Deer drives

[Jakeemt]

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.

[Doug_K]

Just my opinion, but a archery deer drive sounds like a good way to wound deer.

[ron w]

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!!

[BenM]

Illegal in IL.  May want to check your regs.  More of a old school gun tactic I thought.

[Jakeemt]

Well to each his own I suppose. I will give it a try and let you know   .

[Jakeemt]

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.

[BenM]

Haha.  Only the politicians on this side of the river can do the illegal stuff.
Good luck let us know how it goes

[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 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.

[Hot Hap]

I think it's illegal in ILLinois only on public land-Hap

[Jakeemt]

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.

[Izzy]

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.

[aim small...release]

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.

[ron w]

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.

[ChuckC]

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

[CoachBGriff]

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.

[bamboo]

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

[59Alaskan]

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.

[Altiman94]

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.

[Bill Kissner]

I deleted this post because I was not following the interest of the original topic and have apologized to the thread starter.

[frank bullitt]

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!