Hey guys I have been thinking about trying to organize a deer drive. Ideally I would like to have 4 guys but may wind up with only three. You guys have any tips are tricks? This sounds like pretty fun and team oriented way to hunt and I'd like to give it a shot.
Just my opinion, but a archery deer drive sounds like a good way to wound deer.
It's fun and it works......but!!! You need a group of guys that understand how it needs to be done. You have to kind of still hunt the pushers very slowly to the sitters and I mean slowly. You need to play the wind to the max. And most important the sitters need to be able to wait for the "PERFECT" shot at a slow moving deer. To get that all to come together is not an easy thing to do.........But like I said......it's fun!!
Illegal in IL. May want to check your regs. More of a old school gun tactic I thought.
Well to each his own I suppose. I will give it a try and let you know ;) .
Not illegal in MO man. Hehehe sounds like you need to come over to the right side of the river.
Ron- thanks man. That's sort of what I was thinking a slow drive down wind toward upwind pushers. I don't want to jump them so much as have them move slowly away.
Haha. Only the politicians on this side of the river can do the illegal stuff.
Good luck let us know how it goes
I was thinking about drives today. To me it would be intentionally pushing deer off property you have permission to hunt possibly never seeing them during or after the drive.
I'm not for or against it, and if you have a bunch of other places to hunt then cool beans.
Personally I would prefer if the neighbors all did drives and I had a "sanctuary" to hunt!
If I was invited to drive someone else's land, I would probably jump at it.
Let us know how you make out.
I think it's illegal in ILLinois only on public land-Hap
I hunt public land. There is a small conservation area not that far from me that is only 330 acres it has mostly field in the middle and then strips of woods along the edges and most importantly surrounded on the sides by the Missouri River.
Deer drives can be deadly effective at getting deer in front of hunters when applied by skilled woodsmen. But getting deer in front of hunters is not the same as getting those hunters good bow shots at deer. I think its a lost art and not a lot of todays hunters have the skills to get a good drive done.
Evolution has created tree stand sitters which is by far the most effective hunting method for me anyway, but man o man how I miss the old days and good deer drives by hunters who knew what they were doing.
Go for it Jake, you might just learn some new hunting skills, for sure you will. Good luck.
Deer drives are alot of fun. Good way to get deer that are locked down in hiding this time of year. A good slow walking drive is very effective. If guys are set up in right spots such as tree stands on runways the deer will come right by alot of times not to spooked if they get kicked up up early enough in the drive.
Where I did most of the driving I was involved in was big parcels of land [state] and you could not push the deer off 5 million acres. Most times when you did move them out they really didn't go to far and you could sometimes regroup to try again. On big parcels of big woods you need guys who are good in the woods. Not to many hone their woodsman ship skills now days. It's really good when there is snow.....you can pick up movement much farther away and get ready for the shot.
Driving deer seems to be a way of life for Wisconsin hunters during gun seasons. I read someones words that said there is no unkillable deer ( buck) if you can use drives.
BUT
As stated, you need to know your property, you need to hunt the wind. You need guys that know how to do it, and you'd better be prepared for moving ( ehem... running) shots.
I was party to numerous drives early in my hunting career and they are just not my cup of tea. To each their own.
ChuckC
I've been thinking about it myself because on public land, I had a deer "driven" by me by some noisy hunters leaving their stands. By the time she got to me, was was moving pretty cautiously, and had she been in range, I could have gotten a shot.
come down to Sussex county Charlie--we have 35000ac of national recreation area to push and a 2 deer limit in January--buy your license for '17 and they will give you tags for next fall too!!
we like to do at least one push day every winter
There is a youtube channel of some guys in PA who do this fairly often with trad gear. Leatherwoods outdoors or something like that is the name of the channel. They have other recurve hunts on there too.
They have some shots on there I wouldn't be able to take, but very close range ones (<5 yards at a fast moving deer).
Those guys move a ton of deer on their drives. I like to watch their other recurve videos more though.
Like any tactic - it can work if employed correctly.
I've never done deer drives with a bow, but many have been successful doing so.
I would employ it as a last ditch effort late in the season. With the right size property, and the right amount of pushers, I think you can get some deer moving in front of the blockers.
I would be slow and deliberate as a pusher. I would prefer to gently bump the deer and get them walking slowly out in front of you.
I don't think you want your blockers having to take running shots. Blockers would be stationed on the exit routes.
I deleted this post because I was not following the interest of the original topic and have apologized to the thread starter.
It's not a drive, but a slowww easy, push!
