hunting during general gun season

[Michael Arnette]

Holy Cow! 600,000 gun tags! I bowhunt oklahomas gun season (it's quite an event too) pretty hard and have killed a few, including some nice bucks. However, OK has 160,000 gun hunters so not close to some of you guys in the NE. I can tell you I wouldn't be on public land and if I had private Id be tempted to leave it as a sanctuary.

One thing I've found is that the deer jump the string a lot worse and are more skittish in general.

[Cwilder]

I only hunt the opening day with a gun. Then I tend to hunt the rest with my bow. I often hunt bow only areas on the federal lands that I hunt

[Cootling]

I've had great luck bowhunting during the general gun season, even in areas with lots of hunters.  If you'd like to see my last rifle season archery buck, click on my handle at left.  I shot him about 2 weeks from 15 yards with a Pronghorn longbow.  

Wearing orange is not a problem.  After years of hunting in orange, I am convinced deer simply do not pick it up, and it is about the right shade to blend into the environment I hunt.  Lots of folks dress too dark.

Safety concerns are demonstrably not justified.  Just check the hunting accident stats for your stat and see how many shooting accidents are not self-inflicted or members of the same party.

It took me awhile to get used to having other hunters around.  I've had folks set up right next to me, or sit a short distance away and have lunch, talking all the while.  I've gotten used to it.  They come and go, and the deer come by in between.

[jsweka]

I stay home.  Not because I feel unsafe or that the deer are too spooky.  I just don't like seeing that many other people in the woods.

[Huntingnut]

I'm always out during gun season (usually with a fine piece of walnut and blued steel though). Deer are sometimes more skittish, depends on the hunting methods. Places that do huge drives tend to make the deer very difficult to bowhunt. After about 2 days of that and I swear a deer can see you blink at 100 yards  

[T Sunstone]

I got my best 8 point on next to the last day of gun season.  Tell you the truth I would have been happy to see a doe.  Cane out of a sanctuary bedding area the last 5 minutes of shooting light.  
 

[The Ole' Bowhunter]

I don't mind bowhunting during the regular gun season or any other gun season however, I mostly hunt private property that has very limited hunter access...still, I recommend wearing at least a blaze orange hat for safety.  To be sure the local whitetails are alert and tougher to find however, that is what makes bowhunting the sport it is.  We traditionalists don't mind hunting the hard way.

[The Ole' Bowhunter]

Wow...terry, nice buck and Congratulations on taking such a fine whitetail.

[MnFn]

I hunt private land so other than taking appropriate safety precautions I don't worry about it too much.

I find the deer much more skittish directly after the rifle season.

[GreyGoose]

If I hunt during "modern firearms" season, it's with a shotgun, and pretty much first day.  Nothing against it, and in fact I'm glad to see excess of the herd culled, but not really my thing.  I carry the 12 gauge because I prefer to be packing heat when I encounter uninvited hunters on my property (my bowhunting buddies have much better manners, even if I have yet to convert them to trad.....)

[Bill Carlsen]

laura did this last week during firearms season.

 

[fmscan]

T Sunstone.... that is one horse of a deer! I have never seen one that big. Congrads!

[ChuckC]

I really wish my wife went along with me some times.  I envy those that have that opportunity.
CHuckC

[Medic85]

I've really enjoyed all of the comments and appreciate all the replies.  I may go after hogs on the wma's I hunt during small game but I believe Ill leave it on the rack during general gun and avoid the crowds.  I enjoy the emptiness too much during archery season.

[randy grider]

I hunt public land during our statewide modern gun. Its bow only on public land until there is a gun quota hunt, therefore, I got the palce to my self ! No orange, no pressure. Its kinda nice.

[ISP 5353]

Originally posted by Izzy:
Hunt on weekdays, cuts the amount of hunters down by 90% at least.

Good advice!!!!

[Maxx Black]

I hunt on land where permission is only granted to me but when the gun season starts , all bets are off. So I stay close to home,and hunt my land. But as Izzy says the road hunters are a scary bunch, and yes weekdays are a lot quieter.

[mlsthmpsn]

Originally posted by Michael Arnette:
Holy Cow! 600,000 gun tags!

Actually, it was 710,680 licenses sold as of 11/20/14 (2 days prior to opening day)...And the lines at the local shops are packed real deep on the Friday before the opener.

WI riflemen are 5th or 6th largest standing army in the world on opening weekend.

[GingivitisKahn]

Sure - hunt it.  What's the big deal?  Don't imagine you are hunting the deer's pattern though - you are hunting the hunters' pattern.  I like to ambush escape routes  and make sure I have good, bullet-proof cover for at least some of my tender flesh.

Was out today with the gun guys banging away.  No deer but still here.

[J-dog]

Sounds strange but here they run dogs for deer, I love it and grew up doing it. I hunt through the yr with my bow even though they are running dogs. So I am not hunting the Deere pattern or the other hunters pattern but the dogs pattern ,! Lol

Work with what ya got! Deer act just like big cottontails, they come back where they were jumped.