Operation swamp donkey bridge has started...I work in large format printing..2 60 x 120 skids split down to 30 x 120 with 2 10 foot 4 x 4 for future possibility..

Cost zero just a little of my time..

Congratulations on the property. 

Maybe not now but in the future making trails? Easier for the kids and family to get around. We made a 50' stretch by cutting 5' long dead fall, or soon to be.. Little mulch and dirt over top. Put some grass and winter wheat on top. Drive mower or a atv over it to cut trails, food plot, or drag your kids deer. Just a different option. 

Made some foot bridges out of wood boxes our steel comes in at work. 12' long 7 1/2" wide 7" high. Screw 2 together length and 2 width.

Good luck and enjoy making memories..

Zoned undeveloped and Ag land .No wet Land we asked about that before we purchased it..l like the chain link fence idea..

You may want to check with country agent to be sure the land is not considered wetland  . Find out if it is, and what you can do to it . May save you an expensive fine . Don't want to mess with wetland regulations. 

That said I put down some lengths of chain link fence. Basically invisible after a year,  and firms up some soft spots .

All very good input..Thank all of you...I was thinking 15 inches wide but I am going to go 24 inches wide..  I will be putting Two 5 foot by 24 inches on boat dock support for adjustable height..2 more same way without dock support.. only one spot that I need to worry about..

Got some timbers from my neighbor after I rolled up a area for a garden he was going to toss them out.. Good trade half hour tilling and we both come out looking good..My wife happy his wife happy Zero dollars spent in saved him a ton of work..

Yes I did inform my new neighbor that I put up cell camera which I did plus 3 regular trailer cams.. Going to get to work on bridge idea this week I will post pictures..

discarded utility poles the kind you find laying along RR tracks weigh less than 100 pounds.  Talking about the old dried ones.  Ive carried dozens of them to build a log house so those were not impossibly heavy.  Yeah the new poles are defintiely not light.

Some years ago I hunted with a group that had access to a 120 acre parcel that had a ditch dividing it. Most years that ditch had knee to hip deep water in it and made for a long walk to get around it. I had a couple of heavy gauge 26’ steel studs leftover from a job I did. I took a sheet of treated plywood and cut 3 16” rips and screwed them on to form a bridge. We drove some treated 2x4 into the ditch bank 2’ apart and attached a cross member to set the end of the bridge on. Worked well to cross the ditch. Don’t know how far you need to go but you could make up several sections to span whatever distance you need. 16” was as narrow as you would want, 24” wide would be even better especially to drag a deer out on. Once a summer apply linseed oil/ Thompson water seal type of product to the plywood to get longer life. 

Agree that a low-cost, highly sturdy option would be a couple utility poles with pallets or planks of some sort on top. The problem with utility poles is they are HEAVY and you will not want to have to carry them far to place them. I have used 12" diameter utility poles for corner posts while fencing...an 8 foot piece weighs about 250-300 pounds...yours would be 600-700 pounds for a 16-18 foot pole. Not something you and your boys would want to carry 1/4 mile into a swamp/bog.

It would cost about $60 at Menards for a couple of 16 foot treated 2x8's...stand them on edge and screw pallets across them and you'd be set. The 2x8's would be MUCH lighter to carry and set and more than sturdy enough to walk across...I guess what I'm saying is cheaper isn't always better. $60-75 to build a simple foot bridge isn't expensive to me and will be MUCH easier to get in the woods than 16 foot utility poles in my opinion. If you aren't taking an ATV across them, I'd just use dimensional lumber and replace the pallets every couple years.

As for the neighbor...sounds like he may be trouble, but it could also be a front. I would maybe try talking to him again. Explain that since you are not from the area, you will be utilizing several cellular cameras to scout your new property and anyone seen trespassing will be prosecuted. There is his warning. You see them, call them in. If you can swing it financially, I would invest in a couple cell cameras if you don't have them. They are great scouting tools and are also eyes on your property when you are not around. Buy a section or two of hang on ladder sticks and hang them about 10-12 feet off the ground angled down...It will reduce the number of false triggers you get as well as deter theft as the cameras are above eye level and require a ladder or other tools to get down, which with a cell camera would give plenty of time for the camera to take and send a picture before they can steal it or turn it off. You can also reiterate that your kids will be hunting there and you don't want them injured or their hunts ruined. What I wouldn't do...is shrug it off and give them even an INCH of leeway once they are warned. Best of luck!

couple of wood poles, like phone poles,  with boards nailed across.

If you want to go cheap you can often find discarded  phone poles laying along railroad tracks.

Gotta love deer hunting. 2 weeks a year some people get so scared and act like life is all a pisn match

Good luck with your bridge ideas. I had a positive experience with the Menards piers in the past. Well built ,adjustable heights and was easy enough to work with in 5ft sections. 

Enjoy your new land with family and friends.