Still hunting with a few with the same mindset, can be fun and successful hunt!
I try to do at least a few drives every year. Been doing them for 25 years and love them! Great way to learn a lot of land and stretch the legs.
Did a bunch of these years ago when I lived in Wisconsin, it was one of my favorite ways to hunt. Lots of action with good friends and lots of laughs.
On NW Iowa public land there are several deer drives every week end. Problem, or perhaps a good thing, is that the drivers never realize that they are partaking in a deer drive. The morning drivers main techniques are to belch, make metallic clanking sounds, yell, smoke cigarettes, break off and stomp on dry branches and then stomp and talk with their buddies all the way back to the road. Ya just gotta appreciate willing volunteers. The afternoon drivers do the same thing except in reverse.
I agree, Pavan.
A little different tactic: Picking up a good track and following it in fresh snow and placing a poster at the other end of a potential travel pattern is an acceptable way to hunt to me. One on one pushes are ok to me, though I seldom do them. The big deer drives do not interest me. As with every other hunting method, if you are not confident in making the shot, you shouldn't take it.
Also wind direction is huge.
I have seen deer return to cover that they were "pushed " out of within the same afternoon. So it is not always as invasive as some think, unless repeatedly driven.
Every winter a bunch of great archers and myself get together for a day of doing drives on public land. All the things Ron W. mentioned are good advice. As for getting a good safe shot, I have had several times when the deer were right in front of me standing and looking back because the drive was done "silent" and slow offering good shot ops.I know this goes for the other fellas as well. Even if there are no shot ops all day, it is great fun with a group of great people. Best group of guys I have ever hunted with.
(http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f196/jjeffer/IMG_20140125_163754_563_zpsdadc539c.jpg) (http://s47.photobucket.com/user/jjeffer/media/IMG_20140125_163754_563_zpsdadc539c.jpg.html)
QuoteOriginally posted by Bill Kissner:
To each his own but I do not allow deer drives on my property simply because IMO it is not hunting. There is no woodsmanship or skill involved and it usually ends up with wounding even among gun hunters, let alone bowhunters.
Hey partner you are entitled to your opinion but, I would prefer if we kept with the original question. I asked for tips and tricks not ethics advice. If you don't agree again no biggie I would just like to hear how yo be successful. Thanks man.
Hey thanks for the great tips guys. Sounds like slow and quiet it is. I appreciate the advice.
Gene Wensel's book describes his 'drive'. They have stands set up in a wood lot on the downwind side. These are smaller wood lots where they know where the deer bed on one end. They drive a vehicle up to the edge of the downwind side, leave truck running. Deer move to into the wind to the opposite end of the woodlot while one or two sitters get out and quietly get on stand. Truck leaves and then goes around to the upwind side of wood lot. Don't push the woods, but get out and move around. Deer will move back to the other end where the stand sitters are waiting. They don't want to leave the security of the woodlot and I believe Gene calls it 'nudging'.
Even if you're not doing the exact method above with a block of cover, the idea is to have the 'nudgers' upwind and let their scent drift through the cover to get deer up and moving out slowly, versus busting through and having them running full tilt.
I hunted one Saturday last January with Bamboo and Jerry and a few other guys. Did some drives but never saw a deer. More of a social event. All the guys in the group are above ethical when it comes to shooting at deer. Only take shots at standing or very slow moving animals. I know running shots aren't a part of my repertoire. Kind of a way to close out the deer season with a great bunch of guys. If driving deer isn't your cup of tea, then it isn't your cup of tea. No need to denigrate others who choose to do so. If truth be told, I don't think any of us care if we shoot a deer or not. It is a lot of fun.
Deer drives are the norm in my part of WI during gun season only. I don't enjoy them much, but to many it is more social/hunting time than anything else....I prefer quiet & solitude.
My advice to you, is to have 1-2 guys following behind the pushers/walkers. My experience is that the younger deer are more apt to run away from the drivers and toward the Posters...but the big ones will hunker down and skidattle out the back of the drivers...once clear from those walking through, the deer will stand up and sneak out at a greater pace.
That's where the guys following back 50-100yds and paralleling deer trails can get a shot at the more wiley of the herd.
I have a woodlot within a bow shot of my back door that is a fantastic place to push deer. It has open fields on one side and homes on the other three sides. I've been playing with the deer in the woodlot for over 30 years and have them figured out pretty well.
