diff --git a/docs/concepts.rst b/docs/concepts.rst
index 4c78286..0ba1b88 100644
--- a/docs/concepts.rst
+++ b/docs/concepts.rst
@@ -214,6 +214,28 @@ for details on formatting/etc.
         * ``1.6.0``: feature #22
         * ``1.5.1``: bug #20
 
+* **Bugs listed before the first release are treated as though they have the
+  'major' keyword.** This is chiefly because it makes no sense to have a
+  "bugfix release" as one's first-ever release - you can't fix something that's
+  not public! Then once the changelog parser passes that initial release,
+  normal rules start to apply again.
+
+    * Input::
+
+        * :release:`0.1.1`
+        * :bug:`3` The feature had bugs :(
+        * :release:`0.1.0 <date>`
+        * :feature:`2` Our first ever feature
+        * :bug:`1` Explicitly marked bug, even though that is silly
+        * Implicit issue/entry here (becomes a bug by default)
+
+    * Result:
+
+        * ``0.1.1``: bug #3 only, since it's the only bug after the first
+          release.
+        * ``0.1.0``: everything else - the implicit bug, the explicit bug #1,
+          and the feature #2.
+
 
 Major releases
 ==============
diff --git a/releases/models.py b/releases/models.py
index 9dbebae..5647fb8 100644
--- a/releases/models.py
+++ b/releases/models.py
@@ -51,6 +51,19 @@ class Issue(nodes.Element):
     def spec(self):
         return self.get('spec', None)
 
+    def minor_releases(self, lines):
+        """
+        Return all minor release line labels found in ``lines``.
+        """
+        # TODO: yea deffo need a real object for 'lines', heh. E.g. we do a
+        # very similar test for "do you have any actual releases yet?"
+        # elsewhere. (This may be fodder for changing how we roll up
+        # pre-major-release features though...?)
+        return [
+            key for key, value in six.iteritems(lines)
+            if any(x for x in value if not x.startswith('unreleased'))
+        ]
+
     def default_spec(self, lines):
         """
         Given the current release-lines structure, return a default Spec.
@@ -79,14 +92,11 @@ class Issue(nodes.Element):
             if True:
                 default = Spec(">={0}".format(max(lines.keys())))
         else:
-            # TODO: yea deffo need a real object for 'lines', heh. E.g. we do a
-            # very similar test for "do you have any actual releases yet?"
-            # elsewhere. (This may be fodder for changing how we roll up
-            # pre-major-release features though...?)
-            default = Spec(">={0}".format(max(
-                key for key, value in six.iteritems(lines)
-                if any(x for x in value if not x.startswith('unreleased'))
-            )))
+            # Can only meaningfully limit to minor release buckets if they
+            # actually exist yet.
+            buckets = self.minor_releases(lines)
+            if buckets:
+                default = Spec(">={0}".format(max(buckets)))
         return default
 
     def add_to_lines(self, lines):
@@ -121,7 +131,13 @@ class Issue(nodes.Element):
                 # and only exists for features to go into.
                 if bugfix_buckets:
                     buckets.append('unreleased_bugfix')
-            if self.is_featurelike or self.backported:
+            # Obtain list of minor releases to check for "haven't had ANY
+            # releases yet" corner case, in which case ALL issues get thrown in
+            # unreleased_feature for the first release to consume.
+            # NOTE: assumes first release is a minor or major one,
+            # but...really? why would your first release be a bugfix one??
+            no_releases = not self.minor_releases(lines)
+            if self.is_featurelike or self.backported or no_releases:
                 buckets.append('unreleased_feature')
             # Now that we know which buckets are appropriate, add ourself to
             # all of them. TODO: or just...do it above...instead...
diff --git a/tests/organization.py b/tests/organization.py
index f89e9ae..e01f9ca 100644
--- a/tests/organization.py
+++ b/tests/organization.py
@@ -384,6 +384,22 @@ class organization(Spec):
         # TODO: consider removing that entirely; arguably needing it is a bug?
         expect_releases(entries, expected, skip_initial=True)
 
+    def all_bugs_before_first_release_act_featurelike(self):
+        b1 = b(1)
+        f2 = f(2)
+        b3 = b(3)
+        implicit = list_item('', paragraph('', '', raw('', 'whatever')))
+        changelog = changelog2dict(releases(
+            '0.1.1', b3, '0.1.0', f2, b1, implicit,
+            skip_initial=True
+        ))
+        first = changelog['0.1.0']
+        second = changelog['0.1.1']
+        assert b1 in first
+        assert f2 in first
+        eq_(len(first), 3) # Meh, hard to assert about the implicit one
+        eq_(second, [b3])
+
     def specs_and_keywords_play_together_nicely(self):
         b1 = b(1)
         b2 = b(2, major=True, spec='1.0+')