Pheasant hunting during deer season

[pulleye16]

This will be my first year that I "might" attempt this. I usually have very limited weekends for going after one of my favorite game species, the pheasant! I have been very lucky the last few seasons at getting a deer during the first week of deer season but have off through the second weekend so I decided, if lucky, I would go pheasant hunting the second weekend.

What is the Etiquette for hunting a WMA or other public area during deer season? Obviously if I see Orange i'm getting out of there or if I can see them from the road I would never hit that area, but is going out in general too risky? A dog will accompany me.

[ReelTimes]

Let me tell you a story. I have always had a rule that I would not pheasant hunt during deer season for a # of reasons. 4-5 years ago I was invited to go down and hunt Iowa on a 1000 acre farmstead. This was in mid December. I assumed that late in the year deer season had ended. Well, as I was working some CRP down in a gulley I heard 2-3 shots and then the 4th came whistling by my ear. Needless to say I hit the dirt and called my dog. With that a 8 point buck came running straight at me. I shot my gun to divert his direction. When the action subsided I got up and noted a truck speeding off down the road. They were road hunting, saw the buck, pulled over and opened fire. Obviously they didnt see me. It was the only shots I heard that day but later found out it was the last weekend of the season. For me, it was "Trip Over".

[CRAZYEYES]

I stay away from pheasant hunting during the weekends while deer hunting is going on but if no onw is hunting a piece of state land or somewhere that i have permission I still pheasant hunt during the week. I'm dressed in full blaze of course. I do stay away from anywhere in the rifle zone and give grouse hunting a rest. The only thing that scares me is the road hunters and guys with doe permits that think they can shoot at sound, unfortunately they do exist.

[2thepointsetters]

Here is long thread from awhile back about the same topic.

http://www.hotspotoutdoors.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/1581499/1

[11-87]

think i'd stay clear of the pubic areas.. maybe some private parts would be a little better..

I've done some during the season, but always on private land where I knew the owners, and only in areas I knew well.

[BobT]

Pheasant hunting or deer hunting during that time is equally as dangerous.

[HawgMan]

I for myself & the safety of my dog stay home.

CUZ the red coats are comming!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The outa the woodwork grab a gun once a year yahoos are out 'n about!!!!

[DaSwede]

I'll never go again during deer season. One slug whistling by my ear was enough for me to realize that no bird is worth getting shot over or losing my dog over.

[R. Miller]

I did some pheasant hunting last year over deer opener and had some awesome success. I can't disagree with the people that wouldn't do it, but it helps if you know the area well too. I knew of a few public land WMAs and WPAs that never get deer hunted, I hit them each day for an hour or some and saw lots of birds and got a few and never saw another hunter.

[pureinsanity]

See deer hunting is my favorite time to pheasant hunt. The public land I go to has absolutely no one in them... Some of the best, and shortest days of pheasant hunting has occurred during deer season for me. I will continue to go out and hunt specifically when people are deer hunting.

Logically unless people are pushing WMA's you wont see any deer hunters unless its a woods.

[rbs]

When I used to go out pheasant hunting it would have been the second weekend of deer season. It was awesome hunting. I would not go out till 11am tho just to give the guys that are deer hunting the opportunity to run the grass before I got there. The last time I did it it was about noon and I kicked up 3 deer...one being the biggest buck I had seen in a long time. All the hunters were at the house eating lunch...lol

[pureinsanity]

Its always been my theory, the biggest bucks in the area, move at lunch time. When I deer hunt I typically hunt only lunch time! And when i have done that well, I got the biggest deer in the area.

[Gusser88]

I'd stay away from the public land. Have had a group of 10 guys pull into a WMA, park right next to my vehicle, and proceed to do a deer drive walking about 200 yards behind me. I veered off to the left and got the heck out of there. Although I believe there are a lot of deer hunters that understand hunting ethics, there are some that grab there gun once a year for deer opener weekend only and have no concept of hunting ethics and are very aggressive. It only takes one bad experience.

[Jack Peterson]

Here's why I go for pheasants during deer hunting:

1. Less people out for pheasants.

2. While I'm sitting in my stand, I can watch and hear where roosters land in the morning. Then I go straight to those fields or spots, and flush them at 9 o'clock. Boom boom boom. Easiest limit of the year. =)

Seriously, sit for deer and watch where the pheasants go as well. Then at 9, go shoot them!

[NELS-BELLS]

I went out pheasant hunting all day yesterday, (Sunday) SW of Sauk Centre. I hunted entirely on public land and I only saw a few deer hunters, all on private land. I didn't see any on the public land but there were lots of pheasant hunters on the public land. So much for thinking that there would be less pheasant hunters out due to the second weekend of deer season.

Nels

[pureinsanity]

If I had a truck I would have been out and about during the snow storm!

[RiverRunner]

I pheasent hunted deer opener this year for Pheasents west of Hutchinson. Not a big deal. Just stick to the smaller spots that the deer hunters won't be at. If you see a fair amount of trees theres probably deer hunters on it. If you see cars in the parking area, move onto the next spot.