Deer Drives

[Swampcruiser]

Lots of it done around here in standing corn but never done it for mulies

 

[idahohikker]

I've done lots of drives for whitetails over the years. For muleys... Unpopular? Yes. Would I do them the first day of the season? No. But potentially successful? I see no reason that they wouldn't work. I see the challenge in most mule deer locations is figuring out what places deer use as escape routes, and how to get people in place to be successful. And of course, how to not anger the folks that aren't so pro-drive.

An alternative to a "drive", would be a coordinated still hunt through timber. I've seen tons of scenarios where those opportunities could be deadly.

Yeah agreed on the coordinated still hunt idea. A big rowdy group is not ideal for a lot of reasons.

 

[Quin]

I grew up doing deer drives for whitetails. After opening day, the animals weren't moving anymore so a drive was always good for getting things out of their beds. What we did was closer to still hunting and bumping deer than the stereotypical midwest drive so animals weren't usually spooked or even running when they got close to the shooters. We had enough topographical variance on our land that it was really no more dangerous than any other hunting method.

I've done two-person drives to bump mule deer in heavy cover and, although I haven't been successful, I can see it working well in the right terrain.

 

[idahohikker]

@robby denning Would you be willing to weigh in on effectiveness?

You mention in the book that mature deer do what they want and it’s ideal to match their pace and methods. For this reason you say that drives for bigger bucks may not be very effective. That’s just my takeaway, no quoting or anything. But the story of the guys in Wyoming that took great deer with well thought out drives suggests they can be rea productive too in certain situations. Obviously there’s 100 different ways to do drives and some are rodeos while others are basically just still hunting.

Could you expound further? No worries if not. Thanks much.

 

[Rangerpants]

I did a whitetail doe hunt with a buddy in Iowa a few years ago and ended up having to hunt public land after his private connection fell through. Just about everywhere we went sounded like a war zone, slugs went crashing through trees around us a few times, and the whole experience scared the bejeezuz out of me. I'm sure there are safer ways to do drives than the ones that went by us, but I would be real careful about the whole set up. Especially in flat country!

 

[wyo2track]

You'd be surprised how many perform 'soft' drives in the high timbered basins of Region G & H. When there's a big high pressure system, warm temps, or the middle of the season and deer are pretty much first light/last light. I know of several outfitters and friends that'll set a client up watchin an escape route and go and walk/ride thru these timbered basins. Over the years you'll learn what timber may hold deer and how/where they escape. Can be very effective at times. I recently listened to a MeatEater podcast and Rinella and his hunting group were on an outfitted hunt in G and one of them killed a buck that was a result of drive. That outfitter knew from years of hunting the area what pockets may hold deer. Sure wasn't the first time they'd use the technique.

 

[robby denning]

@robby denning Would you be willing to weigh in on effectiveness?

You mention in the book that mature deer do what they want and it’s ideal to match their pace and methods. For this reason you say that drives for bigger bucks may not be very effective. That’s just my takeaway, no quoting or anything. But the story of the guys in Wyoming that took great deer with well thought out drives suggests they can be rea productive too in certain situations. Obviously there’s 100 different ways to do drives and some are rodeos while others are basically just still hunting.

Could you expound further? No worries if not. Thanks much.

Sure, thanks for the tag. I read through all the comments to this one, and the majority of people say they work, that’s why I included it in my book.

Someone else above said it may not be as popular because it’s hard to find a group of unselfish hunters, and I think he’s spot on.

If you could find 5 to 8 guys that would be willing to work together as a group, they could kill bucks that none of the rest of us could—Even sitting back and glassing
won’t work on a lot of big bucks in OTC units.

I just don’t hunt in groups of people so that’s why I don’t use it very much. But as I said in the book, you’ll never hear me say it’s not effective.

As far as the danger element, I think that if someone’s dangerous on a deer drive, they’re going to be dangerous in all kinds of hunting. Tons of deer drives going on in Southeast Idaho every year, and I can’t remember the last time we had a hunter shot for any reason around here.


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[Jaden Bales]

Love what Robby said here.

Man, my first two bucks I shot were on drives on our little family property with our neighbors. It was a parcel of ground called "the butte" that was only about 160 acres, but there was always a small herd of bucks bedded somewhere on it. My first buck was a forky mule deer and second was like a 130" whitetail that way.

As commented, everyone loves it when someone would get a deer off there - no matter who it was who shot it. That's what made it fun and probably what made it effective. To do that drive, though, we'd have no fewer than 6 guys. 2 on escape routes. 4 walking up and over the top.

Grandpa liked doing drives for elk, too! Never had that work though.

 

[robby denning]

You'd be surprised how many perform 'soft' drives in the high timbered basins of Region G & H. When there's a big high pressure system, warm temps, or the middle of the season and deer are pretty much first light/last light. I know of several outfitters and friends that'll set a client up watchin an escape route and go and walk/ride thru these timbered basins. Over the years you'll learn what timber may hold deer and how/where they escape. Can be very effective at times. I recently listened to a MeatEater podcast and Rinella and his hunting group were on an outfitted hunt in G and one of them killed a buck that was a result of drive. That outfitter knew from years of hunting the area what pockets may hold deer. Sure wasn't the first time they'd use the technique.

