A noisy group of hunters drove through the area and the buck simply hunkered down and hid while they passed. One friend described a situation where he was in his tree stand and could see a small buck bedded nearby. In most cases making a lot of noise only causes the deer to hunker down and hide. Some people feel you should make a lot of noise, but the deer will hear you anyway. On both small drives, or even with larger groups, it is best to move quietly or with stealth. This often makes the deer nervous and causes them to get up and sneak ahead of the driver. The most effective drives utilize stop and go movement. It’s the job of the driver to “dig ‘em out” of heavy or nasty cover rather than walking in a straight line. This is where bucks, especially once the hunting season opens, will be bedded or hiding. The driver should hunt non-traditional or heavy cover. For this reason the driver should also move slowly and check for deer moving behind him or her. Deer will sneak ahead of the drivers, but frequently will circle around and go back in the opposite direction. The longer the drive, the more likely it is that deer will go somewhere other than where you want them to. They should hide themselves in the next cover to where the deer will move, not the one where the deer are possibly located. Far too many drives are wasted by hunters trying to get too close to where the deer are located. This means going the long way around to their spot, taking into consideration wind direction, and not getting too close. It is important that all hunters know where they are supposed to be and where the other hunters will be, in addition to wearing some blaze orange.Ī key to success is that the watchers get into position without being detected. But since deer will be alerted to movement in their territory, they will usually get up and move out of the way of the hunter usually unseen by the driver. Two or three hunters can increase their odds by knowing the territory, being careful, and planning out their moves. Herding cattle or even young children is tough enough! Secondly it is practically impossible to “drive” deer like cattle to someplace you want them to go. Today small groups of hunters try to move or “bump” deer into moving, hopefully towards their partner. Actually, the term “deer drive” is a misnomer. Some people may have images of the large groups of hunters covering a couple miles like the old days in the Adirondacks. In situations where you are hunting with another partner or two, it may be time to put on a deer drive. There are lots of reasons for these situations – some of them may be your fault some may be beyond your control. Maybe you have been stillhunting and saw sign where the deer had been recently but did not see asmuch as a “flag” when the deer fled. You have sat in a treestand all day long and did not see a deer.
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