Just a few days ago my buddy came over for a hunt/stump shoot. It was rifle buck season last week so the girls were off limits. The way he was shooting his Red Wing Hunter I knew any legal buck would be in trouble. I posted Scott at "Lance's Tree" and said the deer will "stop right there". I took a loop through the woods and within 15min saw tails ahead of me headed right for my friend. :)
The hiding spot is a large tree right on the edge of a drop in the terrain. The deer are funneled to that corner and always pause to scan below as they crest the small ridge. Scott said 5 does and fawns stopped in the exact spot I predicted before they trotted off and out of the woods. All were within 20yd and never saw him standing behind the tree. Way Cool!
As for running them off for good, it just doesn't happen. A couple buddies and I will push the woodlot a few times a week for quick after work hunts during the early season. We get deer up 75% of the time.
The keys to success are predictable deer movement, terrain features that will funnel and slow the deer, hiding spots that give shot opportunities, and a nice slow "push".
It's a real blast for myself and my trad shooting buds, especially during the late season!
Its actually a really good tactic in my oppinion. ..Id be interested in being a part
We don't do it very often anymore, but we have killed a bunch of deer doing "forced movement" with Trad bows. Here's our 2-cents...
-We don't do it in areas we stand hunt, but there is not better way to learn new areas and potentially have some action than to send hunters in to the "thick" of it....with standers at the ready.
-It is more successful in areas we know the deer's habits....intimately.
-Pushers move real slow...in fact they hunt too, and often get as many opportunities as standers.
-knowing when to push an already up and moving deer is important, as is letting it slip away.
-standers need to know "the place", and the actions deer will take when they get there.
-Practice for this! Shooting quickly, and at slow moving targets can be practiced for and be very effective.
-This is a great, exciting way to get youngsters involved, insure some exciting action, and keep them tuned in....vs... long waits on stand. Just another idea.
We still prefer hunting in ambush, but back when deer limits were more liberal, and us "older" guys had more gumption, this was a fun, exciting way to hunt...and not by any means easy. We also learned how to stand hunt many areas that we would not have paid attention to except to do deer pushes. The Wensels have a lot of good info in the writings/and older videos on this stuff....it's all good.
I've never understood the deer drive method here. If you are somewhere that is VERY thick or if you had a huge area to hunt maybe, but running deer off isn't a good thing to do here on your small farms. If you run a good buck off once or twice he will relocate. Not what I want, good luck with that.
The Archery drives I have been on for the last 40 years the deer are almost never running. A slow walk as they browse and looking back over their shoulder towards the pushers is the norm. I have had them walk by a 8 feet and they never knew I was there.........Oh yea......you can miss at 8 feet! :dunno:
QuoteOriginally posted by KentuckyTJ:
I've never understood the deer drive method here. If you are somewhere that is VERY thick or if you had a huge area to hunt maybe, but running deer off isn't a good thing to do here on your small farms. If you run a good buck off once or twice he will relocate. Not what I want, good luck with that.
Yep..
The shotgun hunters here in Iowa do it all the time. I went on one in MN years ago and swore I'd never be part of that again.
I want to hunt deer, not chase them.
Been many years, but back in my younger years we used to make some major drives in the large North woods of Wisc. On Thanksgiving Day the tradition was to link up with the camp down the road and make the "Big Drive" It stretched over several large sections of state land and took 2-3 hours to complete. The old timers knew how to set it up taking us in for almost an hour to the last stander and driver. Topography played a big part in the success of the drive. Steep bluffs along one side kept the deer channeled and large Tag Alder swamps help direct flow as well. Like has been said by others, it was actually more of a social event, although we killed a lot of deer over the years.
QuoteOriginally posted by KentuckyTJ:
I've never understood the deer drive method here. If you are somewhere that is VERY thick or if you had a huge area to hunt maybe, but running deer off isn't a good thing to do here on your small farms. If you run a good buck off once or twice he will relocate. Not what I want, good luck with that.
Neither I nor most of my buds care all that much about big bucks. Don't get me wrong we'd all love to bag a p&y quality deer but, it just isn't that high on the priority list.
We don't even think about running off bucks. The odds of seeing a legal buck in my part of PA are slim.
My woodlot will get the occasional buck during the rut or from gun hunter pressure. There's a half dozen small rubs and zero scrapes in the whole woods.
We've had a lot of success with drives over the past years. Typically done the first or second Sun in Dec with anywhere from 8 to 12 bow hunters. Putting on a drive doesn't mean walking fast, noisy and thrashing thru the woods. We try to keep in sight of each other while pushing and kicking them up. We take our time pushing and set it up so the deer funnel towards the sitters who see us coming over the tops of the hills. We typically set up 5 or 6 drives so the last drive even the pushers know where to stop and lay low to get deer that circle back.
