Deer Drives / Still. Hunting
Wisconsin
Just wondering. If anybody. Does much still hunting. ? Techniques used ?
Also our the days of the deer drives over. As a kid growing. Up. My Dad. Would hunt the crex meadows. Burnett county. Drop me n my. Brother off. A mile or two up the road and say drive the section for me. Would spend the hole day driving deer. Always had action. A lot of wet feet. N running Deer
I grew up hunting Burnett county and still gun hunt there to this day as my family has a cabin up there. We always sat in our individual stands the first couple days than pounded the woods with drives to finish the season. These days the hunting party has gotten older and smaller. We still try to put some drives together but not as big as years past. We also will drive to an area and just meander around dropping guys off at different sections of the woods and just walk around. Spend a lot of time up in the Burnett county forest on pearly swamp road and also in the Kiezer state wildlife area.
Opening weekend my group is normally 15-19 hunters each year. We hunt on a large block of property some of us own together, and we all sit on ladder stands or box blinds opening weekend. Occasionally, if someone gets a buck they might do 1 man pushes to some guys in their area.
The rest of the season, Our hunters # drops to 10-14 on Monday, and 3-7 guys during the week. Following Friday and second Saturday, we are back up to 12-14 hunters.
After opening weekend, we hunt from stands first couple hours and last couple hours every day. The rest of the day we vary on what we might do. some guys continue to sit, other guys still hunt, and each Monday, Friday and last Saturday, we conduct 2 or 3 organized and safe drives with 5-6 standers and 5-7 drivers.
Leary swamp road. Is that part of the meet Crowley bunch. He wrote a few great reads on deer hunting. A hundred hunts ago Camps of orange
I will have to look that up, never heard of it.
Straight Arrow .... I have all his hunting books. Fantastic reads, and great for perusing during the slow stretches while on stand.
"Dawn of the Deer Camp" is another book of his; in addition to "Camps of Orange", and others. I believe if you google "Mert Cowley" you will find him.
Googled him recognized the cabin in one of the photos right away. Will be purchasing a few books I believe!
I read Merts book "One Hundred Hunts Ago" this week every year. I will be sneaking through the brush for 9 days in Bayfield. Definitely my favorite week of the year, after lurking in a tree w/ the bow I just love getting on the ground and putting miles on.
I stumbled onto his books in a gas station by Prentice. Great reads and love the old photos.
With baiting being banned in many areas, including some public lands, there will be a return of deer drives. Driving is a great way to get deer on the move and upset their patterns. Just sayin.
We have a pretty large group, usually around 20 hunters. Our hunting season has been the same for as long as I can remember, and i'm 34 now. Opening weekend we sit until 9am, meet at the spot we call "the hole", build a fire, eat a sandwich and bullshit for an hour. From that point until 2pm we do drives and then its back to the stand if you want to. After opening weekend you can either go sit in the am, or the drives start around 8am. We push the deer around every day and it has worked for a lot of years and usually have a long day of butchering the last day of the rifle season.
Never was a big fan of deer drives. I would rather see hunting conditions during the gun season like they are during the bow season. Deer are calm and go about their regular routine. Couple days of deer drives and everything is moving at night again.
Wouldn't mind seeing a ban on deer drives to go along with the baiting ban.
Deer drives are exactly why we (wife and I) purchased land in 1992. I'd get permission and after the first hour here'd come the punkin army. Had a couple of guys come by almost close enough to touch. If you see a guy it would be nice to give the hunter already there some room! Gotta agree with Jackpine.
I have to chuckle when folks talk about baiting being the "lazy" way to hunt and that it upsets deer patterns and blah, blah, blah blah....
The deer drive is without doubt a method of some fellas setting up and having other hunters push deer to waiting hunters. Where is the sport in that? How much "hunting skill" does it take to sit on a fence line and when a pushed deer comes across the field...you shoot it? What are we teaching our youth? Where is the scouting? Are we upsetting normal deer patterns? Are we making deer nocturnal? Does it effect other hunters? While many BASH the legal baiters...take a hard look at deer drives. Of course I have no trouble if that's the way you want to hunt - its legal!!
