Aldeer.com Forums Alabama Deer Talk Serious Deer Talk Forum Anyone ever hunted by wading up a creek?

I mean staying in the creek and just slipping along. I've got a place that I'm considering doing this. Creek is 10-15 ft wide and ankle to knee deep in most spots. It's really thick along the creek and I should have the current and wind pulling scent in the right direction. I believe I can slip though quietly, given that there are several small log jams with falling water to cover my noise. Probably winds back and forth for 2 miles from one end of the creek to the other on the property. Banks are waist to head high in most spots, so I think I will be below their normal line of sight. I won't get to hunt this area again this year most likely, so I'm not concerned about blowing anything out. Has anyone had success doing this, or a reason not to?

I'd try it if I had the spot. Can't be worse than hours up a tree and would be a change of pace.

Plus you can look for arrowheads.

You will be way ahead in a small boa

boat

I’ve used dry sloughs to move around while actively stalking hogs. Never to slip around stalking deer. I would not choose to be down in the mud in hip waders if I had another route. The real problem I foresee is getting a shot. Most of our sloughs are about 5-8 feet deep in many areas and maybe waist deep in others. The sides are steep and you don’t just ease back up to ground level. If you poke your head up to look over it’s just cane and crap for another couple of feet off the ground. Maybe sparse or maybe so thick you can’t see 10 feet. Not unlike what you are describing. If you don’t come face to face with them in the creek I can’t see it being a likely optimum strategy.
What I WOULD suggest is to walk it and find the most active creek crossings and figure out how best to hunt those. From above.

No getting a boat in there. Could take a kayak, but it would be as much dragging as paddling/floating. Finding crossings is what I would be after as much as killing a deer. I know several small sections of the creek and I've never seen it past thigh deep so I'm not too worried about depth. The bottom is pretty solid in the places I've been in it, more sand than mud. There are a few places that I know it will open up due to mature timber coming right up to it. That's really what I'm interested in I guess. I killed an 8 point on Black Friday in a similar type place where there was a transition from thick cane to open pines right on a creek. Several more deer including some smaller bucks were with him. Probably 8 deer total and at least 3 of those were bucks.

Biggest thing is how high are the banks. I liked walking the banks better on the ones I hunted.


Now , I used to walk then and catch the heck out of eating size bass. Looked like bass any way.

If i lived in a certain town - i would get me a boat and hunt a certain wma

Animals used to boats - but i prob not floating a creek - but would be cool

I did this to kill a stubborn turkey once. Finally had enough. Got to spot and started calling like every morning so he would do his normal routine of going other way. Slipped down in a creek like your describing. Walked it a quarter mile and slipped up the bank crawling on my belly keeping a big tree on the bank betweeen me and him. Good times

Turkeys will make you do stuff like this.

I’ve walked them looking for crossing and watering spots Find me a good tree to climb or rough in a ground blind. Took a couple nice bucks doing this back in the day.

Did a few canoe floats years ago. Killed deer, ducks.

It never worked out for me on the creeks I tried. The banks were always too high.

Sometimes I’ll use a small creek or river bank as a way to get deeper into the woods without disturbing anything.

I have killed several dozen turkeys doing it

Never did it for a deer but I’m sure it would work

I've done it and you are spot on. Allows you to move silently and the banks will mask some of your movement. Even if on private property, make sure you wear an orange hat. You want that orange to be visible ABOVE the bank for obvious reasons.

Years ago I was in a club in Franklin County, a guy killed a nice 8 point by wading and stalking up a creek one morning. Robinhedd

Like others said the bank height is the real issue. If they are low enough and the wind is right you can walk right up on bucks bedded down. Coming up the bank to cross a log jam will be noisy and take a long time. I'd take way more time than you think as the old deer will just watch you walk by.

Did a lot of dumb stuff when I was younger before I realized you don’t have to work that hard to kill a deer.