Being from PA, deer drives are natural. I've had deer come by just feet away. Play the wind and know their common trails and it can be deadly.
Good luck
They work great. Pa guys do it religiously. Go to YouTube n look up leather wood outdoors. Trad hunters too. You won't be disappointed.
A friend of mine in PA does it every year with his buddies. They are successful. My concern would be shooting an arrow at an alerted deer. They will be alert since they were pushed. Not an ethical question at all with me.
I find most deer are distracted more than alerted
I love drives and have shot a bunch of deer while being a stander and a couple while being a driver. Mostly it was in the late season when we were just filling tags . I got in on some drives in the Bismarck area along the Missouri River where there would be as many as 60 hunters . That was wild. Most of our drives were one on one or just acouple of standers. After you drive a spot a couple of times you learn where the deer will run and they seem to go thru in the same places even year after year. To me it was a lot of fun with great anticipation!!!
https://youtu.be/BxPtb397Dxc?t=37sweb page (https://youtu.be/BxPtb397Dxc?t=37s)
This is what many gun drives look like in WI...especially at this point (https://youtu.be/BxPtb397Dxc?t=1m36s) .
Mike, I would love to do drives with you guys. Logistics would be an issue for me though.
I grew up doing deer drives. some guys start them on the first day of hunting season.
I agree they can be very effective and not damage hunting terribly if done correctly.
Driving deer is hunting? Not in my opinion. I guess for me its not the killing but the hunt itself. Indiana may not have the best deer management but they were ethical enough to outlaw deer drives. Yeah, I said ethical. Remember how everyone here is supposed to set the example and keep our way of life going? I am not hearing that here lately (few different issues). If your feelings got hurt you are that guy and you can cry to someone who cares, I dont.
Couldn't agree more JD.
Thanks BAK! You I would share a camp with.
"If your feelings got hurt you are that guy and you can cry to someone who cares, I dont."
I am surprised at the attitude of people who claim that deer drives are "not hunting" and "not ethical". Many of these same people, including several on this thread, sit in tree stands above a deer's line of sight and out of the way of most of their ability to use their nose. Baiting, feeders, trail cams are also used and talked about here and are not met with the same derision as drives.
Before horn porn existed as a huge industry, many of us grew up driving deer. It was a time-honored social activity. Then inches of antler became more important than meat or coming-of-age hunts and hunting lands got closed off to many who previously had access. Even access to hunt small game has been denied in many, if not most private properties where deer live.
All this so that the landowner or leaser could have less competition in possibly killing a big buck. So now we have fewer and fewer kids growing up hunting. We have less and less access to hunting ground. We have new-age deer philosophers denigrating those who enjoyed the deer drives of old because it doesn't fit their myopic and selfish view of what deer hunting SHOULD be.
If you are one of the ones who gladly gain advantage by sitting in a tree, using bait, using cover scents, using attractant scents, using trail cams, using ghillie suits, etc., you may want to re-examine your thoughts on the subject.
If "hunting" is the criteria for determining ethical deer killing, then what exactly is sitting in an elevated stand at the best time according to a trail cam, overlooking bait, wearing camo and cover scent? I guess timed ambushes are way more ethical than trying to push deer with a stick and string in hand.
It seems as if today's average deer hunter is more concerned with being able to control the most variables to gain advantage over the deer. If those of you putting drives down had a clue about their efficacy, you may change you tune. I grew up driving deer in one of the top trophy counties in the entire country. We saw many huge bucks during the year. We killed very few. My father, brother, cousin and a few friends have killed more big bucks as well, as does, sitting quietly in stands and blinds than we ever killed on drives.
Finally, I've been on quite a few deer drives while hunting with other trad guys. As others above have said, it is a slow, quiet, soft push. It can be fun and even works sometimes - most often it doesn't. I personally don't care how anyone else chooses to kill a deer. They are meat on the hoof and are a renewable resource.
Need a Tissue Hack?
QuoteOriginally posted by JD Page 1965:
Driving deer is hunting? Not in my opinion. I guess for me its not the killing but the hunt itself. Indiana may not have the best deer management but they were ethical enough to outlaw deer drives. Yeah, I said ethical. Remember how everyone here is supposed to set the example and keep our way of life going? I am not hearing that here lately (few different issues). If your feelings got hurt you are that guy and you can cry to someone who cares, I dont.
