• You’ve seen this stuff called phragmites, phrag or common reed. The leaves are about 2” wide and 20” long. In August it develops multi-branched, feathery-looking plumes at the top of a stem which grows to a height of 10’ to 12’. It normally grows in various-sized clumps or beds, often out-competing other marsh plants. It spreads by seed dispersal as well as by a rhizome or an under –the-surface root system. These dense beds provide travel corridors and resting cover that sikas absolutely love. Fight your way into one of them and you’ll see what I mean. Especially during the rut, stags love to cruise these beds in search for hinds in estrus. Find a tree/s inside a bed and you’ll surely see deer although there are not many openings. Station yourself between two beds and you’ve found a great spot as they move from one bed to the other.
• In typical wetland vegetation still hunting works well. Sneaking along quietly in heavy cover can put you face to face with sikas quite frequently. A subtle splash here and there along with some low-volume vocalizations sounds quite natural and can actually draw a deer to you. Make sure to move into the wind to avoid blowing your cover. They spend most of their lives not able to see more than 20 yards in front of them. You can definitely use this fact to your advantage.
• The marshes that sika like so much are interlaced with rivers, creeks and guts. Shallow draft boats with Go-Devil motors, kayaks and canoes are ideal for getting into good sika habitat. Why not utilize a boat as they can get you into places that many hunters can’t get to. You can cover a lot of territory and see a lot of interesting things out there besides. This mode of travel might even help you find some great duck hunting spots as well.
• It pays to listen to the weather report as unusually high water levels will temporarily move sikas onto higher ground. Change your tactics and hunt the islands and higher ground in these conditions. Frozen marshes with a lot of ice will do the same.
• Don’t neglect hunting natural food that produce hard mast like acorns and soft mast like persimmons. Feeding or baiting works extremely well for sikas. Corn is the most popular bait followed by others like: sweet feeds, corn/soybean mixes, small grains and pellets. Spin feeders, drop feeders and just plain ole putting it on the ground will do the trick. Sikas love food plots and agricultural grain crops as well.
• Sika decoys work in the right situations, especially where the decoy can be seen for a long distance like on the edge of a needle grass / short grass marsh or food plot. Sikas, especially stags will come right to them especially during the rut. Give them a try.
• Irene has put water into places that rarely has water. With that comes mosquitos; usually lots of them. With that, do yourself a favor and invest in a Therma Cell. These devices will keep the mosquitoes off you which keeps you from making a lot of unnecessary motion. The light smell doesn’t seem to bother them. The next best thing is a bug suit I often use both.
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