hey guys. im from south east louisiana, near the atchafalaya basin. the atchafalaya river branches off of the mississippi river and forms its on type of delta, so to speak. ive always hunted in central mississippi, and ill be doing that this year. all of my friends know im the biggest deer hunter among us (im only 16), so one of them asked if id like to start hunting on some land his family has owned for about 100 years. now, im pretty knowledgeable on how to hunt hardwoods because its what im familiar with. since my friend wants me to start trying to harvest a few deer off of this property, help from you guys would be appreciated. ill be hunting here every chance i get..days after school, weekends im not able to make it to mississippi, etc. this land is near both the intercoastal waterway and the atchafalaya basin. it hasnt ever been hunted for deer because nobody in his family has taken interest, but the surrounding properties are known to have great numbers of deer. im familiar with the property due to a few squirrel hunts made over the years. the land is low..multiple ridges run along the land in places. the ridges primarily hold water oak, pin oak, and sweetgum. the lower parts hold palmetto leaves, big water oaks, and cypress. i was just wondering if you guys had any suggestions as to how we should go about hunting this. the only reason he really wants to is because i brought him to mississippi last year to kill his first deer. since then, he's been hooked. ill be hunting with my bow, and he's looking to buy a crossbow to extend his season a bit and have less restrictions (antlerless vs antlered deer at certain times). any help in any way, shape, or form would be greatly appreciated. thanks.
View attachment 48343 i apologize, this is the best i could do. there is more to the property, but it is split off into different areas. this is the main part. the triangle, so to speak, below the island is the land im referring to. there isnt anywhere to plant, and the ridges are about every 200 yards apart running perpendicular from bayou black.
The ridges will be both your food sources and most stable winds come fall. Watch for restrictive bottlenecks that will naturally funnel deer to a spot or cut off points that naturally force high traffic lanes to and/or from food like the mast producing trees on the ridges. If placing mineral through season is legal there then get some stations set up ASAP. Set them up in areas that will force deer by your stand and hunt over the traffic lane. If mineral is not legal then pay attention to the restrictions and set it out and remove it in time to be legal, the site will remain active for months after removal anyway. The reason I say this is because it sounds like deer on that property will be scattered with so many ridges with mast producing trees, mineral sites may be the only way to focus deer traffic in any manageable way. Otherwise it would just be pot luck. Feeders can be utilized the same way but after removal won't stay active as long after it's removed. (if it has to be removed during season)
I hunt in Louisiana also, but I'm in the hardwoods on the northern part of the state. I know just enough about hunting in the swamp to know that it is an entirely different experience than most people are used to. I recommend you go to a Louisiana based forum called Bayou Bucks and ask your question there, tons of that sites members hunt the Atchafalaya area and I'm sure they can give you some useful insight. Good luck.