Whether you think deer drives are A)hunting or B)ethical is irrelevant. This is a topic where I asked about help setting up a drive. Not a stump for you to stand on and shout out your superior view of hunting ethics. If you have nothing to add to the discussion please don't.
Jake what is apparent is ethics are fast becoming irrelevant everywhere and if I see something on here I will speak up. Do yourself a favor, don't attempt to school me on free speech again. This is Tradgang not Jakegang I am a combat Vet who has paid the price for free speech and I do not need a stump to stand on to exercise it. You have a great day!
JD- I am not asking you to give up free speech. What I am asking I that you not be rude. I asked for technical help on a deer drive. I am getting good info and I really appreciate it. I would prefer this thread not get hijacked into an ethics debate. If you want to say deer drives are unethical then you have every right. Why not just start a whole new thread titled "deer drives are unethical" or "trad bow hunters that drive deer have no ethics" or whatever. You'll hear no wailing or crying from me. Heck I wouldn't even post on it! All I am asking is that you show me the same curtesy I would show you and not hijack your threads.
Thanks for your service,
Jake
No hijack intended. I am bailing out of this one! Take care and Merry Christmas..
Thanks for the subject Jake. Drives are fun, social method of hunting, similar to pheasant hunting with dogs. Also you will learn a lot about how deer move through an area by driving. That said, we treat drives more as coordinated still hunts towards people in stand. Generally the drivers get shots by still hunting up on deer that are unaware they are there. When bumped, the deer will run a short distance and then travel at their normal pace.
If you are hunting woodlots surrounded by cropland you need to have your standers right were they leave or enter the woodlot as the deer will often stop and look around when at those spots. When you move to the next woodlot, leave someone in the one just driven because the deer will often circle back. I think it is hard to drive a whitetail from his home range as he will have the same issues with people where ever he goes (in Michigan anyway). They just learn how to avoid contact with you, which is a risk you take every time you go in the woods. Varying your activities help disrupt their patterning of you.
I participated in many deer drives during the WI. gun season. But, when we drove during the archery season, the only deer to shoot at were really hauling butt. Some quite close, but tough, ill advised shot's.
QuoteOriginally posted by Hackbow:
"If your feelings got hurt you are that guy and you can cry to someone who cares, I dont."
I am surprised at the attitude of people who claim that deer drives are "not hunting" and "not ethical". Many of these same people, including several on this thread, sit in tree stands above a deer's line of sight and out of the way of most of their ability to use their nose. Baiting, feeders, trail cams are also used and talked about here and are not met with the same derision as drives.
Before horn porn existed as a huge industry, many of us grew up driving deer. It was a time-honored social activity. Then inches of antler became more important than meat or coming-of-age hunts and hunting lands got closed off to many who previously had access. Even access to hunt small game has been denied in many, if not most private properties where deer live.
All this so that the landowner or leaser could have less competition in possibly killing a big buck. So now we have fewer and fewer kids growing up hunting. We have less and less access to hunting ground. We have new-age deer philosophers denigrating those who enjoyed the deer drives of old because it doesn't fit their myopic and selfish view of what deer hunting SHOULD be.
If you are one of the ones who gladly gain advantage by sitting in a tree, using bait, using cover scents, using attractant scents, using trail cams, using ghillie suits, etc., you may want to re-examine your thoughts on the subject.
If "hunting" is the criteria for determining ethical deer killing, then what exactly is sitting in an elevated stand at the best time according to a trail cam, overlooking bait, wearing camo and cover scent? I guess timed ambushes are way more ethical than trying to push deer with a stick and string in hand.
It seems as if today's average deer hunter is more concerned with being able to control the most variables to gain advantage over the deer. If those of you putting drives down had a clue about their efficacy, you may change you tune. I grew up driving deer in one of the top trophy counties in the entire country. We saw many huge bucks during the year. We killed very few. My father, brother, cousin and a few friends have killed more big bucks as well, as does, sitting quietly in stands and blinds than we ever killed on drives.
Finally, I've been on quite a few deer drives while hunting with other trad guys. As others above have said, it is a slow, quiet, soft push. It can be fun and even works sometimes - most often it doesn't. I personally don't care how anyone else chooses to kill a deer. They are meat on the hoof and are a renewable resource.
Hackbow, would you mind if I gave Donald Trump your contact info? He could use some help delivering his sound thoughts. What you've laid out in your post would be hard for me to improve upon.
If a man is against driving and is quick to spout off about higher than normal ethics, you won't change his mind. The hardest thing in this world that Ive found is to change a grown mans mind.
