SDinWI
Active member
Don’t you need different barrels for the slugs & birdshot?? Not going to try it anyway, but thought we all used different barrels.
Deer Season is Upon Us
- Thread starter BirddogGSP
- Start date
gimruis
Well-known member
I've never done it or looked into it, so I am not sure myself about this one. Are you sure about that?
As long as you have both licenses, no dog, and enough blaze orange, you could conceivably do it. I hunt with a rifle so it wouldn't be an option for me anyways because there's no way I'm carrying two guns.
The comment above about needing a different barrel makes me think it wouldn't be possible unless you have a side-by-side or stack barrel shotgun. You need a rifled barrel for slugs and obviously whatever choke you use for bird shot.
I assume this is where you'd run into issues. I don't think it is explicitly illegal, but you'd have a hard time fighting a ticket. You cannot hunt birds with single projectiles or shot sizes larger than T, and you cannot hunt deer with anything other than a single projectile. So whichever way you look at it, you can see where a CO would have a hard time believing you.
Golddog
Member
You can shoot slugs out of a bird barrel. It used to be very common. I shot a lot of deer that way. I've even used a smooth bore slug barrel pheasant hunting becasue we filled out and I was a punk kid that didn't want to swap out the barrel. (only hungarian partidge I even harvested in MN was that day) The problem is, regardless of having multiple weapons and ammo, they must be all be legal for everything you are hunting. Being in the field with a party deer hunting, participating in the drive by blocking, and doing it with a shotgun with birdshot while also carrying a muzzleloader/pistol you are deer hunting with illegal ammo.
I was just hunting pheasants and ducks in SD last week, if I had lead on my person or in a separate weapon in the field while hunting both, and I had harvested a duck, would I get a ticket for the lead if checked? I have a license for both. Some concept.
He can do it if he wants but he will run into trouble with a CO. I would bet on it
UplandHntr
Well-known member
9 days could be significant if its the only 2 weekends you can get away to upland hunt. Is the concern that you would ruin a deer hunters hunt or getting your dog shot at?
I hear people talk about that concern but rarely, very rarely, does that ever happen.
I hear people talk about that concern but rarely, very rarely, does that ever happen.
no birds for me for 2 weeks; all deer, pumped to get in the northwoods.
I have hunted pheasants 2nd weekend in the past before we started to stay at deer camp for the 2nd weekend and I did not see anyone out. Like others have said, if you see a vehicle or a guy on the private/public boundary in his tower stand, just drive on to the next piece
I have hunted pheasants 2nd weekend in the past before we started to stay at deer camp for the 2nd weekend and I did not see anyone out. Like others have said, if you see a vehicle or a guy on the private/public boundary in his tower stand, just drive on to the next piece
gimruis
Well-known member
Both, personally. The area I specifically hunt is crawling with deer hunters and its all private land. So 1) if someone is hunting deer, they don't want me trouncing around with a dog in that area and 2) the risk isn't worth it, even if the chances of getting shot at is low. All it takes is one stray or accidential bullet. In northern MN, I used to deer hunt on big public land and I'd never consider grouse hunting there either when deer gun season was open for the same reasons.
In an area with less deer hunters, safety wouldn't be as much as a concern but you still need additional blaze orange.
Pheasant season is 84 days long. Firearms deer season is 9 (in the pheasant range). Just an FYI
I am a deer hunter and an upland hunter, in Minnesota. I only deer hunt north of the rifle/shotgun boundary, in wooded areas. I do have relatives who hunt in the shotgun zone. This is just my personal view, not a claim of what is right or wrong. As with many things, it seems like a subjective topic.
As a deer hunter, I wouldn't want a dog running around in the area I am hunting in the woods, because I think deer are going to avoid that area with the dog scent there. I once witnessed a man get a dog out of his car to join him after he shot a deer in the St. Croix State Park special hunt, as he quarter the deer (yes, quartered a deer) and made several trips back and forth. My daughters and I didn't see many deer from our ground blind, that was a couple hundred yards from his route of travel, after that, for some reason.
