# Duck and Goose Hunting During Deer Season



## aztec (Oct 27, 2005)

I am starting to think about a duck and goose hunting trip to ND in November of 2011. All or part of the trip would likely be during your deer season. And no, I am not about to ask for GPS coordinates to the best spots!

But I am wondering what safety precautions you residents take, if any, during the deer season. I'm sure there is a lot of long range shooting going on given your terrain. And I am feeling a little uncomfortable about sitting heavily camouflaged in cover around a pothole or, maybe worse, laying out on a field hunt. In our area, hunter density is such that hunting some places would be downright foolhardy. So a lot of our waterfowl hunting goes on deep in larger marshes where there is less likelihood of encountering deer hunters. But it certainly seems that a person would be a lot more exposed in ND even though the hunter density is no doubt less.

Anybody have any comments/ideas?


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## mallard (Mar 27, 2002)

Myself, I would never waterfowl hunt on the opening weekend of deer rifle season. There are a lot of people that hunt 3 days or less a year and this would be the time that they go. Being in the cattails is also the last place I would want to be when dressed in camo. Walking cattails for deer is very common here. There are also morons that take shots at flocks of geese or ducks just for kicks, it is pretty nerve racking when a pickup stops and there is a chance they are looking at you through a scope.


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## carp_killer (Nov 24, 2006)

they make this amazing stuff called blaze orange that you could put on your layout until bird were headed your way....


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## slough (Oct 12, 2003)

I just keep a blaze orange hat with me and wave it around if I see guys driving slow on a road or if I see guys walking nearby. Obviously the risk of having some sort of accident is greater with thousands of rifle hunters added to the countryside, but I guess there's a risk of stepping onto some ice when I go out tonight and cracking my head on a curb too...just be aware and you'll be fine.

The biggest issue you will have (unless you already have private land available to you obviously) is getting on land. Just about every farmer or his family members deer hunt and many of them just say "not during deer season" even though you may be asking to hunt a wide open stubble field - happens to me a lot and is very frustrating but it's kind of their big play time for the year after harvest so it's understandable I guess. Just tough when you see a thousand ducks pile into a field that you know no one will hunt. And public land will probably have quite a few people coming and going through it so deer season duck hunting can be the best of times as far as bird numbers but also the worst of times as far as traffic and access...


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## Derek Lampert (Jul 8, 2009)

Its a great time to hunt waterfowl.. 50/50 on water being hard. I try not to hunt opening weekend. Use the orange hat in the blind if some one rolls buy. you will be fine. Thats all I did this year. No wonder there is know Deer in my freezer.


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## mallard (Mar 27, 2002)

2 buddies of mine hunted a corn field on the 2nd day, saturday, for mallards. They heard no less than 60 shots, and according to them, the shoreline cattails at the roost was constantly walked all day driving the birds out. They had pickups stop and check them out, who knows if they used bino's or a scope, and were very frustrated. They wont be going waterfowl hunting that weekend again.


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## Myles J Flaten (Jan 31, 2008)

I would 2nd mallard on staying away from cattail sloughs but if you end up hunting posted land you could talk to the farmer to see if anyone is hunting deer on his land. I usually wear an orange cap and vest in and out of the blind and have had no problems but have heard horor stories about close calls. I would say if you are really concerned about it just plan the trip a couple weeks earlier and a few more miles north!  Good luck on your trip!


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## devilmallard (Oct 26, 2010)

We hunted a corn field on the Saturday of the last weekend of deer season. We had a buck circling our spread all morning. PRETTY NERVE RACKING. We saw a truck pull up well after sun rise and sit on the section line over by where our trucks were parked those piece of sh&% deer hunters let all the air out of our truck and trailer tires. PEOPLE WHO DO THINGS LIKE THIS DO NOT DESERVE TO HUNT!!! We were on private land and had permission! If those *** holes would have stayed they would have killed that buck, it walked right up the section line after they left. At least we killed our birds that day. :******: :******: :******:


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## Gooseshredder21 (Mar 17, 2009)

Not a good idea in my opinion. On of my mothers friends was killed hunting a corn field for birds during deer season. A guy in his truck drove by and took a pot shot at their spread and hit him through the head sitting in his blind. It's not smart to waterfowl over deer season but if you have to do your best to make yourself visible.


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## devilmallard (Oct 26, 2010)

I know people can tell the difference between a mojo and a real duck. If you can't hold back from shooting into a flock of ducks on the ground with a rifle you should not be hunting!!!


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