But alas, that is not the topic of this thread. The topic was a query as to effective tactics for driving deer. I think you already got some great Advice Jake, slow and with meaning and knowledge of your territory and the specific deer that reside upon it. My only concern is that the fellas on my drive have the restraint to only take high percentage shots at calm deer. Yes, with the right techniques some deer that are driven will be calm and probably feeding as much as watching their backtrails. Its not close to being a gimme and will in most instances be less effective than tree stand hunting. But still, a man should know more than one way to kill a deer or anything else for that matter. Im a predator before Im a method hunter. I like to "Hunt" things be it by running them down, ambushing them or luring them to me. I guess I haven't been "blessed" by civilization enough that I will neglect all methods but one to be a hunter. Deer driving is just another way to enjoy the hunt for me.
As far as ethics involved? Well, I like to exhibit and act upon my own set of ethics and will be damned if someone will tell me whats right for me or not. We still have a democracy here at the present time and Im glad that we all can still choose how we plan to live this American dream, regardless if we do deer drives or not.
I'm not much into driving but I've done it, and compared to a bait site, with trail camera, elevated tripod stand with comfy couch and a sliding window....well you get the drift. This IS woodsman ship, this IS cooperative hunting, this IS more about meat than it is about horns, this is as traditional as it gets and we've been doing it for literally our whole existence as Homo sapiens.
A good drive is a thing of beauty, it's not deer running hell bent for leather to get out of there. The posters are downwind and the drivers meander quietly and slowly from upwind. The deer slowly filter past the posters and often seem totally unconcerned they're just moseying out of the way of the humans coming for a walk. Two hunters can accomplish this by the way with a little forethought and cooperation.
calgarychef......you are spot on. I think some think that all deer drives are hooting and banging on pans to get the deer to move towards the sitters. Such is not the case, videos by Gene and Barry Wensel show how the do it with great success..........and I guess I wouldn't question their ethics.
:notworthy: :notworthy:
I will limit my post to the OP's request.
1) You don't need a large crowd to do a drive..2 hunters can do a drive with surprising success.
2) Listen to the guys telling you that drivers are essentially still hunters, moving slowly , stopping often to listen, check the wind and watch for any movement.
3) Listen to the guys who said that knowledge of the terrain and deer habits in the hunt area dramatically increase the likelihood of success
4) A drive is a great way to hunt state game land and other large tracts where you simply cant spend enough time scouting to identify every trail, finger, scrape and rub and identify every productive white oak tree but you CAN study aerial photos, topo maps, etc and get a pretty good idea where deer are likely to funnel when they are moving .
5) A drive is a good mid-day hunt..when deer would normally start thinking about bedding down, a strange twig crack in the distance might just move them along slowly to a different area..just have your "sitters" stay in their stands or blinds and the "drivers" will move in due time toward the sitters.
6) Done properly, the sitters and drivers have roughly equal likelihood of having a deer walk by at close range.
7) with modern technology, texting with cell phones can dramatically improve your drive tactics and success because, e.g, you can alert the others if you see a deer in the distance and know generally what direction it is moving, if you come upon another hunter, if the creek is too deep to cross , if you encounter an unexpected fence or property boundary, etc.
8) A drive can be a good early archery season tactic, when rut isn't moving deer, or late season when the acorns, corn and beans are long gone.
9) Barking noises, banging limbs against tree trunks, whistling, etc, will almost never lead to good results..at best it makes deer move very quickly and keep moving for a long time.
10) Uncertain deer do not move in straight lines away from a perceived source of anxiety...they follow trail,terrain, etc, often at right angles and frequently circling to get downwind. Remember than when thinking about where the sitters might be located and where drivers should be looking.
11) Never ,ever, under no circumstances, drive when gun hunters, black powder hunters are in the area and walkers should wear some blaze orange to , hopefully, catch the eye of noobs with x bows.
12) If your painstakingly-planned and perfectly-executed drive puts a monster buck right in front of a total stranger who arrows him while the buck kept looking back over his shoulder, shake his/her hand and help drag it out.If you do enough drives, I guarantee it will happen.
Thanks man! Great stuff. Thanks for keeping this thread open Terry.
"7) with modern technology, texting with cell phones can dramatically improve your drive tactics and success because, e.g, you can alert the others if you see a deer in the distance and know generally what direction it is moving"
Check your state's game laws on this one. Here in PA it's illegal to use electronic devices to alert hunters of game movement. It happens every day, but it's not supposed to.
This is a good thread. I didn't realize others were into deer drives like our gang.
