This is why some drive deer....

[Curmudgeon]

Safety is paramount. Know your people and know your hunting grounds. An intimate knowledge of what deer do in a place increases your odds exponentially. Remember the details of every success. Success is usually not an accident. Use the wind to confuse the deer. We will place the 4 or 5 guys in predetermined locations while one person still hunts around them. The person moving moves a little faster than a normal still hunter. He will work upwind of normal escape routes so the deer have no choice but to go cross wind or down wind if they move. When a deer moves into the wind and towards a hunter, it will often turn and move to one of the others. Certainly, not every deer will move but we are quite successful using this method.

 

Hunting this way does not result in running deer and poorly chosen shots. Even if you jump a deer, it won't run far before walking past your hunters.

[nyantler]

My friends and I sometimes do a form of deer driving where we try not to get the deer running for their lives, but rather hunt into the wind to other hunters positioned quite a ways away... deer usually smell the pushers as they're hunting and slowly move out of the area toward the other awaiting hunters... 9 times out of 10 when a sitter sees a deer it is just walking... makes the shot opportunity much better and time to see what is beyond the target.

[Bowshotmuzzleloader]

Different strokes for different folks

Some places it works like a charm, other places not so good..

We used to drive it resulted in a lot of small bucks , wounded deer , and buttons bucks ..

The woods we pushed deer rarely walked ,, they were always in a hurry or running for there life..

But it does for sure work and some nice bucks taking by those drives ..

[stoneam2006]

As others have said it's really about knowing the property and the guys your with to make it successful

[upstate]

I hunted near Canandaigua Lake for 25 years and we had 200 acres of our own land, plus another 100 of a neighbor's that we could hunt. We had that 300 acres figured out. We would drive it, a lot. One time me and my buddy were watchers instead of walkers and watched, from the hillside, numerous deer sneak back through the drive.

 

After a few years we got together with some locals who had access to about 400 more acres. These guys taught us how to drive. They were extremely slow and very close together. At all times you saw the guy on each side of you. A line that was impenetrable because they could not sneak behind or through us. 

 

We had a drive that had results like the photo above. The walkers did all the shooting that day. It was late season and we found their sanctuary. It was a lot of fun. 

 

For me I will ONLY drive with people I know and trust. People can act sketchy when the biggest buck they've ever seen jumps up in front of them. Very few outsiders were allowed in this group and many were tossed for violations like, running ahead of the drive to get a shot a deer, shooting back into the drive, not waiting for the drive to end (some could take 2 hours and it wasn't that big of an area). 

 

I miss those guys badly... it has not been the same since 2010 when we lost our land and we all went our own ways looking for new land to hunt. 

 

 

[thunnus]

What's the best book you have ever read on drives? Old or new?

[turkeyfeathers]

What's the best book you have ever read on drives? Old or new?

l

If you're reading a book while driving deer, you're doing it wrong : )

[greensider]

thare are deer that go nocternal and the only way to kill them is with a drive

[growalot]

We use whistles ...walk a few steps and blow on the whistle....it's so thick at camp even blaze can be hard to see....years ago it was wide open and standers either stood up at the top of the hill towards the road or and/ or along the ridge above the walkers below to catch the ones that back tracked or literally crawled out of the way...to this day the things deer can do amazes me.

Once I was on a snow trail and it was taking me through some nasty duck walking type of stuff...just to look to my right to see a deer was shadowing me...too thick to shoot I decided to see if I was right....... it would walk when I moved...stop when I stopped and stayed just about the same distance away the entire time........learned alot that day...lol

Edited December 4, 2014 by growalot

[Fletch]

Best advise I can give is do not do drives with anyone you do not completely trust and someone needs to be in charge.

If you are just starting keep it safe and simple. Maybe 2 pushers and 3 watchers. Make rule watchers do not shoot into drive but wait till deer is past or under if elevated. A couple guys in climbers would make super watchers. Make sure pushers Do Not shoot unless towards an unwatched side or behind. And never assume other hunters are not around.

Draw your drives out ahead of time. Plan. Make sure watchers are dressed for a long sit if it is a long drive.

