DEER DRIVES

[SwampLife]

ORIGINAL: BamaHunter
Not much sport to it IMO.  

Walking through the woods getting deer to move is easy. Forcing a big buck to travel where you want him or expect him to is nearly impossible.

ORIGINAL: BamaHunter
Usually result in a lot of deer harvested and the same amount wounded wandering around in the woods suffering.

Sounds like bowhunting.

It's ok not to like or agree with a style of hunting but don't lump everyone who executes deer drives into a 'brown it's down', shoot up the woods, hootin' and hollerin' bunch of goons.

[BamaHunter]

Not my intension...just my experience and OPINION !
To each his own as long as they enjoy it.

[Swampbuckdown]

Deer drives done safely at the END of deer season can be acceptable. The two man drive, 1 shooter and 1 walker..awesome if both are skilled woodsman, but I don't consider that really a deer drive.

I personally think that deer drives should be limited to private, state forest and other large public hunting lands that do not see non-hunters on a daily basis. State parks and possibly Wild life refuge lands should be deer drive free. The one thing about deer drives though, they are responsible for like 90% or more of all gun related accidents during deer season. The first 4 people shot this year during opening weekend in Wisconsin....all due to deer drives.

The method will produce meat. It rarely will produce a large buck. Lots of does and it seems to me, that 6pts are the most taken bucks during deer drives. Just my experience and what I have seen.

[Goose]

It seems more of a traditional hunting method to me. We used to do it on our property on the last day, but have gotten away from it. Get into farm country and it is still very popular but nothing like it used to be. My biggest concern with them, as stated already, is safety.
I personally like to do more of a bump by just doing it with a couple of guys who I feel I can trust and we do it as safely and low key as possible, so that we are just bumping the deer ahead of us.

Here in WI, it is my belief, that the decline in people driving timber out, is one of the MANY contributers to seeing less deer throughout the gun season.

I personally love the neighbors walking around though![:)]

[DoeEyed]

 I have no problems with people doing drives. As Goose said my biggest concern would be safety issues and wounding but not being able to retrieve. We've never done a real deer drive on my property. We sit in our stands all season and wait for the neighbors to push the deer. But as is becoming the norm our neighbors have cut down on them, not wanting to drive the deer onto our property cuz you know there is always some that are going to make it thru. The middle of our property is left as a deer sanctuary. We never go in there. If we were to do a drive I would'nt allow it at the beginning of the season. It would be done on the last day in the afternoon when there is'nt alot of hunters sitting anymore cuz they've had enough hunting or have filled there tags already.
 
My neighbor pushed some deer toward one of his buddies hunting on our land during muzzleloader. It was effective but I guess I don't consider that to be what we are talking about here. There is not alot of hunters out during muzzleloader and the deer are not so pressured. They ran a short distance then stopped. They were'nt running all out like they would be doing during 9 day gun. 

[SwampLife]

No hard feelings BamaHunter, just throwing my opinion out there as well.

We do a lot of deer drives when the woods are empty, never opening day or weekends. It is the only way to get the deer moving after all of the pressure from opening day + it's the post rut. If we hunted low pressure deer, I would probably not do a drive until the last day or two if I had a tag to fill.

We have been driving the same pieces for a long time, we know where to go for does, and where the big bucks will be holed up. Driving for big bucks is very effective if you have enough people who are seasoned at doing it.

I think it was CA that said the majority of older age class bucks killed in heavy pressured areas are via well executed deer drives performed by veteran hunters.

[Powell1120]

I personally do not have any concerns with drives other than safety. Here in IA, most every one hunts in groups durring the gun seasons. Please note I didn't say ALL, I know there are some folks that would rather  sit on stand all day. By the time December rolls around I have had enough sitting still for a while and welcome the change of pace. I know there are deer that will be wounded hunting in this fashion, but as SawpLife touched on before, there are a lot that get wounded during bow season too. To me the gun season is more of a social event. Its the time to get the guys together, do out best to fill the freezer during the day, and then go knock a few back and tell stories the rest of the night.
 
As with anything I do think that there are some that get a little carried away with it, I know of one "group", actually its more like a platoon of hunters numbering between 40 and 45 every year. They also made the 10 O'clock news opening day this year for shooting one of their own. Be smart, have a plan and drives can be very effective in reducing the herd.

[Huntingdad]

I agree with Goose 100%. They have there place and are a deep rooted tradition in many hunting groups.

[Osty]

I don't mind drives as long as they are SAFELY conducted. Good planning, safety boundaries, knowing where the drivers/standers are, those help the drives.

I've also been on deer drives with dogs in North Carolina. Luckily the group I went with was on a military base and you were restricted to the road, wore orange, used buckshot, and were a minimum of 200 yards from the nearest hunter.

Stories:
One of the dog drives I was posted at 8 a.m. At 830 the dogs were pushing a deer. It came with 15 yards of me, stopped and turned. Just as it turned I shot it. I went over, took a couple pictures, was getting ready to gut it when I heard the dogs chasing again. Standing by my first deer, another deer ran out and I shot it! 2 deer (button bucks) in about 15 minutes. I was done for the day but saw 3 more deer (had another running at me just as I was about to start gutting). Year was 2008.

Another dog drive. I was about the 5th person along an open field with an old runway between me and the woods. The first person shot and got a doe. About 10 minutes later, the 2nd person to my left shot, then the person next to me shot, then I shot. I shot a doe that somersaulted in the air. 1st deer of the year for me and I was pumped. Year was 2005.

Dog drive 2006. After getting a 6 pointer in Wisconsin (stand), I was back in North Carolina. The first dog hunt, towards the end of the first drive, I had a doe stop about 15 yards away. I got her and she was big for the area, about 100 # or so. That was a pretty good year for me.

Last one: 1 Jan 2008. Just returned from Iraq and didn't get one during December 2007 but on the last day of the season, January 1st, I went out with the club. First drive of the day I heard the dogs chasing on the other side of the sandy road. About 40 yards away a doe popped out and I dropped her.

[Joel Spring]

My longtime hunting partner and I often do 2-man drives late in the season.   It's more or less one of us carefully still hunting toward the other, keeping the wind and escape routes in mind.    We've killed a lot of deer this way. 
 
Anyone who says it doesn't require woodsmanship hasn't tried it.   Just getting the 'stander' in place upwind of a bedding area requires a slow, determined still hunt into the area.
 
Killed a doe this way late in the season this year.   Yes, it was a running shot (trotting, at least), but if you know what you're doing, are cognizant of where your hunting partner is, and wait for a safe, ethical shot, it can be a great way to kill deer.
 
That said, I prefer stand hunting.