QuoteOriginally posted by Red Beastmaster:
"7) with modern technology, texting with cell phones can dramatically improve your drive tactics and success because, e.g, you can alert the others if you see a deer in the distance and know generally what direction it is moving"
Check your state's game laws on this one. Here in PA it's illegal to use electronic devices to alert hunters of game movement. It happens every day, but it's not supposed to.
This is a good thread. I didn't realize others were into deer drives like our gang.
For me it is one of the most exciting ways to hunt!! Bunch of good guys together doing this. Here they come boys! Gets the the blood going and it's nice way to stay warm and hunt during the cold cold times in January.
I think one or two guys said it above, but when pushed gently, deer sometimes seem to be distracted by the pusher rather than being scared. I have noticed this a bit more often in areas where deer are used to people (hikers, birdwatchers, fishermen, etc.) They oftentimes aren't as alarmed by scent in those places.
Come to think of it, I've also noticed that in big woods type of hunting the deer don't seem to run away as hard as in typical farm ground areas.
QuoteOriginally posted by Izzy:
QuoteOriginally posted by Hackbow:
"If your feelings got hurt you are that guy and you can cry to someone who cares, I dont."
I am surprised at the attitude of people who claim that deer drives are "not hunting" and "not ethical". Many of these same people, including several on this thread, sit in tree stands above a deer's line of sight and out of the way of most of their ability to use their nose. Baiting, feeders, trail cams are also used and talked about here and are not met with the same derision as drives.
Before horn porn existed as a huge industry, many of us grew up driving deer. It was a time-honored social activity. Then inches of antler became more important than meat or coming-of-age hunts and hunting lands got closed off to many who previously had access. Even access to hunt small game has been denied in many, if not most private properties where deer live.
All this so that the landowner or leaser could have less competition in possibly killing a big buck. So now we have fewer and fewer kids growing up hunting. We have less and less access to hunting ground. We have new-age deer philosophers denigrating those who enjoyed the deer drives of old because it doesn't fit their myopic and selfish view of what deer hunting SHOULD be.
If you are one of the ones who gladly gain advantage by sitting in a tree, using bait, using cover scents, using attractant scents, using trail cams, using ghillie suits, etc., you may want to re-examine your thoughts on the subject.
If "hunting" is the criteria for determining ethical deer killing, then what exactly is sitting in an elevated stand at the best time according to a trail cam, overlooking bait, wearing camo and cover scent? I guess timed ambushes are way more ethical than trying to push deer with a stick and string in hand.
It seems as if today's average deer hunter is more concerned with being able to control the most variables to gain advantage over the deer. If those of you putting drives down had a clue about their efficacy, you may change you tune. I grew up driving deer in one of the top trophy counties in the entire country. We saw many huge bucks during the year. We killed very few. My father, brother, cousin and a few friends have killed more big bucks as well, as does, sitting quietly in stands and blinds than we ever killed on drives.
Finally, I've been on quite a few deer drives while hunting with other trad guys. As others above have said, it is a slow, quiet, soft push. It can be fun and even works sometimes - most often it doesn't. I personally don't care how anyone else chooses to kill a deer. They are meat on the hoof and are a renewable resource.
Hackbow, would you mind if I gave Donald Trump your contact info? He could use some help delivering his sound thoughts. What you've laid out in your post would be hard for me to improve upon.
If a man is against driving and is quick to spout off about higher than normal ethics, you won't change his mind. The hardest thing in this world that Ive found is to change a grown mans mind.
But alas, that is not the topic of this thread. The topic was a query as to effective tactics for driving deer. I think you already got some great Advice Jake, slow and with meaning and knowledge of your territory and the specific deer that reside upon it. My only concern is that the fellas on my drive have the restraint to only take high percentage shots at calm deer. Yes, with the right techniques some deer that are driven will be calm and probably feeding as much as watching their backtrails. Its not close to being a gimme and will in most instances be less effective than tree stand hunting. But still, a man should know more than one way to kill a deer or anything else for that matter. Im a predator before Im a method hunter. I like to "Hunt" things be it by running them down, ambushing them or luring them to me. I guess I haven't been "blessed" by civilization enough that I will neglect all methods but one to be a hunter. Deer driving is just another way to enjoy the hunt for me.
As far as ethics involved? Well, I like to exhibit and act upon my own set of ethics and will be damned if someone will tell me whats right for me or not. We still have a democracy here at the present time and Im glad that we all can still choose how we plan to live this American dream, regardless if we do deer drives or not. [/b]
:thumbsup:
QuoteOriginally posted by Cyclic-Rivers:
I was thinking about drives today. To me it would be intentionally pushing deer off property you have permission to hunt possibly never seeing them during or after the drive.
