Roosters during the deer season?

[MNpurple]

I do not hunt deer until the 3B season so I was hoping to hunt some roosters next weekend, although that is the deer opener in many places. My dad wants to try pheasant hunting and unfortunately next weekend is the one that works for him. What can I expect to see for hunting activity on WMAs? Is it safe to be out there or will I just find myself in the middle of someone's deer drive? The hunter shot on a WMA last night gets me thinking.

I'm assuming the pheasant pressure will be very low which is why I wanted to get out too.

[dewydog]

I would avoid being on any public land during deer opener even if i was deer hunting. For me a pheasant is not worth it with that many people in the field. Not to mention there are people out there that might think you dog is a deer? Just my two cents

[brittman]

I would respect the fact that Unit 4 deer hunters have only one of two weekends to hunt (maybe both with a multi-zone permit).

Let them have their space.

Hunt pheasants on private land, hunt pheasants on weekdays, or go to the Dakotas.

[bb2323]

We have deer hunted zone 4 in the Morris area for years on public land and we do see some pheasant hunters around. You'll pretty much be able to tell if there are deer hunters out there by 9am when you start and I would look for WMA's that have very few trees or brush which will cut down on the number of deer hunters. If you look around you will find plenty of areas with no one in them. If a party comes in to drive it for deer just get out of the way and let them go through and then continue hunting after they're done. We like to see the bird hunters during the day because they also move the deer around. Just be courteous and keep your distance and you will have a great hunt. We see a ton of pheasants during the deer season and this year has been great so far and the corn is still coming out. Make sure you wear plenty of orange and just to be safe put an orange vest on your dog. Have fun and good luck.

[brittman]

Love your attittud BB2323, not sure it is universal.

Would all groups of deer hunter share that attitude?

Myself and many others that I hunt with have unpleasant confrontations with other deer hunters. Aggressive behavior seems to rule some hunting parties and this is not just in MN.

We hunt deer on private land.

I think your recommendation to stay away from WMA with trees is good. Still if I am out pheasant hunting with my dog and along comes a large deer drive ...

[gurkster]

I would pass on the pheasants and let the deer hunters have their space. Plenty of season left for the birds, and it is not worth the potential hassels or saftey risks, in my opinion.

Best of luck to everyone out there.

[rockman]

I concur.All it takes is one knucklehead to shoot at the dog, even with a orange vest on, and it is all over.Zone 4 deer hunting is only 6 days between two weekends,and is where most of the decent pheasant country is.I can wait six days, or those six anyway, to avoid a tragedy/shooting, to my dog, and even myself.

[lawdog]

I've hunted pheasants plenty of times in zone 4 during the season and never felt the least bit concerned for my dog. You guys are being paranoid. Just avoid the other hunters like you should anyway, even if they are just pheasant hunting too...