It used to be automatic that everyone went small game hunting Thanksgiving morning .
Didn't see anyone hunting or hear any shooting.
Sad to me.

Same here the classic pheasant hunts are rare compared to 20 years ago mostly commercial hunts now with released birds. There’s a paid operation down the road they run several groups through the same day most days.

Sadly, sign of the times.

Hunting is a dying pastime.

Yep had the woods to myself today.

Keep mentoring

middle of gun deer here in WI saw people out hunting

Used to always deer hunt on Thanksgiving morning when young but now that I always make the meal for the day I just don't have the time to.

People hunt on line nowadays.

Shot a couple rooster today with the young lab. Great day!

That is a tradition that still lives in my family, albeit sometime in years past if morphed into deer hunting instead of rabbits and pheasants. I remember being so excited that I could actually carry a gun and hunt with my Dad and brothers on Thanksgiving. Then come home around noon and step into the house that was full of smells of the upcoming dinner. The smell of an empty shotgun shell always takes me back to that time.

My son and I carried on the tradition for a couple hours this morning. There was no one else around and I only heard two shots waaaay off in the east.

Moosetrot

I drove through some of Iowas best pheasant area today. Passed at least a dozen big pieces of public and twice as many private spots. Not a single hunter. It was windy, but that never stopped me. I was confused same as you.

Wide open down here yesterday...folks deer hunting with hounds and a little duck hunting...as usual.

we use to start making deer drives on thanksgiving morning,

Michigan is well into deer hunting. Small game hunting is frowned upon by trophy/antler fanatics. Yet small game is still open. I mix small game, deer hunting and Steelhead fishing at my camp. Only once in 30 years of owning my camp have I taken a deer, grouse and caught a Steelhead in the same day. Cabin is on the Rifle river in northeast lower Michigan.

They usually run dogs everywhere on Thanksgiving morning. The last couple years not so much. I own a couple properties and drove around yesterday morning and there was only one hunt club out. I talked to one of the guys and he said they have forced participation. Sad really. I don't like hunting deer with dogs and complain about trespassing but it's a legal activity and hate to see no one participating. Might be a good thing for future trappers though if you think about it.

No quail in our area anymore

"That is a tradition that still lives in my family, albeit sometime in years past if morphed into deer hunting instead of rabbits and pheasants. I remember being so excited that I could actually carry a gun and hunt with my Dad and brothers on Thanksgiving. Then come home around noon and step into the house that was full of smells of the upcoming dinner. The smell of an empty shotgun shell always takes me back to that time." = Moosetrot . Same here and I was from New Jersey at the time in the '50s. Exactly the same, bring back lots of memories.......jk

Killed my first Buck Thanksgiving Day November 22,1979. Hunting a beaver swamp in Roscommon county Mi.

We still go hunting on Thanksgiving in my family, but we take to the woods with our bows cahsing deer. We started the tradition trying to hunt small game, but rabbits are scarce here and near impossible to hunt without a dog. And quail are non existent. I think the biggest issue for small game hunters is the amount of land being leased for deer hunting. Understandably guys that pay big money for deer leases dont want people running hunting dogs and kicking briars. Which leaves hunting public ground, and around here it is all pounded hard.