Double Creek

Thanks silent, I was thinking I would get back to the dry ridges to find where they are bedding..... In these natural low lying swamps, where have you found the typical bedding grounds to be?

silentassassin

Some will bed on the high ground but for the most part they will bed on any high dob or patch and the majority of the will bed in blow down in blow downs or actually climb up onto root wads and bed there. They will truley surprise you as to the places they will bed. You would think when you find a dry ridge that every deer in the country would bed there but that isn't the case. You have to get out of the idea of thinking of the water as an inconveinince for the deer. It's completely natural to them and they are unbothered by it. They typically won't bed in groups like they will in some areas at least not until late season when they all start running together. until then they will be scattered around blown downs or high dobs.

Double Creek

Thanks again, back to maps to look for funnels, etc in the water. What about the blood trails though? Do you only take a slam dunk shot?

silentassassin

All of my shots are slam dunks

Actually, a blood trail will show up in water better than you would think it would. You can actually see the blood floating in the water. Also, anywhere there is leaves or sticks or any type of debris in the water blood will show up on that. You do have to learn to pay really good attention to exactly what your deer runs by as it leaves, in case the blood trail isn't all it should be. You won't have trouble following a really good blood trail though. I really don't change anything from hunting water to not hunting water. I never take a shot unless I am absolutely confident that I can hit it. If you just take the shots that you feel confident shooting, you won't have any problems.

silentassassin

I will tell you another wonderful thing about hunting in the water. After you get the deer gutted they will pretty much float. You can hook your safety harness up to the head and drag the deer behind you and you can hardly tell it's back there.

hatchet jack

I started hunting with a canoe last year on the Delaware River. I did not get a deer, but i seen some real nice Bucks that i know are still out there. This opened a whole new way of bowhunting for me. iTS a little more work, but I know it will payoff . Good Luck you are onto some great bowhunting. I have a Radision 12ft canoe it only weights 35 . This comes in handy

dildoe

I use my old aluminun canoe a lot to get into remote areas. I know--aluminum is noisy, but I take some precautions to cut down on the noise. I have glued rubber around the upper portion of my paddles to quiet them from contact with the sides of the canoe. I also lined the area where my feet rest as well. It's cheap, rugged, and it works for me. It takes the occasional rocks pretty good. It has the dents to prove it.

Dillon

Mantis Mayer

Very good point!

We use canoes to gain access to an aria no one hunts. It's an Island and hillside. Floating downstream in the dark is dangerous. A friend of mine dumped his canoe one morning because he wasn't using a light and was also hugging the outside bank. One downed tree and he was wide awake, wet, cold and without a few items he originally had.(Murphy’s law follows this kid everywhere)

Might I suggest you get a good head lamp so you don’t have such misshaps.

I'll second the wide bottom. I like the looks of the canoe Frank posted!

Rack, Such and elitist!

I can row a boat! Canoe?

Danny45

Wow, a lot of people use them. I never could figure out how to get the damn thing up into the tree.

silentassassin

lmao