunt at home works very well Dutch

I agree with all this ^^^^. Everything you need to know right there. Good luck.

I group hunt during our 6 day guns season here in December but we rarely go through there because it is so thick. anytime we ever do it all that has made an appearance is coyotes and foxes. thanks for the advice btw

so heres another question.....say I go in around idk 1pm and sit til dark. would it be any kind of idea to put out a doe decoy or some doe urine/feed/calling to lure them out or just wait them out? I think it could be a good place during the rut using scents and calls. any thoughts?

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Originally Posted by 22x11

so heres another question.....say I go in around idk 1pm and sit til dark. would it be any kind of idea to put out a doe decoy or some doe urine/feed/calling to lure them out or just wait them out? I think it could be a good place during the rut using scents and calls. any thoughts?

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I have used a doe decoy before in my swamp area with not much luck. I think it would work great if you have it positioned just right that the buck would have to circle it towards you to get downwind.

I have rattled in there before just before dark in pre-rut. I got busted once by a mature buck, He walked right threw the thick cedars and into the willows and by the time I seen him he was already downwind and stopped and took off and I only got a good look at his rack as he bounded away.


Next time i set up bit different. Light rattling brought out a small 6 point for a look. He took a few pushes at some saplings before coming my way on high alert looking for the fighting bucks. I shot him at 10 yards with my excalibur.

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Originally Posted by 22x11

would it be any kind of idea to put out a doe decoy or some doe urine/feed/calling to lure them out or just wait them out?

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LOL...you'll get a lot of testimonials from every guy who swears what he does works :) ...just like no two hunters are the same neither are the Bucks. One season scents work, then they don't. Same with calls, some work great for some guys and others swear they spook the deer.

A wise old Hunter that mentored me says the best way to hunt a Buck was to sit in a tree and pretend your an acorn....(no sound no movement)......I find it works too, especially if you've been baiting the area all season and doe's and fawns are frequenting the bait piles....the Bucks will naturally come along eventually.

Go in,learn the lay of the swamp,(remember if it is really large swamp-there will be NO bedding areas in every square meter),set up and hunt it with good wind only.You will likely bust more deer then you will like(they will move where you would figure they would not, when it will be the worst for you...but hey,you will allways learn something important or usable ).It will take several years before you figure out your honey spots, and the deer patterns in your area of the swamp.But you will have a lot of fun during this time, and you will lilkely score some...
Scout ,pre-during and post season, and in few years you will be able to hunt it with frequent success.
I recommend tree stands,high up-so you can see thru or above vegetation,downwind from trail intersections,or set up close to rub lines if you can find some.The deer moves out to eat from the swamps ,find their main travel routes, and set up downwind from them.The biggest challenge you face is that the deer will be on occasion downwind of you no matter what you do.......Enjoy,it is a lot of fun.

I personally have seen more deer when I go in with the approach where I will create no scent, no sign, no hint I'm around. I have never had success using man made scents or attractants. Limit your time in the area your going to hunt, get your ground blind in well ahead of time, leave no hint you were there if your not successful first time you use it or they will pick up that someone was on the area and that ground blind will be finished.