Deer drive should be illegal.

[pse_omen]

Not only does it ruin it for the rest of the hunters in that entire area, but is also dangerous. During opening day in WI, my GF and I got to our spot around 5am. Around 7am, a group of 20+ decided to do a deer drive from west to east. Saw plenty of deer coming our way, but also heard plenty of bullets striking tree branches around us. It sounded like everyone in that group had semi-auto rifles shooting at running deer. We simply just ducked down low until the drive was over. Didn't even bother attempting to shoot any of the deer that ran pass us.

This group was doing deer drives all day through out the area and pretty much cleaned the entire area. Several other hunters in that area were very angry. Why is deer drive even allowed to begin with anyway? I should ask the DNR. I'm sorry to offend anyone, but only weak hunters (if even one) think a deer drive is a good thing. I'm primary a bow hunter and takes quite a bit of skills. The DNR might as well allow fish drives too. Set a fishing net across the river and drive the fish into the net. Same thing..

Personally, I don't think this is even hunting anymore.

 

[Nature Boy]

My lease in Louisiana runs dogs. There are pros and cons to it. I can list them if you like

Occasionally, we will do a man drive but it's a lease, so there are rules and everyone knows what's going on.

 

[Grumulkin]

I also think deer drives should be illegal but you'll have to convince your DNR of that.

Personally, I would just as soon not be on public land on opening day of deer gun season when all the yahoos that have shot their rifles maybe once or twice that year get out and start slinging lead.

 

[Sam1911]

Hmmm...

Well, neat. Glad to see we have yet another voice calling for yet another human activity to be made illegal.

You know, someday we're going to pass enough laws, finally, that so much stuff will be illegal that the world will be a happy and safe place to live.




I've never been on a game drive and have no interest in doing so, but just remember, the next time you notice some freedom you THINK you should have being made illegal, or you find that some activity you feel you should be allowed to choose whether or not to engage in is against the law of this "land of the free" -- just remember how many times you've looked at someone else doing something and said, "they aught to make that illegal." Unfortunately, we get the laws and the society we deserve.

 

[jmorris]

I think it requires more skill to hit a running deer vs a standing one with a bow but I agree that approach would not be tolerated at my place and saturation of people that don't think the way I do is why I don't hunt public land.

There are lots of folks that think hunting in general endangers people (public land or not) and hurts the feelings of the animals as well. They would like to ban all hunting on public lands, making the biggest nuisance, people on mountain bikes and hikers.

All for encouraging one to contact folks they elect to enforce and create laws they think should be in place, just keep in mind the end result and direction they send them.

Most important make sure to tell them what and when you think they would have gone too far.

 

[MCgunner]

Maybe hunting public land should be illegal. That's where most of the accidents occur. Personally, I don't hunt public, not for deer.

Yankees think corn feeders should be illegal. Some others think running deer with dogs should be illegal, and it is in Texas. Some think HUNTING should be illegal and some just think weapons of any kind should be illegal.

If you don't like it, don't do it....pretty simple. I've never hunted with others on a drive, but some of those west Texas dry washes BEG for the strategy.

What it all boils down to is DO IT MY WAY OR YOU'RE NOT ETHICAL! Well, BS, horse hockey I say. Your way ain't the only way.

 

[Ohen Cepel]

It's not my thing. However, we need another game law about like I need another hole in my head!

If you don't like it find another place to hunt!

 

[MutinousDoug]

I used to bow hunt, years ago. When we could get a group together we would drive the dry creek bottoms with 3-5 "drivers" and 2-3 "standers" usually starting at opposite ends of a section. It was a good way to see a lot of deer and get some shots.
I can't imagine doing that during rifle season.

 

[MCgunner]

I can't imagine doing that during rifle season.

Why not. Were you all wearing your orange? Do you know not to shoot at what you can't see?

 

[Coyote3855]

Why not. Were you all wearing your orange? Do you know not to shoot at what you can't see?

