DEER DRIVES

[DEERBOSS]

IM SURE THIS MIGHT TURN INTO A FIGHT BUT I WANT TO KNOW WHAT PEOPLE THINK ABOUT DEER DRIVES. ALSO WOULD LIKE TO HEAR SOME STORIES!

[Patriot]

I personally don't like them.  Specifically on my property with the way they are done (I'm not in charge)....all we get is running deer and that's not a shot I will take.
 
I think if done properly they can be very effective.

[Jslotter]

Im not a fan of deer drives at all. Where I hunt there are many high sloped ridgelines, deep ravines, and wide draws and alot of thick brush. Driving deer thru that terrain is tough and can be dangerous because it is so hard for hunters to stay on line with each other. You will push out deer, but those deer are not going to head straight to the standers, alot of times they will get up on a ridgeline and bee-line all the way down the ridge into the neighbor's land or slip their way into a deep ravine into some very impossible brush. I think if you have alot of flat terrain and some open areas to channel the deer during the drive, it can be very effective.

[woodsalta]

Last year in up state NY we were hunting in a state park and our group was getting ready to head into the woods when we noticed another hunter sitting about 50 yards in from the dirt road. We lokked to the right and the left and there were hunters every 50 yards or so. Then we started hearing what sounded like coyotes howling which turned out to be other hunters pushing towards the shooters. These guys had hands free head sets pluged into their ears even. It was incredible, there were about 20-25 guys in the hunting party and they ended up filling all of their tags in a day or two. It seemed more like a slaughter than a hunt.

When we do a drive we just get into a big circle and meet in the middle.

[loneranger]

Don't like them,. Many involved ,"If it's brown, it's down,,mentality". Sitting quietly,,blending with nature, up close,focussing on a killing shot,, as opposed to,, making noise, blasting away hoping to hit something,,sending game in a panic. No comparison.

[CoG]

You guys have a much different "view" of drives than myself.  I'm not real big on the 10-20 man deer drives but small drives well planned are a blast.  Small meaning I like a group no bigger than 4 and really prefer 2 with one stander and one "driver".

The stander sets up very close to the expected escape route.  If the deer go elsewhere, you don't get 'em and try again at a later date.  We don't yell, hoot, and bark like coyotes.  Basically these deer often don't flee at warp speed, but they bound away to relocate.  They see the driver as more of a small disturbance that they can easily retreat from.

Mainly we do this on areas where deer have started holding very tight and on selected tracts of public land.  The way we do it, deer tend to return in short order.  It's a lot of fun to hunt with friends like this in a small group and you'll learn a lot about your local deer's habits.  It's also very effective once you learn what spots to hit, what direction to drive, and where to position your stander.  It can also be very frustrating when you get out-smarted.

[Relentless]

I am pretty sure this has been discussed at least once on this forum somewhere.  Do I like them...nope.  I used to partake in them though and results were nothing compared to stand hunting.  I have not been on a deer drive in years and do not miss them one bit.  If they are legal we really can't complain.....sometimes people driving bordering properties can help you. 

[BamaHunter]

Not much sport to it IMO.   Yes, I have participated in them, but avoid them if possible. Usually result in a lot of deer harvested and the same amount wounded wandering around in the woods suffering.

[wisbooner3932]

I'm kind of with CoG on this one but we drive with a few more people, around 5-7.  We drive the marsh on my grandpa's farm once a season, usually the second Saturday when the deer are hanging tight.  We typically have 2 standers, one ahead of us near to most likeley escape route, and one behind us in case the deer double back.  I enjoy it, it can provide fast action after being couped up in a stand all week (and in my case all throughout bow season).  I can understand where people wouldn't like it but with all the family members that's the way they all used to hunt.  Hearing their stories about some of their drives in the "old days" are really entertaining to me and has become one of my favotite parts about gun season.  Heck, even my Grandpa is still telling stories about a particular drive that happened 40+ years ago even though his memory is ailing.  I guess you could say I'm partial to them because of the tradition they have in our family; if it weren't this way I could see myself being one of the people that dislike them.  To each his own I guess. 

[gunther89]

I'm all for them when there are a couple days left in the season but my group always does them opening day in the afternoon.  I don't like it but I seem to be the only 1 in the group that doesn't like to do them.  I would much rather just sit in a stand opening day and let other neighbors drive deer to us.

I will say that one of my most memorable hunts came off a deer drive.  My cousin and I were going to drive a side hill during the middle of the week for my grandpa.  I was about 8 and my cousin was about 6.  We got about half way through and heard 2 shots from my grandpa.  Needless to say my cousin and I started running to get where my grandpa was and when we got there we saw a deer laying on the ground.  It was a big doe but it was one of the greatest hunts I have ever been apart of.