Do you guys see deer cross rivers?
Contributors to this thread:Kansas
From: PatientWolf
06-Nov-17
Had a spike buck cross the river right behind me this morning. You guys see this often? It was only a few feet deep so he walked across. I've only ever seen it on tv and trailed a few deer across creeks but never actually seen one do something like that.
From: TwoDogs@work
06-Nov-17
A few years ago while in a stand next to a river I heard a splash behind me and looked to see three deer swimming across the river. They came by me and I was able to kill the largest doe. They were simply coming from a bedding area to the feed field I was hunting. They were not spooked as the started feeding as soon as they reached the field. They could have traveled a couple hundred yards and crossed at a riffle where they often crossed. I guess that day they took a shortcut.
Where I hunt they often cross the river. They usually do so in a shallow spot about knee deep on me. I have read that deer are strong swimmers and the ones I saw swim looked to do so with no difficulty.
From: BuckDown
06-Nov-17
I was sitting Friday night with a decoy out, wind pushing my scent to the river right behind me. With 45 minutes left in the night I heard something trotting in the river, it was a doe with her mouth wide open and on her tail was a mature 8 pointer chasing and grunting. Walked right behind me downwind within 30 yards, they never winded me, then they came back the same route five minutes later to within 30 yards. Only chasing I have seen so far.
From: sitO
06-Nov-17
Dad and I fish quite a bit at QSR in SE Kansas. One morning we were headed towards the damn and I saw something sticking out of the water in the middle of the lake. As we got closer I could see that it was a doe and she was crossing the lake at one of the widest parts...I'd say 300yds or more. They can swim.
From: Catscratch
06-Nov-17
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCgkIKUzRPo&t=1s
Here's a video my wife took a couple of yrs ago. I apologize if you've already seen it but it shows deer swimming.
I also have a stand that I can hear deer crossing a creek before I can see them. It's always exciting to hear splashing and wonder what's coming!
From: Habitat for Wildlife
06-Nov-17
Yes, have seen it a number of times. Also saw Caribou swim a lake in Canada. Drove our boat fairly close, not really intentionally, but they were headed to the same island we were.
From: Trebarker
06-Nov-17
Yep, have seen it, one of my stands is near a creek crossing, when it has water in it, I can hear them crossing and coming my way.
From: Acornhollow
06-Nov-17
Bumped a buck off the high bank once. The river was up and moving pretty good. It was about a 10-15 foot drop before he hit the water. Didn’t faze him a bit. First bobcat I killed swam across the river to me. Learned that day water and fast current doesn’t bother them either.
From: keepemsharp
06-Nov-17
I think their hair is kinda like a hollow straw and they float real good. Years ago we hunted on the big blue river and watched them crossing on a regular basis, usually at riffles.
From: Quailhunter
06-Nov-17
Saw one swim across the Navigation Channel east of Tulsa several years back. Came right up and shook off and ran right past me. About an hour later he came crashing past me again chasing a doe. Small buck. Figured he could smell her over there. Swam well and it’s deep.
From: LTG 11
06-Nov-17
There's a bedding area in a wetland that I've tried to get to. It's deeper than chest waders in every direction and nasty roots and brush surrounding it. I saw 4 bucks parade along a high point in there while duck hunting. Cannot figure out how to hunt it, but they're there.
An old farmer I duck hunted with told stories of seeing deer swim across the mississippi river... he was kind of full of s**t though, in a good way.
From: liktobowhunt
06-Nov-17
seen alot of deer swim creeks and rivers but have also seen them swim lakes more than once
From: Genesis
06-Nov-17
They make short work crossing a small river.Seen it many times......saw a buck chase a doe and grunting at her and lip curling as the both swam the river.He shook off and I shot him.
From: Kansasclipper
06-Nov-17
Quite a few myself. I actually rattled a buck in 3 years ago that swam a strip pit about 150 yds wide and 40 plus feet deep.
From: Matte
06-Nov-17
All the time. Seen deer swimming in Cheney all the way out as well.
From: Jayhawk1983
06-Nov-17
Once in person. Saw a mature 10 swim about 75 yards from a duck blind in late November 10-12 years back near Clinton Lake at the walk-in area. The marsh was about to freeze. Still to this day think about that buck and wonder why he took a dip in ice water instead of walking around the marsh on the bank.
From: sitO
06-Nov-17
Oh yea? Well I once was snorkeling below the dam at Milford...and I shot a Bobcat stuffed inside a coyote stuffed inside a deer. Called it a"Deyotecat" top that!
Love this site... everyone's always got a better story ;?)
From: liktobowhunt
06-Nov-17
That,s a plad story
From: Habitat for Wildlife
06-Nov-17
One time in band camp...
From: Kansasclipper
06-Nov-17
They will swim for miles to reach a corn pile.
From: PatientWolf
06-Nov-17
Lol no bait in my hunts and i hunt public land so most of the time i stay away from ag fields. Thanks for all the response i knew they didnt mind water but hadn't ever seen it for myself.
From: Sooner Draw
06-Nov-17
I hunt on the Medicine River just south of the Oklahoma State line ( I know, but the Kansas site is so much more active). It's a shallow river so the deer usually don't have to swim. North end of the property I hunt, the bedding area is on the east side of the river and they feed on the west side. Deer cross it like it's not there, doesn't bother them at all! The few times I have seen the river raging and thought that it would definitely stop them from crossing, it didn't!
From: ks chas
06-Nov-17
One of my best trail cam spots is a river crossing. They use it all the time. I could also tell you I saw one swim across Glen Elder once but no one would believe me so I wont.
From: Chief
07-Nov-17
Excellent swimmers, they will not hesitate to fly off into the water from a 20 ft. high bank if need be. Watched two does swim over a quarter mile across part of Melvern lake. Watched a small 8 point buck swim against a very fast current of a small creek after a heavy rain must have been 10 foot deep and flowing at 6 to 8 mph. Was amazing to watch that. Water is no barrier to them as you can tell from all the posts.
From: leftee
07-Nov-17
See it often.I spend a lot of time fishing and hunting on Lake Of The Woods and see them swimming from island to island.Sometimes a mile or more.
From: turkulese
07-Nov-17
“One time in band camp”... lol. Good one, Frank... About spit coffee out my nose.
From: liktobowhunt
07-Nov-17
Swim for miles or a strip pit?
From: dcal
08-Nov-17
Grew up on table rock lake and seen them headed for main channel several times. They are good swimmers if they have to
From: Recurvericky
08-Nov-17
When I lived in eastern NC, I saw deer swim the Roanoke river all the time. Sometime the distance from bank to bank was 200-300 yards.
From: Griff
08-Nov-17
On two different occasions I have seen deer swim across a cove on the lake that is probably 200 yards across. They seem to make short work of it when they do.
From: Acornhollow
22-Nov-17
Acornhollow's Link
Had this buck walk past me tonight on his way for a dip.
