Float-Hunting For Deer is an Old Indian Method 01

  Float-hunting for deer is an old Indian method. Camouflaged canoes flowing with the current allowed the hunter to get within stonehead-arrow range of unsuspecting deer, which had gathered at the water's edge to cool, to drink and feed. Deer eat aquatic vegetation. In addition to the general succulence of browse to be found at the sunlit edge of waterways, such as the favored willows, vegetation draws deer into the water for food. Deer will bring up whole lily pad plants with their feet to consume them or actually plunge their heads underwater to forage for other aquatic vegetation.

  Almost all aquatic vegetation makes good salad-bar food for deer. They will separate the earth muck around cattails in swampy locations a foot deep to reach the tender and starchy roots. Cattail wallows actually made by deer look like the work of hogs.Canoeing to scout for deer along creeks is one of the best ways to scout. Boating rivers and creeks while looking for bank trails and deer sign is also very productive. In shallow streams, look for disruptions in color in the stream bed as telltale signs of deer crossings, as well as the obvious paths and skids down banks. Remember that deer do not often go straight across waterways but attempt to confuse their backtrails by going upstream to exit the water. Enjoyment is likely another reason that deer take a long route crossing a stream.A boat is at times the best method of reaching wilderness hunting areas, where the moving water naturally took the easiest route. This path of least resistance can be the most practical method of bringing deer out as well.A houseboat makes a good base camp for a party of river or reservoir hunters. The entire camp can readily be moved.

  Scouting or hunting waterways is the best method known to give you access to prime deer habitats. Some of the land you cover may be posted. You have a right to navigate the waterways but are considered a trespasser if you leave your boat to hunt land without permission in privately-owned areas. Upon locating a choice spot to hunt you might check with the local court clerks to find the owner of the land to obtain permission.Use all the common sense you can muster in employing aquatic transportation. Safety should always be the first thought. Since you are entering areas by the "back door" instead of by the highway access "front door" you may not be able to accurately judge what is beyond the trees that border the creek You should take the time and exert the effort to obtain a map of the waterway to help you familiarize. A shot from a high-powered rifle can throw an unstable canoeist into the water.