The aerial on Google is deceiving.

I don't like to admit defeat, but someone bumping him may be he only way.  He probably lays up on a root ball all day long. 100 people have passed even closer than 15 yards from him and never saw him.

If you've been within 15Yards twice, I think you're on the right track.

Build ground blinds now, and let em season for 6 months ... no harm if you dont use em. If it's private land you could use a pop-up and leave it there.

Ben, thats probably what I'll do. I like to build forts. The idea of bumping him might do more harm than good. The place is a good size swamp and he could find another spot in there to live. The fact that he lives so close to the road seems to make him non existant to other hunters. It is a miserable place to hunt is the reason other hunters leave it alone.

You sure you cant creep in there with a small canoe? Something like an old town pack? I'd think it would work real slick and float even in the shallow spots.

This thing only weighs 33 lbs

http://www.oldtowncanoe.com/canoes/recreational/pack/

Taking advantage of laziness is a good thing.  +1 on parking far away.  Always play the wind and be aware of changes.  Use weather to your advantage..I.e spot and stalk after I has rained..wet/damp ground=quiet.  I would def consider ground blind and staying mobile.  I have seen more animals and shot opportunities while on the ground or staying moving than I ever have waiting around in a tree.  Binocs are your friend, even in the thick stuff!  Use em to see him before he sees you it's amazing how far you can see with binocs through holes in the brush.  Look long, look hard...you might see a patch of fur, or an eye!

I do it a little bit different. I mark the ambush spots whether it be a tree or ground blind. I have the spot picked out after scouting in advance. Like where you have seen him a couple times. Then Usually last week in Oct. I pick a windy day with the right wind direction slip in and set the stand at noon. Then Im on it til I shoot him. Im on stand from 4 to 8 hrs each set. At that time of the year his movements should be more frequent and you will catch him offgard. Don't Miss!!!

Binocs, yes. I usually neglect to bring them into a swamp. I'm always sorry for not bringing them. Also I like the idea of going out at noon on a windy day. That would be a different approach that might catch him off gaurd. And yes I am positive you can,t get a canoe down the creek. Wood ducks and muskrats are the only things that can navigate it.

I just had a thought. Ever seen the movie "300"? We can all stand on the edge of the swamp and black out the sun with a barrage of arrows. What do ya think?

...hmmm, how using about a rifle?...    

Tannerite?

Brian,

Skip the buck and hunt the wood ducks. They're delicious little morsels.      

John Eberhardts book or video about hunting pressured bucks is a good one. His experiences are from your neck of the woods, so I think you'll glean some great points from getting this.  You can get it locally in a lot of MI stores or 3 Rivers has it on their website.  John's a big proponent of scouting now with no snow on the ground and being done with your scouting and blind/tree setup by the time spring hits, so pick up the book/video soon and get it wrapped up in the next 2 months.  He may be on the payroll for scent lok (joking of course), but take that chapter with a grain or two of salt.   Good luck!!

Trail cameras will be very helpful to see where, when and direction.
The images will tell you whos traveling on the trails and how to plan your approach.
Sounds like your gonna have fun with this buck. Win or lose, you win...... Good luck!


......Philip

Philip, your right. He is fun. I want to let everyone in on it. And I was joking about the barage of arrows.

Find where the does are bedding and feeding, wait for the rut and set up on the does!! One, You do not say how big the piece is the buck is bedding in and two, very tough to kill a big buck in his own bedding area. Other than my first choice, I would find where he is exiting this area and set-up there to kill him. Walking in 75 yards from his bed, you will never kill him as he will know everytime you are there, unless you enter hrs. before first light or have heavy winds to cover any noise you make. Shawn

You may have to spend the night in the swamp to kill him!

I hunted a buck for 3 years here in Va(the only buck I had a chance to hunt for more than a season).Anyway,I finally figured out his bedding spot on a snow day.I try to approach this area at 3:00am and was still getting busted.Never killed him and never heard of anyone killing him.

I get out of work at 3:30 a.m. I'll try to be out there in the wee hours of the morning on a saturday. The buck beds real close to the road so I can use car traffic to hide any noise I make moving to an ambush spot. As far as being where the does bed, it's mostly the same spot. The surrounding area is so hevily hunted that the deer are in the swamp way before daylight and do not come out until way after dark.