I don't really have a problem with drives, although we don't do them. I do however despise group bagging, which goes hand in hand with drives.
"The deer drive is without doubt a method of some fellas setting up and having other hunters push deer to waiting hunters. Where is the sport in that? How much "hunting skill" does it take to sit on a fence line and when a pushed deer comes across the field...you shoot it?"
Good point, it takes almost no skill to drive deer much like it takes almost no skill to sit and watch a pile of bait.
Ibrac54, i'm glad you posted that and good for you. Big picture the atmosphere of a good deer camp, having fun and being w/ family and friends is a really big part of it. And there is no way to mimic bow season w/ 400,000 in the woods.
#its raining bullets #ouch, you shot me in the ass bro. #your fast as lightning but I'm emptying my clip anyway. #why are there no deer around? Oh yeah, we drove them out of the county. #i didn't see it go down so let's not bother looking. #im still drunk from last night so can I just be a stander today? Hopefully seeing double will help me shoot straight!
Just a few of my thoughts on deer drives. They are not hunting, just killing. And definitely alter the normal actions of the herd for a while afterward. If you can't kill a deer without having a group of guys push them to you you don't deserve that deer anyway.
As far as baiting is concerned, it's an easier way to kill an immature deer. I doubt very much that many big bucks are killed over a pile of corn during gun season. I also doubt very much that people measure 2 gallons. More likely they just pour the 50lb bag out and that's that.
It's legal so go ahead and do what you want but if you participate in driving or baiting then you have no right to bitch about the fact your not seeing enough deer while sitting on stand.
Now, as far as crossbows go.... Do you able bodied folks really want to kill something that bad? Target panic is no excuse at all for using a crossbow. Rotator cuffs yes that's a reason. Old people who can't pull a bow, yes that a reason. Not having time to practice, bullshit and not a reason at all. Again, it's legal so go ahead but if I'm being straightforward here, if your able bodied and choose to use a crossbow I root for you to never even see a deer.
I love all the hate...You guys say its ok if things are done legally, but I have a feeling that's really not true. How is shooting a deer on a drive just "killing"? Every deer I've seen shot on a drive has died just as fast as any deer I've shot out of a tree stand, so ultimatley whats the difference? I've never been able to tell the difference in taste of a deer shot after scouting all year and shot out of a stand vs one that has been shot on a drive. And thats where they all end up so what does it really matter anyway? I dont have an issue with anyone's opinion, i do have an issue with hearing that we dont deserve any of our deer killed on drives. I've walk my ass through some of the thickest shit the Nicolet has to offer every year and if you dont think that is enough work to deserve a few venny steaks, you and I cant be friends.
Bowhunting is in a steep decline as many leave the bow and arrow, and bowhunting organizations, for the crossbow and bolt. Bowhunting in the US will continue to decline and crossbows will gain in popularity, that is a fact. Historical bowhunting organizations will largely die unless they too become an organization for the crossbow shooters. I am going to continue with my longbow and cedar arrows, as I have for over 45 years.
As far as deer drives, those will increase as baiting restrictions make many a tree/tower stand useless. Public land will see increased driving activity, which is ok with me as I largely hunt private. Eliminate the baiting, increase the deer driving activity, and the QDM guy with his private land and legal food plots has just won the war, public land hunters are continuing to lose out. Now the public land hunter has little food to keep deer in the vicinity, plenty of predators, lots of hunter activity to drive deer out, and natives shooting and baiting at night. And the winner is....the private land hunter and his plots.
This thread further proves how hunters are the most divided of all sportsmen on the planet. Wow. It is crazy how people always judge others on their methods of hunting and weapons of choice. People need to hunt for the reasons that make them happy and only worry about themselves.
Aren't drives illegal on public land? It can't be that hard to find out these. The last time I gun hunted was 2009 in the UP. On the weekend about every hour or so we'd see a DNR plane over head watching hunters and I'd assume directing wardens. Do a special enforcement on the weekends using planes, choppers or drones and most of the gun only hunters will give it up in a year.
