![]() Moving too quickly often frightens deer to the point where their escape routes become unpredictable or, as is often the case, forces the drivers past bucks that have learned the hunker-and-hide tactic.Ĥ.ěe quiet. Better, if your numbers are few, to cut a large block into smaller - perhaps 10 to 20 acres - sections, and work those slowly and thoroughly.ģ. Trying to work 100 acres with two standers and three drivers is usually an exercise in futility. The Drivesīecause every situation is different, it’s impossible to state a hard-and-fast deer drive rule of thumb that applies to the physical how-to factor across the board however, there are some guidelines that can and do apply regardless, and they can result in everyone involved seeing more deer and better bucks.ġ.Ěppoint a Drive Master based on the profile above.Ģ.ĝon’t attempt to drive too large an area. Or, as I’ve seen happen in the past, removing them from the drive altogether. The Drive Master must be willing to enforce his instructions, even if it means taking someone aside and speaking with them in private. Ideally, this talk will include a map, time for watches to be synchronized - NOTE: Timing is important to both success and safety - and an emphasis on compasses, even on short drives.įinally, command enforcement. It doesn’t have to be formal, but complete instructions are important. Here, command entails delivering a concise pre-drive presentation. It’s vital the Drive Master possess leadership qualities, and then assume command of every aspect of every drive. The coordination of transportation, too, is his responsibility, and he will typically assign vehicle drivers and drop-off/pick-up locations prior to each push. His knowledge of the terrain allows him to organize the movement of the drivers and the placement of the standers. Knowledge is key to the Drive Master’s effectiveness. True, he cannot physically be present when every trigger is pulled, nor should he have to be however, his presence via direction and instruction should be omnipotent. He does this by command, by command enforcement, and through his knowledge of the property being driven. The Drive Master’s primary responsibility is to ensure everyone’s safety. I don’t care how many inches the buck has atop his head there’s a reason why the man said don’t shoot that way. And if he warns you not to shoot in that 75-degree arc, you don’t shoot. If he tells you to wait 20 minutes, you don’t start moving in 15. If the drivers are pawns and the standers knights, the Drive Master is king. And trust me, consistently driving whitetails to the waiting gun is all about treachery. Conversely, many of these same drives ended in failure because (1) too much of the drive’s planning was based on tradition - “I’m going to stand by the oak cause that’s where I always stand,” said Uncle Ernie - or (2), attention wasn’t paid to the details.ĭeer drives can work, however, maybe it’s time to put a little more thought into those good old line-’em-up-and-have-at-’em runs through the timber, for as many an Old Man has told his young charge - old age and treachery will beat youth and enthusiasm every time. ![]() Did these drives move deer? They sure as hell did but did these same drives result in notched deer tags? To be honest - sometimes.Īll too often, drives like the ones above were successful purely by luck - a right time and right place kind of chance meeting. ![]() Others involved large groups, yes literally, banging on pots and pans. Simple as that.Īnd as for the strategic aspects of these drives? Many I’ve been on were conducted from Point A to Point B simply because that’s the way they’ve always been done. Here, the word "worked" translated into a deer or multiple deer in somebody’s truck at the conclusion of the drive. When I was a young man, there were two kinds of deer drives - those that worked, and those that didn’t.
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