Deer hunters vs small game hunters

[Thesouthpaw]

I haven't seen a squirrel hunter in years while bow hunting, but if I did, I probably wouldn't mind to terribly much. I definitely wouldn't be as aggravated as I would if another bow hunter had stumbled upon me.

[PossumWalker]

For those that live in a state where deer and small game season open on the same day; how do you go about it? Do you drive by where you plan to hunt that afternoon in the morning to see if there are any squirrel hunters hunting there? Do you avoid hunting in the general area if they are there or strategically using them to push deer to you?

I never had issues with small game hunters as I usually hunt wet terrain but was just wondering what other beasts does in this situation.

I generally don't worry about them, they have just as valid a reason to be in the woods as me. I try to treat them with the same respect I want them to treat me with. The only time I really got aggravated was when I was hunting on a Tuesday and there were maybe 3 other vehicles on a 60k acre WMA. I was about 700 yards from where my vehicle was parked and a squirrel hunter came in, saw me, and kept hunting around me. Ended up sitting on up on a tree about 100 yards away. I got packed up and left, he was getting to his vehicle the same time as me. He had parked maybe 10 feet behind me. He had the whole WMA but parked behind me and walked in.

[jchang3]

Thanks for the replies.

I myself started out hunting squirrels too until I got bit by the bowhunting bug. I usually go out 2-3 times squirrel hunting to dust off the .22 but even then i’m scouting for new areas to potentially bowhunt.

So even with all these other hunting activities going around, do you guys still see mature bucks hanging around the area? My biggest concern is dry terrain because small game hunters roam everywhere.

Also, have any experienced where mature bucks move back to an area after hunting pressure dies down later in the season because of a preferred food source or are they still bedding deep in secluded pockets and hitting it at dark even though there is good bedding cover closer to the food source.