# driving deer



## vinnystatechamp (Jun 20, 2006)

i spoke with a landowner recently who said that he tried to drive some deer for his grandson. I volunteered to help him but I have no idea what im doing. Any advice besides walk through the woods?


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## freyedknot (Apr 10, 2004)

AND sound like a gorilla comming thru! OH, and hit the dirt when the shooting starts. drives can be a dangerous practice.


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## Reel Thrill (Jun 14, 2010)

If it will just be the two of you focus on small drives of 200-300 yrds. Grab a big stick and make some noise, zig zag thru the woods and try to use a natural funnel to bring the deer into a pinch if there is anything that is present that will corral them into a tight area, post your stander/s there


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## katfish (Apr 7, 2004)

Several years ago I had the same situation.

A young man who had never hunted deer and two old codgers to drive them.

We decided to put him along a creek running through crop fields.
My friend and I drove the creek. One on each side. We went slowly and thoroughly along the creek like we were rabbit hunting.

As we started the drive he spotted a doe and we went slow and covered all the cover hoping she would't get behind us or break across an open field.

We got to within 200 yards of the boy and were starting to wonder if we messed up when he shot. He shot the deer at 20 yards.


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## squid_1 (Jun 2, 2005)

You just want to push the deer not chase them past the sitter. Walk slowly, often deer will act like a rabbit and and sit tight so occassionally stop. I would also make the sitter very aware of which directions are off limits for him to shoot. Also wear plenty of orange. Good luck.


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## Blaze6784 (Nov 3, 2006)

I agree with Squid. Walk slowly and pick your way to the sitter(s) stopping every once in a while. There were several times back in Vermont, when we would do drives, that the drivers shot deer because the deer were just bedded down or had just gone ahead a little bit as the hunters were driving.


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## Mushijobah (May 4, 2004)

Don't walk loudly. The deer will get up and leave either way. If you are loud and obnoxious, the deer will take off at a dead sprint. If you are quiet, the deer will likely sneak away or run...stop..look...run...stop...look. This helps you get a shot and it also helps the standers get a shot at a deer that isn't running. It is also much safer than people blasting away at deer that are bounding through the landscape at 35 mph.


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## bassbuster065 (Apr 28, 2010)

i was just down in va and i was standing still for 3min in a open field and then a deer jump i wasnt moving but i shot and the clip fell out of my rifle)-=


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## Seaturd (Apr 14, 2004)

I like to watch deer drives from afar. It's amazing the amount of deer that will sneak out behind the drivers once they've passed. Several of those sneakers have ended up in my freezer....


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## ohiogary (Dec 14, 2006)

This past week we did deer drives, most of the time there was like 14 standers and drivers and you would be surprised how many of them can come out of a hollow, my son had 14 does come running by him at once, followed by 10 more. The guy that owns the land only permits taking big bucks only. And they dont get there points for nothing, they head for the heaviest cover and let the drivers walk past.


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## Poohflinger (Feb 2, 2010)

Use the wind to your advantage. Small 2 man drives can work well if you let the wind drift your scent through heavy cover. Try to make sure the standers scent blows away from where the deer would come from.


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## Raker (May 9, 2004)

I agree....

You must drive the deer into the wind.....very important!


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## Hetfieldinn (May 17, 2004)

No sense in making a lot of noise. The deer will know you're coming, and probably before you even start the drive. The quieter you are, the less alarmed the deer will be.

We mainly drive deer at our camp. Some guys stand hunt for an hour or two, then the drive(s) begin. The drivers pretty much 'spook hunt' through the woods. They're not just driving, they're hunting, as well. The majority of the big bucks harvested over the past years were done so by drivers.

Safety is priority number one. There isn't a deer walking the earth that's worth putting someone's life in jeopardy. We have a safety reminder each morning before the hunt, and our drives have been carefully planned over the years to put both drivers and standers in the safest possible areas.


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## wildman (Sep 3, 2008)

No sense making noise????? how many drives have some of you people done? Make noise! Not like crazed weirdo but a whoop whoop seems to work.. take 5 to 10 steps give a whoop whoop 10 more listen for the other drivers to whoop also listen for deer. 10 more whoop whoop and so on.

The whoop whoop lets the other drivers and the sitters know where you are it makes for a safe hunt and a organized drive. put the sitters on a hill so they are shooting down toward the ground. This gives then a better view of things.

I don't drive flat ground to much it seems to be a little more dangerous.

PS... cover areas they can slip on you and yes use the wind. and yes some always slip though. Some hunters hate drivers ( which is kind of silly) As stated on here, many people get deer from deer slipping though running to other hunters..


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## marshal45 (Mar 8, 2007)

Drives are easy. All you have to do is know a few people in different parts of the state that own less than one acre of land that butts up to a larger piece of woods. Then all you have to do is TRESPASS on the larger piece of woods and put people dressed up in orange all over as posters and just walk wherever you want to try and push those BROWN things that everyone is after so that lead flies all around knocking Jaws, legs, ears, tails, whatever you can hit and hope to get a second shot off to actually kill the animal. Its GREAT FUN! Everyone should do it. Oh yeah, by the way make sure you are hiding behind a tree at all times b/c you dont want to get shot. 

This is what I experience every year in GEAUGA COUNTY while I am sitting in a tree on property I have permission and no one else. Doesnt stop most hunters from FUC.... up youre hunt while putting on Drives. You might be able to tell I am getting a bit frustrated with it. I have no problem with drives as long as they are coordinated in the right way, and only on property you have permission to be on. Just remember you could be messing up someone elses hunt.


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## Hetfieldinn (May 17, 2004)

wildman said:


> No sense making noise????? how many drives have some of you people done?


Probably only a couple thousand, but we're learning.


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## wildman (Sep 3, 2008)

Sorry about your experience, But that's not the way all deer drives are conducted. *1-800-poacher* works for those case's....you should try it the next time you experience that kind problem..

As for the blasting and wounding of deer I have seen it happen from guy's in a tree stand with a gun or a bow. It happens to the best of us. Most of the drives that we have put on are by the same guys year in and year out by people from around the state and we meet on public land that we have spent a considerable amount of time hunting. We also have a considerable amount of respect for the animal that we are hunting. So we do wait for a quality shot. It's good to have a set of guide lines among the other hunters. I guess the difference is we have permission to hunt 20,000 acres. One thing I have noticed is the countless amount of deer that have slipped though and been shoot by other hunters. in conditions like now It helps when guy's get out and move the deer. When done correctly and slower it works for bow hunting also...

I think Drives are a great way to hunt during gun season. When done right. I bow hunt 100's of hours in a stand and when gun season comes it's a good change..

PS. Hetfieldinn I was just mess-in with yea.


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## bigbassturd (Mar 25, 2008)

A 2 man drive is how my deer was taken. Took 10 steps into the woods, he hopped up looked and BOOM...day over.


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