Hunting has become competitive , therefore it will always be divisive. Contrary to what many believe, we need fewer hunters, not more.
"Now, as far as crossbows go.... Do you able bodied folks really want to kill something that bad? Target panic is no excuse at all for using a crossbow. Rotator cuffs yes that's a reason. Old people who can't pull a bow, yes that a reason. Not having time to practice, bullshit and not a reason at all. Again, it's legal so go ahead but if I'm being straightforward here, if your able bodied and choose to use a crossbow I root for you to never even see a deer."
Even though I deer hunt with a compound and not a crossbow, hunters that choose to hunt with a longbow or recurve should share your same thoughts about deer hunters that use a compound correct?
Hunter R, yes, your right trad folks are imo the "real hunters". And they have every right to talk shit about my choice to use the easier compound bow. The difference with me is Its not going to hurt my feelings. It seems to me that the easier the route you take to kill a deer the more people's feelings get hurt when someone else calls them out or has a different opinion.
Just because I think it's reduculous doesn't mean I won't shake your hand and help you drag your deer out if you need the help. Just don't get pissy with me when I call bullshit as your telling the story of your great hunt when all it entailed was a group of people who forced a deer to run in front of you when in reality you'd have never seen that deer if you were actually hunting.
I am not judging anyone for their chosen legal methods but I'm also not afraid to tell someone that imo their method is more about killing and less about hunting. And just because you took a long walk through some nasty shit in the nicolet, no, I don't think a long walk deserves backstraps at the end. I take long walks through the nastiest shit on my hunting land as well. It doesn't mean I think I deserve a deer just because the walk was tough. If anything I say hurts your feelings enough to not want to be friends than you weren't a friend I wanted in the first place. I hope my friends have thick enough skin that when the shit gets deep we can simply agree to disagree. And yes, some of my best friends are baiters and deer drivers. They still my friends but they know I'm going to give them some shit when they kill their spike over a pile of corn/apples.
"Even though I deer hunt with a compound and not a crossbow, hunters that choose to hunt with a longbow or recurve should share your same thoughts about deer hunters that use a compound correct? "
Most do HunterR. I shoot a compound (a weapon that changed the face of bowhunting in the 70s and caused much consternation across the ranks at the time) and have said many times that I don't consider myself to be a real bowhunter because I think the trad guys are the only real bowhunters. My opinion only. That said, I don't judge those who shoot compounds, xbows, airbows, etc. It is not my business what others do or if they stalk, do drives, stand hunt, condo hunt, etc. Legality is the key.
"I've walk my ass through some of the thickest shit the Nicolet has to offer every year and if you dont think that is enough work to deserve a few venny steaks, you and I cant be friends. "
Personally I feel that if it's legal have at it, but in all honesty driving deer is a desperate way to get someone close enough to shoot a deer and really does take very little skill short of shooting straight. Not to mention many of us wouldn't think about shooting at a running deer since the chances of wounding are much higher. Like I said though, since it's legal and if you can do it and sleep well at night have at it.
So now if only we could just show up at those meetings where decisions are made regarding drives (which I like only because of tradition) and xbows.
I double checked and deer driving isn't illegal on public land but seems inherently very dangerous and surprised its allowed.
I just laugh at all the rhetoric being spewed by the uninformed and inexperienced on here. I detailed earlier in this thread about my group's driving plans, which we have been doing since 1971. Organized drives, with a plan, can result in easy and safe shots at WALKING deer.
I've shot at 4 running deer out of the hundreds of drives I've been in. I killed 2, and missed the other two. I've killed at least a dozen deer that were just ambling ahead of the drivers, at a normal walk. The standers are in elevated locations, safely shooting down and away from the direction the drivers are coming from.
Yes, on public land it can be more difficult I suspect without elevated stands, and not knowing if other hunters are in the area.
But for my group, on our private land, they work well, and get the deer moving on days where the deer hadn't been.
