Deer drives....how to?

Tim

Checked Out
Staff member
2A Bourbon Hound 2024
2A Bourbon Hound OG
Charter Life Member
Benefactor
Vendor
Multi-Factor Enabled
Joined
Dec 17, 2016
Messages
16,371
Location
A Glass Cage of Emotion
Rating - 100%
85   0   0
My hunt club is doing a New Year's Day deer drive. I've never participated in one. So...what am I in for?

I guess my biggest question is with regard to firearm choice. Are these things usually done with shotguns and buckshot? Or will members "push" deer towards someone in a fixed location with a rifle?

I'm not so sure I'm keen on this idea. I'm not a very trusting guy when it comes to folks shooting at moving targets with other folks down range....
 
I'm not so sure I'm keen on this idea. I'm not a very trusting guy when it comes to folks shooting at moving targets with other folks down range....

You and me both!
Deer drives and "tactical matches" both sound like bad ideas to me.

If I took a 556 to the gut while participating in either of the above activities...my friends would all just shake thier heads and call dibs on my gunz.
 
My family did deer drives the morning of thanksgiving and we hunted until about 12pm.

Yes what it is is putting shooters in fixed locations and having the others basically just walk a section toward the shooters to drive the deer to the shooters. We drove mountains in WV not flat lands but I'm sure it works the same. For us though going through all that dang rhododendron thickets was pretty bad. Lots of deer though. Knowing that you have a person coming through makes you that much more aware of what your going to shoot at unless your with a true idiot. Usually you do one section at a time and the shooters change with each drive.
 
Last edited:
I went on many a deer drive in my youth. If people are safety conscious then several things are very important.

No one shooting on the deer drive will have anything but a shotgun with buckshot......period.

People will be placed in positions, no closer than 100 yards with plenty of trees between each person. And nobody is allowed to move.

Obviously orange is tantamount for any hunter but any body driving the deer will be covered in orange and have a whistle that they blow the entire time.

If using dogs, the dogs should have orange on them as well.

If done right they can be a lot of fun. Done wrong and accidents happen. I have walked away from drives when I saw someone with a rifle. They claimed it was back up in case of a wild boar but it was a safety violation and too risky.
 
Done a few.
Never used a shot gun (have I mentioned I hate buckshot) mostly 3030 in thick or .270 covering open fields.
If done right, deer are not blistering by you at warp speed, they are trying to sneak through.
Alot of times the guys in the rear, stationed way behind and to the outside of the drivers, kill the biggest deer. They slip around and behind the drivers.
Always be aware of the drivers, where they are and where they are headed.

If you can, get in a position of higher ground, so your shots are towards dirt as a backup.

Use common sense and everything will be ok.

ps ... all of my drive experience comes from hunting in hilly wooded terrain. I have no experience with drives in flatland or thick swampy areas with long legged hounds.
 
Last edited:
We drive almost every year in Virginia. But they are more "pushing" than driving.

1. Driving, IMHO , is a bunch of folks dressed in full orange with shotguns spread out in a picket line and pushing loudly and swiftly through brush and thickets. The shooters are placed in opportune places that can take advantage of quick shots. We hunt in Mountains and the shooters know where the drivers are, what is their shooting zone and what is a safe shot. We place 2nd Shooters on the sides and behind the vector of the drivers to catch that cunning buck. Especially on Fingers and Draws adjacent. No one.. No one that hasn't been on a drive before is allowed to start alone, they are always with someone. Our group of hunters have been doing this for 50 years or more... we know the places and the spots and what to do. Driving the Farm Woods are done to get the deer out in the open. Shots are not taken unless they are 100% safe and meet all requirements of firearms safety. We all use radios and stay on them constantly.

2. "Pushing" or "Easing" works with less people. We do this all day long. For instance, I know my Dad is set up in his favorite area and I will work the thickets slowly towards him. I will give him my position and if I jump one, I can let him know direction. There may be a few other members working as well on other ridges. We do this so much that when we are meeting for lunch we all coordinate where we are and where to meet and how we are going to get there. That way we can estimate deer movement due to our movements.

It has been successful over the years and we have never had a "Crack-Whizz-Pop". (Onomatopoeia for a very scary event)
 
Deer drives suck!! Just build a big assed fire, keep the "cooler" close, but not too close and have a dozen or so tree rounds for everyone to sit on and practice telling the lies about all the deer you saw. No cleaning to do except picking up the beer cans.... That's MY story and I'm sticking to it!!
 
What kind of terrian will you be hunting? I still do them a few times a year. In most cases there are no more than six hunters and we focus on small cutovers/bedding areas (behind pond dams can be great). Put shooters on the downwind side of the block and on the sides/escape routes. When everyone is set up send a text to the drivers to start. Drivers will go through the area sig zaging at a fairly slow pace and push deer towards shooters. Most of the time we use buckshot but will use rifles if next to a large field where we can shoot safely. If I am driving I like #1 buck because the deer will often get up right at your feet. If you push the area slowly the deer generally try to slip out as opposed to running at full speed. Drives are alot of fun but everybody needs to pay attention to what they are doing. Use google earth to figure out where to position hunters beforehand.
 
I forgot to add doing mini drives with 2-3 people can be a lot of fun. Focus on small areas like thickets behind pond dams and blocks that most folks would over look. You would be suprised to see what can come out of areas like this.
 
We've done deer drives on isolated pieces of public land usually with 1 way in and out. Of course, one of the neighbors decide it was target shooting time so that was the last time doing that.
 
The key to deer drives is to use a bunch of dogs and make sure they trespass all over everyone else’s land. You know, screw up hunting for everyone in the area.

At least that’s what the assholes around here enjoy doing.

Other than that, I haven’t the first clue.
 
Back
Top Bottom