As a bird hunter, I wouldn't hunt grouse, in the public woods, during firearm deer season. There are limited parking areas in many places, as well as deer hunters entering from non-designated parking areas. The deer hunters are, for the most part, keeping distance between where they are setting up in the woods, for safety reasons and to have their own area to hunt without disturbances by others. In the public woods, most deer hunters are stationary, most of the time. As a bird hunter, I wouldn't be able to avoid taking us past deer hunters. I might see orange and veer off, but we're still spreading dog scent as we go. Although I do have orange on my dog at all times (when ruffed grouse hunting and pheasant hunting), I could see a bored, unethical hunter, thinking the dog is by itself and taking a shot at her. That should be a very small minority of deer hunters who might act that way, but still a risk to consider. Without orange on the dog, then there is the higher risk that they shoot at the dog, thinking it is something else.
Now, switching out of the woods, to the southerly fields, it is a bit different. I have already come across bow hunters on public land, both in South Dakota and Minnesota, this year, as I have in past years. Just like if I see a vehicle at the public land parking area where the owner is most likely a bird hunter, I am not going to park there and hunt. That's for safety reasons and sportsmanship reasons. I'm less worried about a bow hunter taking a pot shot at the dog, out in the open field, where they will most likely see us ahead of time. So it isn't about risk to the dog. Once we add shotgun and modern muzzleloaders to the equation, with rifled barrels, the risk to the dog and to other hunters increases (usually not many trees to stop projectiles like there are in the woods).
However, if it is a big area, I might go to a different access, like I would if it was a bird hunter parked there, if I think the chances of us interacting would be small. In other words, if there is so much land between one parking area and the other, it would be unlikely for me to hike far enough or the other party to hike far enough to run into each other. Likewise, there might be water separating the two sections of the same property.
As a deer hunter, if I was hunting in open country, I would actually appreciate someone bird hunting on nearby properties (let's say the deer hunter is on private land, and the bird hunting is on public land), or bird hunting on the other side of the same property. Deer are often lying down during the day. Bird hunters could get the deer up and moving for the deer hunters. I am not suggesting a coordinated hunt, using dogs to aid the deer hunter. I'm saying if you are independently hunting, it has that added benefit for the deer hunters. I feel the same way when hunting in the woods, when it comes to people moving around. As long as they make an attempt to veer away from my stand, having people walking around in the woods can get the deer up and moving.
Bird hunters can often be a good source of information for the deer hunters too. Most years, whether it is a firearms hunter or a bow hunter, I end up talking to at least one deer hunter when bird hunting. They will invariably ask if I've seen any deer, and I will share what I've seen, and where.
All this is to say, personally, if I see a deer hunter parked at a public pheasant hunting spot, I am not going to park next to their vehicle and hunt that area of the property. I wouldn't do it if I knew it was a bird hunter either, and my behavior doesn't change based on what they are hunting (might be a waterfowl hunter, too).
From a strategy perspective, I might come back to the property later and see if they have left. I'd probably stay away from wooded areas on the property, in case they are coming back in the evening or following mornings.
If the question is whether to stay off all public fields during deer season, because deer hunters may want to start hunting a spot I am hunting after 9 AM (10 for SD, 8 for Iowa, etc), my personal opinion is: it is a shared resource. They can find another location, just like I would find another location if they were there first. However, the nice thing is most deer hunters are going to beat the pheasant hunters to the spot, so we have a built in way to avoid interfering with each others' hunts by merely not hunting where someone else is hunting, regardless of what they are hunting.
As a deer hunter, I wouldn't want a dog running around in the area I am hunting in the woods, because I think deer are going to avoid that area with the dog scent there. I once witnessed a man get a dog out of his car to join him after he shot a deer in the St. Croix State Park special hunt, as he quarter the deer (yes, quartered a deer) and made several trips back and forth. My daughters and I didn't see many deer from our ground blind, that was a couple hundred yards from his route of travel, after that, for some reason.
As a bird hunter, I wouldn't hunt grouse, in the public woods, during firearm deer season. There are limited parking areas in many places, as well as deer hunters entering from non-designated parking areas. The deer hunters are, for the most part, keeping distance between where they are setting up in the woods, for safety reasons and to have their own area to hunt without disturbances by others. In the public woods, most deer hunters are stationary, most of the time. As a bird hunter, I wouldn't be able to avoid taking us past deer hunters. I might see orange and veer off, but we're still spreading dog scent as we go. Although I do have orange on my dog at all times (when ruffed grouse hunting and pheasant hunting), I could see a bored, unethical hunter, thinking the dog is by itself and taking a shot at her. That should be a very small minority of deer hunters who might act that way, but still a risk to consider. Without orange on the dog, then there is the higher risk that they shoot at the dog, thinking it is something else.