I think this year i will try my new laser guided, exploding bullet tipped Hydraulic power Triple Cross Bow that shoots at 2200 FPS. I'll be mounting it on a tripod, that is motion activated, so I don't even have to pull the trigger. As soon as it senses a buck standing over my 10,000 pound pile corn and carrots and crack cocaine, it shoots the deer directly in the brain, to avoid ruining any meat. The only bad thing, is that my imported illegals take more than 3 minutes to gut, cape, and process the deer. Far too long, if you ask me.
My skin is plenty thick enough, don't worry about that. By your stance we dont deserve any of the deer we shoot, if thats not judging i'm not sure what is. You shoot your deer during rifle season your way and we'll keep doing it the same way my grandpa did it 70 years ago. I do not like the fact that everyone feels the need to force feed their opinions on every little thing. Let people live their lives the way they want, don't like it, move on. With that I am out of this conversation, I have better things to do with my time today. Good luck to everyone this weekend, no matter the method...
Trapper, you're in! My list of friends is up to 3 now!
No one is forcing their opinions, just expressing them.....
"I do however despise group bagging". I think it's about time to eliminate the sharing of tags. It would seem that if you cannot figure out how to put a deer into the freezer perhaps sticking to peanut butter sandwiches is in order. There are only a couple of states where this is permitted.
When you judgemental assses starting jumping out of trees and slitting that deers throat with a knife I'll give you credit. Until then, you sound like a bunch of old ladies gossiping about the young girl with the tight body and even tighter dress. I am 34, and started bow hunting with a crossbow this year as my introduction to bow hunting after 17 years of rifle hunting. I manage 17 acres, have put in food plots and built permanent stands. I have got to know multiple neighbors and received permission to walk their land in efforts to check for sign etc.. I am now participating in rifle season as I didn't get a chance to harvest one of the 3 nice bucks around our land. I've been sitting out in the stand since early October, and have passed on shooting over two dozen deer. Does the fact I'm carrying a crossbow make me a threat to you "traditional" bow hunters? Am I not a real "Hunter"? I work my rear off in an effort to harvest a nice buck in the north woods of Burnett County. Go ahead and judge. Once I'm fortunate enough to harvest my first trophy with the crossbow, I'll move on to a compound. Hopefully then I'll be accepted....
Perhaps this is the forum you should join if the shoulder-fired weapon is your choice. Guess I'm one of the judgemental asses because the bow is my choice. Don't believe that the shoulder fired weapon is bowhunting. If they truly are a short range weapon why do they need a scope?
Dan, your not a "bowhunter". You're a cross gunner. At 34 can I ask why you chose the crossbow? Are you disabled? I too am 34 and am curious as to your logic of why you choose to use a gun that shoots a bolt. My guess is that when you do see one of the nice bucks your after you want to make it easier to kill that animal. learning to shoot a compound bow proficiently is not very hard. Pleas state your reasoning, I will try to have an open mind.
There is no feeling in the world like the feeling of coming to full draw on a whitetail. You can't get that feeling when all you have to do is look through the scope and pull a trigger.
Lame... Do you use a compound? If you do, don't they have a pin sight? I took off the factory scope and put a basic red dot. It doesn't magnify, so it's just like looking at the deer with your naked eye. You just have 3 dots to help with elevation.
Crusader.. Thanks for being open minded and listening. I do actually have a somewhat bum dominant shoulder. Clicks and pops just lifting my arm up and down and I can't lift a jump pack above my shoulder south my seem fully extended. Lots of baseball and competitive bowling with too heavy of ball as a kid. I tried a friends compound last year and at 65 lbs it wasn't a good idea. I'm sure I could tweak it down and maybe get better results. Like I said in the original post, I do plan to move up to a compound at some point, but shoulder surgery might have to happen first so I went with a crossbow for this year to give me a better chance at one of the big guys.
I also carry a stub nose .357 mag, with a 2" barrel that's only really accurate to about 20 yards. Seeing as it's short range, not shoulder fired, and doesn't have a scope... What are your takes on that?
Like I stated earlier, bowhunting is in a very steep decline. What I did not say is that progressive, down to 90% let off compounds enabled the move to crossbows, only 10% more let off. Not much difference IMO.
