Hunting River Bottoms

How do you guys do it? This may be a really simple answer, but I am new to deer hunting(well I've never killed one at least). This year I finally have time to hunt like I want, but no funds for a lease. So I will be hunting public lands which are largely river bottoms in my area.

Try and find a pinch point or where deer are crossing the stream or creek whatever. Can be hard to work the wind in the bottoms so try not to get too close to where you expect the deer to cross.

Look for trails on shelves. If there are open areas near the bottom look for trails just a few yards inside the tree lines. Find the acorns and you'll find the deer. I used to love hunting river bottoms. My favorite spots were where the main river might have a smaller creek or branch on it with shallow water or swamp area.

River bottoms are known for big bucks.

If you can find white oaks with acorns, you will find deer eating them. There is nothing deer like more than white oak acorns. They are truly like ice cream to them.

Look for small places along creeks where the banks are not as steep on both sides, and the water is not as deep, making it easier for deer to cross them. Deer, and especially older bucks, are lazy creatures and travel along routes that offer the least effort. It's why saddles along ridges make good stand sites since it means a shorter climb for deer wanting to cross over the ridge.

Those are helpful tips! Thanks. rifle season can't come soon enough. My lack of skills is enhanced with bow season

Travel up those creeks and look for some oak flats(small to large area of oak trees dropping acorns). Everytime I hunted national forest. I would find more tracks and signs in oak flats that are close to the main travel creeks(where the deer traveled down to main lake).

Proximity to cedar thickets can help. Deer in North Texas like to bed up in cedar thickets. Try to find trails from those thickets to oaks and play the wind. Pinch points in river bottoms are hot spots but common knowledge on public stands.

Spent my first 10 years of hunting in the Sam Houston Natl Forest scouting out creek bottoms and looking for white oak groves. They gotta have food and water so find those oak groves. Scout yourself some deer trails and find where they are bedding which is usually a small clearing within a dense thicket, and hunt their paths between bedding areas and food/water sources.

Scrapes are handy for finding an area that is holding a dominant buck. Don't trust rubs, as bucks usually make rubs on the outside perimeter of their range.

If the woods are thick then you're gonna do best to find a "funnel". Deer always take the path of least resistance, so a logging road along the side of a thicket and an easy spot to cross a creek are a couple good spots to check for.

Good luck buddy! I had a lot of great times walking the woods with my pops, learning patterns and habits that a lot of these box blind shooters never had to bother themselves with. We couldn't bait, and we could leave a stand in the woods for more than a weekend so you really gotta read the sign!

My old place was entirely bottom land, and it had (generally) much larger deer than the rest of the county. Bottom areas are typically very nutrient-dense.

Figure out when the rut is first and foremost. The best tool you can have is the doe bringing the bucks into you when they're completely mindless. The bucks will also keep the does from freaking out because they're so annoyed by the pressure they're getting from the men that they won't have as much time to worry about some slightly off smell.

Then invest is some camo and find a trafficked area. Look for scrapes, rubs, etc. I killed a buck just sitting under a big tree last year and saw 3-4 I would have shot but didn't have clear views of the deer with all the trees in the way. Suckers were running all over the place looking for tail.

All good advice above. SMZs (streamside management zones) usually have an open understory. You can see quite a way. Find a pinoak flat that's producing and back up to a large tree. Carry a bipod or shooting sticks. I used to do this on the Neches bottoms. It works

Thanks for the advice guys. Not every forum is this receptive to newbies. I have my new popup blind and new leupold on my 270 both ready to rock. This will be my year! Plenty of trees in the areas Ive been looking into. I'll post any success after I have some venison heart and backstrap

Good luck

Good luck


Small Oxbows lakes in the riverbottom have been good to me, especially where the true river banks are high and steep.

If you keep food and cover in mind in choosing a location you will do well. You just need to be more careful of others when on public land..

^I was a coach last year and our colors are orange and black. Lots of bright orange dry fit shirts. At least they'll get used for something this year!

Good luck! Interested to hear the outcome.

I'll be hunting some river bottom this year too, I'm sticking to archery and shotgun only areas though as I don't own a rifle.

I hunt creek bottoms on public land and it seems like my best spot is where a natural funnel is made because of higher elevation and it is like an animal hwy. Also known as a pinch point. The animals are forced down to one area. And that is where i am set up with my ground blind