I'm not for or against it, and if you have a bunch of other places to hunt then cool beans.
Personally I would p
refer if the neighbors all did drives and I had a "sanctuary" to hunt!
If I was invited to drive someone else's land, I would probably jump at it.
Let us know how you make out.
My thoughts exactly. We don't do them on our lease.
I haven't reviewed the "fair chase" conditions but does driving game fit???
I have friends who push and they have a great time it seems to bring people together and reminds me a lot of bird hunting when we used to go chase grouse around..
me personally I want nothing to do with deer drives for me and what I need mentally from my hunts it just doesn't provide that,,,there's no personal respect or sense of accomplishment which are a couple things I really need before I can say thank you for the deer. I really need to know I earned it and having someone scare a deer towards me just doesn't do provide that,,,,,,I would rather push for friends to help them get food but I don't want to shoot..
the last time I hunted with my father I was on my stand with a smoothbore and from his stand he decided to go for a walk and with me not knowing he tried to push some deer towards me,,,,, when he came out of the swamp in front of me and I seen what was happening was the first time he got a loud profanity filled tongue lashing from his kid and the last time we ever hunted together and where he cannot walk good enough to hunt anymore this is something I don't regret.
if someone accidently pushed me a deer and I shot it I would be pretty upset with myself and donate the deer to the first person who wanted it after I tagged it of course because well there is still a law we all need to follow (oops just a point I was trying to make :bigsmyl: hope its more better now ehh)
with all that being said if it was a matter of survival though I'd kill anything that walks in any Legal manner possible to feed me or my family.
Wow, shooting a deer and not tagging it? Around here that's called poaching, wasting game and will land you a nice fine. If you think that kind of behaviour is justified in any way you'll not be welcome in our camp....ever.
it was just a point I was trying to make,,, your from Canada I'm from Boston trust me I wouldn't come knocking.
oops dbl post
Calgarychef X2. Called wanton waste where I live and punishable by a hefty fine, which it should be. Wondering what your point is T17. :confused:
because he missed my point and his whole threat about your not welcome in my camp thing was over the edge a little,,,, he likes to push deer and needed someone to attack that was against it I think he knew what I meant but its a Timmys vs DD thing.
I understand I wrote that wrong and my failed attempt at being sarcastic but I wouldn't consider a pushed deer truly my deer once I realized it was only scared towards me, I fixed the wording..
Settle down guys!
I don't "like" pushing deer. I explained how deer drives aren't always a mad dash of animals. There have probably been tons of times that deer have been pushed past you and you don't even realise it. Maybe a coyote wanders by and the deer moves away, or a cow, or the wind changes direction and the deer meander a different direction and directly u deer your stand where you ever sooooo ethically wait above the animals sight line do y can"ethically" kill them.
Breaking game laws ain't cool even if it's to make a point actually especially if it's to make a point.
For those who are interested in driving deer and have no partner here's a way. Hang up your sweaty jacket in the breeze,then make a big circle downwind and hopefully you'll run into the deer trying to get away from the scent.
We were walking back to the truck one day after walking a very long ways looking for moose. There was a small bull bedded down and we bumped it before we saw it. It took off
Of course but hadn't smelled us yet and wasn't too spooked. I very quickly circled downwind and caught him just leaving the edge of the bush. I didn't get a shot off but if I would have been faster on the draw I would have as he was about 18 yards away. That's an animal that was definitely pushed to the spot I saw him and I don't think anyone could call that unethical.
I agree with the fellows who are on small leases though,in wouldn't push or even stalk around on a small piece of land. I'd get into my stand and stay there.
QuoteOriginally posted by calgarychef:
Breaking game laws ain't cool even if it's to make a point actually especially if it's to make a point.
;) keeping it going with your smart comments ehh...
I don't do drives when bow hunting, mostly because I generally bowhunt alone, and don't want to try to beat the animals I disturbed with my sweaty underpants :bigsmyl: . I would think it would be effective with the right pieces of land I can actually think of a spot in my expanded area that would work perfectly if I could get someone who wanted to still hunt. Drives were illegal for years in Maine (as is baiting). the state now allows drives of up to three hunters. I think it was originally more a concern for safety, than an ethics piece. It has been a part of our hunting culture before the bow, so I see it as a viable method, as well as a fun one if you have the right group to do it with. Good luck.