Now, switching out of the woods, to the southerly fields, it is a bit different. I have already come across bow hunters on public land, both in South Dakota and Minnesota, this year, as I have in past years. Just like if I see a vehicle at the public land parking area where the owner is most likely a bird hunter, I am not going to park there and hunt. That's for safety reasons and sportsmanship reasons. I'm less worried about a bow hunter taking a pot shot at the dog, out in the open field, where they will most likely see us ahead of time. So it isn't about risk to the dog. Once we add shotgun and modern muzzleloaders to the equation, with rifled barrels, the risk to the dog and to other hunters increases (usually not many trees to stop projectiles like there are in the woods).
However, if it is a big area, I might go to a different access, like I would if it was a bird hunter parked there, if I think the chances of us interacting would be small. In other words, if there is so much land between one parking area and the other, it would be unlikely for me to hike far enough or the other party to hike far enough to run into each other. Likewise, there might be water separating the two sections of the same property.
As a deer hunter, if I was hunting in open country, I would actually appreciate someone bird hunting on nearby properties (let's say the deer hunter is on private land, and the bird hunting is on public land), or bird hunting on the other side of the same property. Deer are often lying down during the day. Bird hunters could get the deer up and moving for the deer hunters. I am not suggesting a coordinated hunt, using dogs to aid the deer hunter. I'm saying if you are independently hunting, it has that added benefit for the deer hunters. I feel the same way when hunting in the woods, when it comes to people moving around. As long as they make an attempt to veer away from my stand, having people walking around in the woods can get the deer up and moving.
Bird hunters can often be a good source of information for the deer hunters too. Most years, whether it is a firearms hunter or a bow hunter, I end up talking to at least one deer hunter when bird hunting. They will invariably ask if I've seen any deer, and I will share what I've seen, and where.
All this is to say, personally, if I see a deer hunter parked at a public pheasant hunting spot, I am not going to park next to their vehicle and hunt that area of the property. I wouldn't do it if I knew it was a bird hunter either, and my behavior doesn't change based on what they are hunting (might be a waterfowl hunter, too).
From a strategy perspective, I might come back to the property later and see if they have left. I'd probably stay away from wooded areas on the property, in case they are coming back in the evening or following mornings.
If the question is whether to stay off all public fields during deer season, because deer hunters may want to start hunting a spot I am hunting after 9 AM (10 for SD, 8 for Iowa, etc), my personal opinion is: it is a shared resource. They can find another location, just like I would find another location if they were there first. However, the nice thing is most deer hunters are going to beat the pheasant hunters to the spot, so we have a built in way to avoid interfering with each others' hunts by merely not hunting where someone else is hunting, regardless of what they are hunting.
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Bob Peters
Well-known member
I wish pheasant season was 85 days long.
I'll see your 85 and raise you 20 more.
gimruis
Well-known member
That's one of the selling points of hunting in South Dakota. Season goes a whole month longer there through January.
I personally think it should open the last Saturday in October and stay open until the middle of January here, similar to Iowa. But that's another topic.
Now, if only we could get some sort of reciprocity where MN hunters could get a season long SD license instead of the 10 day packs.
There is no shotgun shell size restriction on small game (pheasants) in MN. I can have slugs in my gun while pheasant hunting. More to follow as I address additional posts.
I have it in writing from the MNDNR, and I've been checked and had this conversation with one of the wardens in western MN. IF YOU ARE LICENSED for both, you can. You have to cycle the birdshot out of your firearm before shooting at a deer per the "single projectile" reference in regards to taking big game. Which I do. That is how I even presented the question to the MN DNR as you'll see here:
Attachments
One step further than the email I posted. Don't have it in writing but CO stated - There is no law that prevents you from carrying two weapons if you are appropriately licensed for small game and big game. So you are not "deer hunting with illegal ammo."
In regards to you mentioning waterfowl - that's a non-issue; federal law prohibits you from possessing lead shot while waterfowl hunting, so no, not the same concept.
I've done my due diligence. No violations in my 32 years of hunting/fishing, and I'm checked a few times a year, sometimes twice in the same day.
gimruis
Well-known member
I can't even comprehend the thought of this. I need two hands to safely carry either a rifle or a shotgun. So what do you do, chuck one down when a deer or a rooster pops up and then try to use the other before the target gets out of dodge?
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