Edited December 4, 2014 by Fletch

[rotorooter23]

Drives are good and bad like most things. I've never like them until I am looking a tan empty freezer towards the end of shotgun and nothing is moving. The only thing that I have against drives is that it promotes bad shot selection in return festering more deer.  

[nyantler]

2 man drives work quite well if you're not into the whole group of guys thing... the key is just to get deer moving... once you have them up and about the chance of seeing one increases.

[Culvercreek hunt club]

Was invited into a group that did nothing but drives when I lived in Albany. I had grown up doing drives with relatives but these guys took it to a whole new level. It was all on big woods state land and there were 30 in the group. many times it took more time to go get on watch that it did to get ready to push. These guys were serious and had many rules. There was a lead guy that set out watchers and one that dropped off drivers. while walking to you locations, always in single file line, the only person allowed to have a round chambered was the lead. You didn't move until picked up. We drove whole mountains those years I hunted with them. They really put a lot of deer and bear on the game pole.

 

As we did in our family, everyone helped gut and get them out after the drive and the butchering was done as a group. The meat was split between any participant that wanted it.

 

Over the years we have driven with different tactics. We have used kind of an organized still hunt to the watchers and have been in thick swamps where all the drivers barked or used whistles. usually, Whitetail wont run for long distances if they feel the danger is not immediate or is far enough behind them. take that into consideration when setting out watchers. backing away from the actual piece of land being pushed can give them the time to slow down after their initial burst. This gives you better shots but also can require more watchers to cover all the escape routes.

[wooly]

There's only one man that truly knows how to "drive deer", and he's not a hunter!   

[Meat First]

Thanks everyone for some great advise.  Alot to digest but I have a plan for my property just have to try it.  Like Bubba said its not rocket science.  Was thinking about getting everyone together this last weekend of gun to try it.  Where should the person in charge(me) be? On stand or as a pusher?  I was thinking radios for all and blaze orange for we do have a couple of kids with us.

[Culvercreek hunt club]

I would suggest having someone that also knows the land and the plan set out the watchers and you lead the drive. . if it is thick and you can easily get turned around or you cant see each driver, I would think the young hunters are better suited to watch than drive. Set them out with clear direction at each location about their safe lanes of fire. Young hunters tend to walk too fast and unless you set a rule that drivers don't shoot, it can be iffy were they to get ahead and cross in front or get turned around in the drive.

Edited December 4, 2014 by Culvercreek hunt club

[Mr VJP]

As the leader, you should put the standers in place according to the drive plan and then take a stand.  Nobody leaves a stand until you come for them or blow a loud whistle.

 

Everyone should wear as much blaze orange as they can wear so everyone can see everyone else.

 

[NFA-ADK]

Great advice guys! 

 

Make it known that if anyone fires towards the pusher they are out!  Braking the rules is an immediate out.  Drives are a great way to hunt and can be very successful as seen but safety is most important in this type of hunt. 

 

I have done a few drives in my time and they prove to get deer moving which is what is needed when deer feel presser or conditions exist for little day time movement.  Good luck, be safe and please let us know how well it worked for your group!

[phade]

damn surprised that railing did collapse with all the dead weight, looks like a successful weekend.

 

Thought the same thing as soon as I saw that.

[ATbuckhunter]

I have never been a part of one but I have always wanted too. It seams to me that the only real way to do it is by experienced drivers and plenty of rules. 

[bubba]

Ruler are pretty simple.  Do not shoot toward a driver or other watcher.  You have designated shooting areas and that is all you have. The person placing the watchers is in charge of explaining that to every watcher as he puts them out.  Watchers never move from the designated place they are told to stay.  Drivers communicate back and forth to know where each is so they stay pretty much in a line and one does not get too far out  in front or behind.  Drivers should not shoot since there are watchers in front of them and drivers next to them on either side.  The only safe shot for a driver is behind them and that is iffy at best. Watchers do not move until either picked up or told to otherwise. The person who sets out watchers is the person who picks them up  For instance of the drive is over and the guy next to you got a deer, you move over there to help when yelled to do so or waved over.  The head driver is in charge of it all. He decides who is doing what and how it will be done.  

