Use Swamp Fox Tactics to Bowhunt Wetland Buck Deer with Will Primos and Mark Drury
Day 4: Hunt the High Spots above the Water Line and Scrapes in Water to Take More Deer
Editor’s Note: High places such as islands, the tops of ridges and large logs above the water line provide places for deer to bed in swamps. But for the deer to live their lives in wetlands, they must have food, water, a dry site to bed, a way to travel through the wetlands and a place to breed.
  While scouting one day, I discovered a major deer trail going into the water, walked around this flooded-timber area and saw where the trail came out of the water. Wearing my waders, I entered the water and found a ridge about knee-high that crossed the swamp. The next summer when the water receded, I scouted the swamp and saw that the deer had created a path across an old beaver dam the width of the swamp. When the fall rains came and covered the beaver dam, the deer continued to walk that same trail, the most-shallow place for them to cross this wide expanse of flooded timber.
  The following deer season, I put my tree stand in a water oak tree, 75-yards away from either bank but less than 30-yards from the beaver dam. My stand faced northwest, the direction of the prevailing wind, which blew in my face and carried my human odor away from the beaver dam and out toward the main river. By driving my vehicle to the edge of the river and wading quietly to my tree stand about 400-yards away, I left no odor and made little noise. That season I arrowed two nice-sized bucks as they crossed the beaver dam and learned another advantage to hunting water. Once taken, I could float the deer to shore, which made my retrieving them much easier than dragging them on dry land.
Hunt Scrapes in Water:
Scout a flood plain before it floods to locate traditional scrapes and rubs. Even after the water rises, you may find the overhanging branches on which bucks have left the scents from their eyes, noses and mouths above water. Mature bucks will continue to visit these same historical scrapes after the land floods. When hunting over water scrapes, you won't leave any human odor for the bucks to detect.
  To get John E. Phillips’ Kindle books “PhD Whitetails: How to Hunt and Take the Smartest Deer on Any Property” and "How to Hunt Deer Up Close: With Bows, Rifles, Muzzleloaders and Crossbows”, click on them, or go to http://www.amazon.com/kindle-ebooks, type in the name of the book, and download it to your Kindle, and/or download a Kindle app for your iPad, SmartPhone or computer.
Tomorrow: Know the Advantages of Hunting Deer in Water
About the Author
John Phillips, winner of the 2012 Homer Circle Fishing Award for outstanding fishing writer by the American Sportfishing Association (ASA) and the Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA), the 2008 Crossbow Communicator of the year and the 2007 Legendary Communicator chosen for induction into the National Fresh Water Hall of Fame, is a freelance writer (over 6,000 magazine articles for about 100 magazines and several thousand newspaper columns published), magazine editor, photographer for print media as well as industry catalogues (over 25,000 photos published), lecturer, outdoor consultant, marketing consultant, book author and daily internet content provider with an overview of the outdoors. Click here for more information and a list of all the books available from John E. Phillips.
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