the water connection

[Spurred]

I've always heard that big bucks tend to stay near running water, and in my own hunting that seems to hold true.

My very best spot, which has yielded three bucks over 140, is within earshot of a small creek and within 1/4-mile of a large river. It's a deep woods spot and the deer just seem to gravitate toward the river.

What's your experience with bucks and running water?

[JOEL]

i notice they like the swampy areas where i hunt i always figured it was for safety reasons, few people go into the swamp.i set up on the perimiter and get them coming and going

[locoman1951]

The water connection must be true , I have killed twenty two bocks in the last six years of hunting on the river were I live . All these deer are good bucks and some have scars were they have been fighting with other big bucks . One had his stomach riped open were another buck had tried to kill him before I did . I love water and food together .

[Robert Rowland]

I hunt a pretty large area that covers a river, about 1/2 mile wide river bottom and another1/2 mile of hill ground, and it is all 1mile long. I see more bucks on the hill ground during the rut than in the bottom, and the reverse all other times. I have multiple stands to cover every scenerio and a pop-up blind that I like more every time I use. There is more timber in the bottoms, but the bucks cruise the ridge top to scent check, and are more visable in the process.

[DeerCamp]

im very interested in this topic. i am going to be hunting near water this year and am doing this for this very reason. im hoping no one will be around this area as it is state land but know there will always be someone. i will keep everyone posted as to what happens.

[Sailfish]

Is there any correllation between "where" the water source is and if there is a good food source nearby? Or does that not matter to a buck?

[chris]

the subject i love ,swamps,95%of my hunting is done in the swamp,if your not wearing hip boots your not deep enough ha ha its not always like that.where i hunt there are twenty miles of channel in the swamp.you can canoe or boat it or come in by foot.the deer live on the islands and eat whats there or travel to outside farm fields.which can be as far as a 4 mile hike from the middle.And believe me they are in there,its how much effort you want to put into it.On drier years we can grow succesfull food plots,which draws and holds them.as of right now it is holding a foot of water where i hunt as of sunday.In reguards to pressure of hunters,how it affects the swamp,most guys are what i call the 100 yarders.they leave the truck and walk in 100 yds. shoot alot of younger deer.Then you have the old timers who go nuts deep and come out with big rewards all the time.your being chased by the cops are you going to run out in a open field where they can see you or are you going to go through the thickest badest terrain you can find.Thats why they get as big as they do.You can go up on the oak ridge i'll take my chance in the swamp.   


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[msbadger]

There is water on all sides of our land and just a run off pond that is dri most of the year....these water areas consist of runninig springs ...ponds and swamps......I started plotting a few years ago and wanted a water source near the many mini woodland plots... so I gathered koi pond liners rubber stock water tubs and old bath tubs....took the backhole and sunk them to ground level on the down hill side of plots....I've taken 8's and 7pters. over these and seen many more and bigger buck around them...usually chasing doe so no shots[:(]...but these water sources have increased my buck sightings over theses plots....and by sinking them I now have frogs breeding in them which eat skeeter larva....do need to drain every couple of years and refreshen....but thats not hard to do...55 gal barrel in tractor bucket...worth the effort.

[vambo991]

Gotta be something to that! It seems there's always more and BIGGER deer closer to the major river valleys. My example is the Mississippi river valley... I just don't know if you can find better hunting than if you follow the river valley right up between Illinois and Missouri and on in between Iowa and Wisconsin. And the action is really Really good where major rivers connect like where the Illinois and Missouri rivers run into the Mississippi. I think decent sized lakes can support big herds also. I know I always see deer around the shoreline while fishing lakes early in the morning during Spring in Illinois and Kentucky.

[vambo991]

love the analogy, chris