EARLY GUN SEASON THOUGHTS

[CC Hurl]

Just wondering what some people think about the early gun season coming up this weekend. It has allready started to affect me just because of people walking in the woods. Just want some feed back from other archery hunters.

[mechanictim]

Glad it is not in my area .

This weekend is the pheasant opener and over the years I have learned to use the commotion to my advantage. There are always some pretty decent bucks that get busted out of cover that would be impossible to approach and hunt with a bow.

Since the bucks in the early season are off limits to the gun hunters you should try to figure out some escape routes and travel corridors and set up an ambush. Two tips: deer that are spooked and not shot at will still stop just inside of heavy cover to check their back trail as long as they have put some distance between themselves and whatever spooked them, If you can, stay mobile to take advantage of the coming and going of other hunters.

[Mark Christianson]

I'm not so sure the pheasant opener is going to impact the areas that have the early season doe hunt with firearms.

If there is any huntable population of pheasants in those permit areas, I would think it would be a miracle at best.

[mechanictim]

biglakeba$$, I didn't mean to imply that pheasant hunters would be pushing deer around in the areas open for the early doe season, just wanted to give some suggestions from what I have learned from the pheasant hunters down this way and hope the bowhunters up that way could take advantage/cope with the influx of other hunters coming into the areas they are hunting.

[FL SNIPER]

Can a bow hunter still harvest a buck this weekend in MN? I don't recall seeing anything in the rule book about not being able to.

I think in Wisconsin when they have their early season gun hunt for anterless deer, a buck can not be harvested with any weapon.

Not 100% positive on either of those assumptions, just thought it would be good to get cleared up for everyone...so please chime in if you know for certain the rules. Thanks.

[CC Hurl]

I have not read anything that says we cannot take a buck this weekend. I hope they dont take it that much further.

Hopefully this will be the only year they do such a thing.

Not liking the idea if you havent noticed yet.

Trying to score on a nice 8 point and have him hitting some mock scrapes and im affraid trafic is going to mess it up for me. Oh well what do ya do?

Seen him again sunday and going to give it a wirl tonight.

Just love being out there enjoying nature.

[tunrevir]

I am kind of bummed about the early gun season. Of course the DNR bean counters have said that this is the lowest harvest weekend by the numbers they have. I have personally found that the area that I hunt just goes completely quiet after shotgun season. I hope that this early hunt doesn't mess up the deer movement and make them go nocturnal. So far, each time I have been out I have seen 5-7 deer, all does except one small forky. The beauty of this spot is that it is a doe core area and when the rut begins the big boys start trolling through in search of a date. The bad news is with this early hunt the prom might end before it ever gets started. I'll be curious to see what happens come late Oct/early Nov.

Tunrevir~