Yip!
works in all types of country. That 40"buck mentioned in my book killed by those Wyoming guys was on a high country deer drive.

 

[Frankguerra7]

I moved to Wisconsin a few years ago from Southeast Texas and finally got to do some drives and it wasn't that bad we pretty much tagged out on some Doe. But at the end of the day I would rather be sitting in my stand with my Bow!! I feel like if you go you need to really trust the people you go with because almost every year I've been here in Wisconsin someone gets shot doing a drive on accident from getting to trigger happy!!

 

[eLightfoot]

On Ca public land, deer drives have become overwhelming. It should be outlawed, somehow it’s still legal here. Groups ranging from 8-25 guys, carrying anything from open sight bolt actions to full on ARs and SKS’s. They make noise and shoot regularly to jump the smart black tail bucks that hold tight in the thick brush. They hunt close to roads as well as miles deep into rough wilderness. They kill and wound a lot of animals. They are super successful. Our deep populations show the effect. And people here all bitch about bears and cats being the problem. In 10 years of backpack hunting the same area, myself and 3 buddies have hundreds of hours on high end glass on tripod. None of us have ever spotted a lion.

 

[robby denning]

... almost every year I've been here in Wisconsin someone gets shot doing a drive on accident from getting to trigger happy!!

...guess we're pretty spoiled out West.

 

[Muleyslayer1]

Yip!
works in all types of country. That 40"buck mentioned in my book killed by those Wyoming guys was on a high country deer drive.

I shot this buck at the very end of a deer drive. My buddies slowly pushed a ridge and this buck tried to “J Hook” one of them then ran into the other guy and ultimately blew across a canyon I was guarding. Would have never seen this buck any other way. A bunch of deer blew off that ridge, this buck held tight to the bitter end. New Mexico Public Land 192” That’s my best friend and muley hunting partner with him. This buck and the entire story is featured in David Long’s Book, Public Land Mulies The Bottom Line. We’ve killed a lot of outsized mature bucks this way.

 

[robby denning]

I shot this buck at the very end of a deer drive. My buddies slowly pushed a ridge and this buck tried to “J Hook” one of them then ran into the other guy and ultimately blew across a canyon I was guarding. Would have never seen this buck any other way. A bunch of deer blew off that ridge, this buck held tight to the bitter end. New Mexico Public Land 192” That’s my best friend and muley hunting partner with him. This buck and the entire story is featured in David Long’s Book, Public Land Mulies The Bottom Line. We’ve killed a lot of outsized mature bucks this way.

gald you chimed in, I was trying to think of other people who've used drives, dang! can't believe I forgot about you.

and your NM buck in your avatar was a deer drive buck too? yes? no?

 

[Muleyslayer1]

gald you chimed in, I was trying to think of other people who've used drives, dang! can't believe I forgot about you.

and your NM buck in your avatar was a deer drive buck too? yes? no?

No sir... glassed that one up. But the one Dugger got that same Hunt we pushed. 223” 9x7 about 8-9 years old. Solitude old buck living way out on a knob by himself in the sage! Epic!

 

[robby denning]

No sir... glassed that one up. But the one Dugger got that same Hunt we pushed. 223” 9x7 about 8-9 years old. Solitude old buck living way out on a knob by himself in the sage! Epic!

that's right, Dugger's buck laid under the last tree you'all pushed on the drive

 

[Michael54]

We do a big church community hunt the last two saturdays of flintlock season here in pa. There is usually about 20 of us. Its an absolute blast. A bunch of mini drives, the younger guys walk and the older members of the church post up to shoot. There are more misfires and misses than anything. Usually upwards of 50 trigger pulls per day and the most harvested was 3 in one year on those two days. The harvest is not due to not seeing deer for sure lol. Its one of my favorite things to do every year!

 

[Wyatt.Carter]

I've used drives in AZ in super flat country that was hard to glass , almost the only thing you could do in a lot of the areas.

 

[Muleyslayer1]

Here’s the buck Dugger killed this past season. This buck lived in solitude way out in a sea of sage. Took us an hour to get him up on his feet. Our buddy methodically walked a 50 acre knob for an hour before walking up on the buck. The buck blew across a spot that Dugger could shoot to and that’s all she wrote. It takes A LOT of work and planning but it’s very productive.

 

[robby denning]

Here’s the buck Dugger killed this past season. This buck lived in solitude way out in a sea of sage. Took us an hour to get him up on his feet. Our buddy methodically walked a 50 acre knob for an hour before walking up on the buck. The buck blew across a spot that Dugger could shoot to and that’s all she wrote. It takes A LOT of work and planning but it’s very productive.View attachment 169055

the bases!!!!!