Dan, if you can kill a deer with the 357 during gun season, that's pretty bad ass. That being said, I also think handguns have to have a min barrel length to be legally used for hunting. I could be wrong but it might be something you want to check out. If your handgun is legal, I'm rooting for you on that one!
Last word-I have had 6 surgeries on my left shoulder and one on my right. In 2002 the left shoulder was so bad I had to keep it immobile from July to October and had 5 surgeries during that time. It took months of physical therapy then and stretching exercises even now to be able to hunt with a bow. I, too would find 65 pounds impossible especially if it were the first bow I ever tried. What did you expect on the Bowsite with such a rant-"Oh OK"? Making a comparison of the shoulder fired machine versus the bow is like comparing apples to watermelons. If those weapons were being used in the firearms or muzzleloader seasons I wouldn't have a problem at all. Guys that choose not to use the weapon that is the primary focus of this site perhaps should get a thicker skin.
5.5" from firing pin to muzzle. Of course mine is 3.5". No go there.
Lame, is the main reason you don't like crossbow owners because you think there are more people in the woods now?
Could not be further from the truth...I have nothing against the owners of shoulder fired machines, I just do not think that they belong during the archery season. No more people in the woods that I hunt-I own it. If you choose not to own you have to go along with what life throws at you.
30 pounds is the minimum for hunting in wisconsin, no excuse to use a xbow unless you can't pull 30
Dan,
You don't need to listen to the people that are judging you based on your weapon of choice. Those people should not impact you at all. How you hunt and your weapon of choice should not matter to other people but it obviously does to some people. Not sure why.
As I noted, I am a compound bow hunter. My bow has a peep sight and a lighted single pin sight I can dial to the exact yardage. I use a trigger style release. It has 85% let-off with a drop away arrow rest. It has harmonic noise dampeners on it. Pretty high tech stuff and nowhere near what the trad guys shoot. Oh, I use a range finder to find the exact yardage too. I think it would be hypocritical of me to judge an xbow hunter when my rig has all those bells and whistles. I do wish I had the time to get proficient with trad gear. Those hunters are the bomb.
WI caved on xbows whereas many other states did not. Therefore, they are legal for all who choose to use them. They will be here forever. They are going nowhere.
"What I did not say is that progressive, down to 90% let off compounds enabled the move to crossbows, only 10% more let off. Not much difference IMO." A more complete comparison might include the manner in which the device is cocked, held and discharged.
"When you judgemental assses starting jumping out of trees and slitting that deers throat with a knife I'll give you credit. Until then, you sound like a bunch of old ladies gossiping about the young girl with the tight body and even tighter dress." What I really opposed was the rant that seemingly was directed at all members of BOWsite . A shoulder fired machine obviously does not prohibit poor shots and crippled animals. My main point was if you go onto a website that is primarily directed at the guys that are diehard bowhunters and have made the choice to use something else the skin better get thicker.
Happy, out of curiosity, what other states had crossbow legislation introduced and backed by a huge lobbying group that decided against them. Not saying there weren't any, I am simply not aware of them.
Dampland - Without a doubt - deer drives have accounted for far more accidental shootings over the years - that alone is a good reason to do away with this.
HunterR you still have to draw a bow on deer at bait tat are shitn razor blades - easier said than done my friend...beside bating makes deer nocturnal and you never see any at shooting hours anyways. LOL
"HunterR you still have to draw a bow on deer at bait tat are shitn razor blades - easier said than done my friend...beside bating makes deer nocturnal and you never see any at shooting hours anyways. LOL"
I don't think baiting makes all deer nocturnal, probably just the older/smarter ones I imagine the young/dumb ones still come in during the day. I'm not quite sure what you mean by "deer at bait that are shitn razor blades" ?
I've got plenty thick skin. I originally joined this site hoping to get good answers from people with more experience than me with bows. I have got some good info and made good contacts. Glad everyone can share their opinion.
Well...I came to this thread late. I started reading and was going to post that I've picked up those books at that gas station in Prentice and they are definitely worth a read and the old pictures are fun to check out.
Things have moved on from there though...
