[ArmedBear]

Two weekends ago, we went hunting for quail. We didn't see any, but we found deer. Deer season hadn't started yet.

Yesterday, we went back to the same spot with our deer tags and rifles, and found no deer -- lots of fresh tracks but no deer. We did, however, flush out some absolutely beautiful big coveys of fat quail.:rolleyes:

[Sharps Shooter]

Yep, I sure know that feeling. We were hunting Sharptailed Grouse a couple of weeks before deer (mulies) season opened. We went to one of our favorite Sharptail hunting areas – a large sagebrush covered hillside near a grain stubble field. We didn’t get a single grouse up, but jumped a pretty nice 4-point buck and a small, forked-horn buck. We then went to another of our favorite sagebrush pockets for hunting Sharptails. Again, not a single grouse, but we jumped four does.
On the last day of deer season, after several long days of hiking up and down a good many of the mountains around here, sitting before daybreak until well after sunset on our favorite saddles, and seeing over a hundred does but no bucks within range, I went by myself back to the second sagebrush pocket where my wife and I had looked for Sharptailed Grouse three weeks before. That time I jumped at least 15 grouse out of there and I’m pretty sure the same 4 does. So I thought to myself, ”Heck, if those 4 does have moved back in here, maybe those 2 bucks have moved back into that other area.” So I went over there. Sure enough – I jumped a half dozen grouse and 2 big mule deer does. The truth is, if one of them had been a buck I might have had second thoughts about shooting him for fear of killing the last mule deer buck in the county.:eek:

[tuna]

I had a big doe standing unaware as I was pheasant hunting last year, got within 20 yards of her and she never noticed me until I used a match to light a cigarette. :neener:
Deer hunting the same area later on, heard movement on the trail. I stopped and got ready, and watched two roosters walk by. :banghead:

This stuff never happens in the grocery store!

[Legionnaire]

Been there. A farm I regularly hunt has good populations of deer and turkey. Can't tell you the number of times I've gone out during archery season, climbed into my treestand and saw nothing but turkeys. Go out the next day with my shotgun for fall birds, and see nothing but deer! Go figure.

[bclark1]

I only see gamebirds during deer season, and I've seen some of the best deer (not rack-wise, but just big suckers) during spring turkey. I think I may have some technique confusion :p At least I can keep the sheds I find in the spring.