Bow Hunting during rifle season

[MOstate]

I was thinking on trying this this weekend. The rut should be in right now and was planning on trying some calling, decoy, and scent.

This will be the first time I've tried this. So any tips all you experienced hunters have please share.
Thanks, Joe

[RightTrailWrongTime]

I would be careful, around here the "if it's brown it's down" guys shoot at everything. I used to trap and phesant hunt during rifle season(can't bowhunt during) but I quit because of them!

[MOstate]

Im hunting with my 3 brothers and dad. I will have orange on. Plus the new rule that the property owner put in will keep us from doing that haha

[Tater John]

I listened to a .22 cal. bullet zing overhead saturday afternoon from a squirrel hunter, I suppose, that was across the creek from me. Apparently there wasn't enough activity and shortly thereafter they emptied the magazine out followed by the report of a shotgun. I'm not interested in being in the woods during rifle. I try not to be to concerned standing outside my house. Hope I never hear a bullet go while in my yard.  :(  

Rusty

[John3]

Hunt the same way as normal.. If you know of thick cover get close to it.. After the guns open up that is a great place to be. I hunted for years with my bow during rifle. I got into Muzzleloading so thats what I do now. Just love to be in the woods with a "traditional" gun.  LOL


John III

[TimZeigler]

Be super careful totin a decoy out durin the gun season. Think it was last year that fella got in a bad situation by setting up decoy in an open field, ended up with a hole in him.  Not sure but I think he was bow huntin too.

[the not so straight arrow]

hunter orange!!! sometimes guys during the rifle season (nothing against rifle hunters) can get trigger happy when they havnt seen much and its their only weekend up from the city lol. just be careful and get into the deepest thickest stuff you can find out there, hopefully the deer will get pushed into there after they hear a few gunshots over the weeks. wear hunter orange and, even if its just a ball cap and find some good thick stuff FAR from the others guys.

even when i hunt my own land i wear hunter orange as ive had trespasser's fling bullet's over my head ( i carry a whistle for that reason now). people can be dumb like that so just be careful and more importantly have a good hunt. best a luck fella.
-cory

[Jerry Jeffer]

Yeah, just wear the orange and have fun. I do it every year. Had a blast last year. No pun intended.

[WestTnMan]

Same here, just put on the orange and go. One of my best bucks was killed with my bow during gun season. I am more worried about being in the woods during turkey season.

[mjh]

As other have said wear the orange!! I will only hunt private property during gun season. Not garuntee for deer or safety but I feel it gives a small measure for safety, only certain people supposed to be there at any given time.  Saw a nice buck Sunday pm during gun season. Wind was good for me but he stayed on the edge for about 10min or more turned around walked back into the heavy brush.  I'll be back looking for him in a few days time, wind willing!

[jimmerc]

I just this year started hunting during gun season here in northern new york with my bow,as i sold all my guns! i wear hunter orange as we have alot of those if its brown its down people,spent all last week hunting from sunrise to sun set,8 days total, the weather being warm from wedsday on shut down the movement, some of the best hunting starts up here now thru close of season in a month!! just wear that orange, and good luck,enjoy the extended bow season you just created for yourself!

[Bill Turner]

Depends on how much control you have. If it is private property with known hunters just make them aware of what your doing and where your doing it. Hunted successfully with my bow on several Texas leases right along side the gun hunters. Never had a problem and never failed to to take pigs and deer during the gun season with my bow. Course I'd rather hunt with bowhunters only, as I do now.

[Sam McMichael]

I have hunted both public and private land for many years with relatively few issues. Most guys in the woods are careful, but definitely WEAR THE ORANGE! Many of the less skillfull (read idiot) hunters are not woodsmen, so they often  never get far from a road or major trail, so try to get into the more secluded areas of the forest. If a 4 wheeler can get into it be leery. No, I'm not at all being derogatory toward all who use 4 wheelers, but the easier the access to an area, the greater liklihood of more hunters using it. Lastly, I have watched the reactions of numerous dear to the sound of distant gunshots, and they hardly take notice, so bow hunting along with the gunners is not a handicap at all. Just keep your distance.

[Guru]

be careful....never under estimate the judgement of others.....
 

almost 5yrs ago now.....

  http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=39;t=000044

 http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=39;t=000067

[Little Tree]

Holy sh@t! what a story!, glad to hear you are still flinggin' arrows buddy! Gotta wear the orange!

[Soilarch]

I'm from Southern Illinois.  Real close to the Shawnee National Forest.  We get a TON of Chicago-ians each year.  Typically there's a dead cow or horse by the end of the season too! (No Joke...and I don't know many farmers who keep their livestock on the border between private and public land.  In fact, I can think of one.)  I can cut the guys...(a.k.a idiots) a little slack.  I've basically taught myself to hunt and I started with a PSE Nova...my heart was POUNDING that first year when I saw those new 4" tracks right by spot...then a cow "mooed" about a 100 yards away and I felt like a dip...(a.k.a idiot!)

Wear the orange, and if it's legal to bowhunt during gun season (in IL it's not) go for it.

P.S. I still think there's a big difference between a newb getting excited about some cloved-hoof tracks or movement in the woods and actually dropping the string or hammer on anything you can't identify.


This very issue is why I'm hesitant to start turkey hunting with a shotgun.  I think *statistically* it's the most dangerous...and if you ever get a chance to see what close-range shotgun wounds look like...say "no thank you".

[bowhunterfrompast]

Originally posted by Guru:
[QB] be careful....never under estimate the judgement of others.....
 

almost 5yrs ago now.....

Sound advice, be safe and enjoy the hunt.

[IronCreekArcher]

DO NOT DECOY, RATTLE OR CALL if you are anywhere near any other hunters that you know of.  Try to stick to private ground with no other hunters if possible and most definitly wear the orange...damn Guru what caliber?

[Ron Haines]

I hunt all season with the bow.  But once small game opens I were a blaze orange hat in most of my stands.  Some of my stands my dad and I are the only ones around.  If there is a chance that another hunter will be coming along with me in the tree, the orange hat is on.

[Tom]

I sometimes bow hunt during our gun season, on private land, and even wearing orange have had yahoos within 15 yards who didn't know I was there until I said something. Kind of spooky that they were armed and oblivious.