 

 

I think a lot of the misconception if drives is that people think it involves dozens of people.  I have used one watcher and one walker and been successful.  The big part is knowing the territory and where the deer generally head But that can vary also depending on where they are when you move them.  It is also not a race. I walk a normal pace and just keep deer moving ahead of me.  That way they are not running when they reach watchers. A group of 5 or 6 can be very successful.  Plus when I set watchers, they are not in front of the drivers.  I set watchers to the side on usual escape routes.  That way the shooters never fire toward the drivers.  It is pretty simple and effective.  We usually drive form a swamp/bedding area to the hard woods. If you put in some time and know pretty much where the deer are going when moved, it works out well. 

[Curmudgeon]

I have found that Google Earth is a very useful tool. Before we leave the house, I bring up my Google Earth deer hunting map on my big monitor and explain the plan to everyone. Since we tend to do short 1 - 1 1/2 hour drives with one pusher still hunting areas of 25-100 acres, we can do three in a morning. We will go over each drive on the map before going out.

 

When a deer is killed, the person who is posted stays put until the drive is over. Everyone here usually has multiple tags, DMPs and DMAPs in addition to buck tags so he/she continues hunting. 

 

My Dad and I were out for a few hours today before I opened the Christmas tree store at 10. Over tea I asked him how many of our deer he thought we harvested with these drives where one person pushes to 1-4 others. He estimated about 1/3. I think that is a good number.

[Al Bundy]

I wish I still had access to land to drive. I cut my teeth on driving as a 10 or so year old. The way my group worked,  the young ones were pushers. Non gun carrying (most times). The older members were sitters. Communication was through talking LOUD and screaming, depending on the terrain maybe visual on other pushers. Deer knew you were coming, shooters knew you were coming, neighbors knew you were driving. The point here is get the deer moving, and not to circle back behind you AND let shooters/watchers know where you were. This worked pretty well.  Sometimes, I would circle around and come back on my trail, to move any deer that had circled around me. Zig Zag pattern was also mandatory while pushing, depdning on the terrain. Nobody ever said you have to wear orange, as it was common sense and obvious.  Through thick shit, at times I held up an orange vest on a stick and wore orange as well and yelled also.  Took time walking through that but it worked mostly.  I walked up and down some huge steep gulleys that were amazing.  Those were the days...

 

The other way is have the drivers walk somewhat quietly, hoping to get a shot. I never drove like this, as being loud seemed much safer to me and seemed to move deer toward those who were designated to shoot. Deer were shooters deer. WHen your turn to shoot came, if you hit one, then it was your deer.

 

The key to driving is knowing the terrain and making the deer go where you want them. Easier said than done, but with some knowledge and planning, its workable. 

 

 

 

 

[WNYBuckHunter]

However, when one of these groups drive right over you, it's time to quit for the day.

 

Not true. We do it every year, and watch deer loop around right behind us. Then Ive had situations where we have driven an area in the morning or early afternoon, and killed a deer out of a stand in that same area that evening.

[WNYBuckHunter]

My friends and I sometimes do a form of deer driving where we try not to get the deer running for their lives, but rather hunt into the wind to other hunters positioned quite a ways away... deer usually smell the pushers as they're hunting and slowly move out of the area toward the other awaiting hunters... 9 times out of 10 when a sitter sees a deer it is just walking... makes the shot opportunity much better and time to see what is beyond the target.

 

Thats how I ended up with my buck last year. My buddy and I talked about it and he entered the woods upwind, while I had been sitting for a few hours in a stand that sits in a trasition area between heavy cover and hardwwods and a field. Across the field from that stand is another section of heavy cover with open hardwoods beyond that and another section of heavy cover right before an open field. The buck was in the last described section of cover, and headed for the cover that was near where I was sitting. Just like Ive seen many deer do in that area before. He was walking calmly down a trail when I stopped him and shot him. We knew exactly what we were doing.