Deer Hunting with Duck Hunting Close By
Whitetail Deer
Ive been hunting in a State Management area with a lot of sign, tracks and scrapes and such. There has not been any gun hunting for a few weeks and it was by draw permit only.
Well, today was the opening morning of duck season and it sounded like a war going on for a couple of hours. The closest shots were around a quarter mile from me, which sounds pretty close.
Do you think my season is over there?? Any clue what deer do when all heck breaks loose?? I sure hate to leave with that much sign. It looks as good as anything I've seen in a few years.
Thanks,
It can't help anything but I sure wouldn't give up on it. Maybe the activity will drive those nocturnal monsters out of the swamp.....good luck
I used to be in a private duck club on the Illinois River. It was all bottomland with dyked ponds and levees scattered about. The rest was timber. We used to have deer come right up on the levees right across from where we were hunting on more than one occasion even with all the shooting. I could have easily shot one from the duck blind.
If they live there all the time I don't think it's a real big deal to them.
Some of the owner/members (I was just a renter) would also bowhunt and they had stands right in the woods within 100 yards or so of the duck blinds.
Heck no I've had big deer walk through the decoy spread several times. There is some local kids here thst can vouch for that they shot one last year that walked through there spread but got caught.Gw threw the book to them.
Absolutely no problem. I used to think hard about this as i was torn on which part of my sport i would have to give up as I duck hunt and bowhunt within a 100 acre property. After a while, i realized nothing really changed and i could still archery hunt well after october. Last year I took a nice buck after limiting out on Greenheads and widgeon on 28th of nov. I could see the pond I hunted while on the stand that afternoon.
Also, its opening weekend too. It will die down some and the deer will continue to do their thing. Dont give it a second thought.
Dont give up.
In the part of Illinois where we duck hunted the mallards and other "big ducks" would head out to feed in the picked cornfields at dawn and then head back to the bottoms to rest/digest at mid-late morning. Some of the guys in my club would sit in their deer stands with the bow until they started seeing ducks coming back and then they'd head out to the blinds.
Best of both worlds!
Absolutely no problem. I used to think hard about this as i was torn on which part of my sport i would have to give up as I duck hunt and bowhunt within a 100 acre property. After a while, i realized nothing really changed and i could still archery hunt well after october. Last year I took a nice buck after limiting out on Greenheads and widgeon on 28th of nov. I could see the pond I hunted while on the stand that afternoon.
Also, its opening weekend too. It will die down some and the deer will continue to do their thing. Dont give it a second thought.
Dont give up.
Hunted bottom land East of Rich Hill Missouri and had deer walking by when the shot gun volley started and they did not even look up. The duck hunters were so close I could here them talking and the dog jumping in the water to retrieve.
No problem at all. Last year had deer 100 yds from a duck blind just pounding away at ducks and the deer never once looked up. First time I ever hunted this way all I could hear that morning boats breaking ice Thur the swamps and by boats I mean like 10-12 in Jon boats making all kind of noise and thinking there's no way this is going to work, that morning a friend of mine shot a nice 150 deer. He could see the guys in there blind drinking coffee
Wow!!
Thanks for all the positive feed back. Got me interested again and I thought it was all over.
I have a sortmens club a 1/4 mile away they shoot a lot of trap it really doesn't bother the deer some don't even pick there heads up from feeding
I agree, no problem. Here is a buck I killed a few years ago, the day after the first rifle season and after 30 days of duck season, on one of the busiest SWA in the state, especially for ducks. I shot him next to the river and within 200 yards of where I usually duck hunt as other do also.
My experience, after duck hunting on this SWA for the past 20 years, is most of the duck hunting is in the morning and not so much in the evening if at all. Like on a farm, the deer get use to the farm equipment as well, much like the shooting.
Nice Paul! Boy, I really do miss those days!
Hey Lou. The only days I "miss" are the days I actually miss duck hunting.
And since I have convinced my wife that Chase the lab MAKES ME GO AS LONG AS HE CAN COME, then it is ok with her. :)
My best, Paul
You're living right Paul! Beautiful lab!
This year Nov 8th 0725, a quiet and misty morning, I had a nice 8 pt with palmated brow tines walk in on me from behind on my left side. Hit my scent trail to my stand and hung around underneath me for about 4 minutes. He was so close I dare not move. When all of a sudden bang, bang, bang some nearby goose hunters let loose. With the first shot he blew out of there.
Animals will adapt to their surroundings. Some observations:
Buck swim through the decoys at 12 yards with 5 guys standing up talking in the blind. Check.
8 does feeding in a trap range with us literally breaking clays over their heads. Check.
Subdivision deer paying zero attention to barking dogs because the deer know the dogs are tied up or have electric fence and cant reach them. Check.
Jogging past 10 does bedded next to the sidewalk. Closest was 3 feet. Check.
Keep hunting. You're fine.
I shoot targets on a private farm. One evening I shot my .338 mag 38 times preparing for a moose hunt. As I was retrieving my targets 4 deer walked out of the woods 150 yds. away and started feeding. I would say deer pay no attention to gun fire UNLESS they are really close to it or bullets are hitting close by them.