It's not about what I know not to do, it's whether the other folks in the woods know it as well. My experience is many don't. That's one of the reasons I took up fly fishing and stay out of the woods in deer season.

 

[Art Eatman]

The OP's complaint is not about drives as drives, but about a drive that was poorly thought-out, without consideration that other hunters--or hikers--might be in the area. That's the part of the deal that was dead-wrong, IMO.

I've been part of quite a few drives, but they were all on a leased ranch where only our group was present.

On public land, I wouldn't take part in a drive unless I were absolutely convinced that no other people were in the pathway of the drive. Dangerous. Dumb.

 

[Patocazador]

I was on a 6000 acre lease about 20 years ago that allowed dog-hunting for deer on the north half and stand hunting on the south side. After 3-4 weeks of running the dogs, almost all of the north side deer were on the south side. By the middle of the season you couldn't even find a deer track on the north side.

After 3 years the dog-hunters joined the rest of us in voting for stand hunting only over the whole lease. It was simply more productive.

 

[jmr40]

I know of no place where deer drives are illegal. I tend to hunt alone, but if I found myself in the middle of a drive where others were pushing deer to me I'd be mighty grateful instead of mad.

I'm sorry, but there is nothing unethical or remotely illegal about this. It is one of the oldest hunting traditions that has been practiced for thousands of years.

 

[silicosys4]

A drive is just another tactic to harvesting a game animal.
I hunt to kill to eat. If I have to get five, ten, or however many of my friends together to drive deer in order to be successful in filling my or their freezers, if that's the way to hunt most successfully and we can do it SAFELY, then that's what we are going to do.
I have never participated in a drive because I feel I can be more successful by other means, but everyone should have the right to hunt using whatever method that works for them, as long as it's safe.

 

[JeffDilla]

I know of no place where deer drives are illegal. I tend to hunt alone, but if I found myself in the middle of a drive where others were pushing deer to me I'd be mighty grateful instead of mad.

Here in Maine, driving deer is illegal. Specifically, hunting in groups with more than 3 people for the purpose of pushing deer towards others.

 

[gspn]

So let me get this straight:

- all people who use deer drives are weak hunters
- you have more skill than all people who use deer drives because you bow hunt

Sounds like an entirely emotional tantrum in response to a bad experience.

I don't use deer drives, but it's legal where I hunt. I used to hunt public land a lot, and I'm no stranger to bullets whipping perilously close to me. I've had hunts ruined by dog runners, deer drivers, squirrel dogs, rabbit hunters, plinkers, and poachers. My response to those was never to rant about squirrel hunting, rabbit hunting, deer drives, etc. Poachers were a problem to be dealt with by the game wardens...but law abiding hunters had every bit as much right access that land as I did...it was just something I had to get used to.

I hunt with a bow, rifle, pistol, muzzle loader, and shotgun. I'd never claim that I have more "skill" than another class of hunter under any circumstance. Every discipline requires it's own skill set, some are different than others, and some are harder to attain than others, but it doesn't put me in a place to talk down to anyone.

I hate that you got caught in an unsafe situation, try to react rationally though.

 

[The Alaskan]

I'm primary a bow hunter and takes quite a bit of skills.

Another bow hunter who thinks he is superior to gun hunters. Let's see...where have I seen this before? Oh yeah, we call it the Haul Road corridor up here. No hunting other than archery for 5 miles either side of the Haul Road (prime caribou country) for 414 miles. Essentially a 4140 sq mile tract of public land turned into a private playground for bowhunters.

I'll bet your bow even has training wheels, a trigger release, and light gathering sights. Yeah, that's reaaaaaaal hunting there.

Hey pal, deer driving (and hunting with dogs) has a looooong tradition in this country. During the depression, my grandfather, father and uncles drove deer to feed their families.

The DNR might as well allow fish drives too. Set a fishing net across the river and drive the fish into the net. Same thing..

Actually, yeah, we DO do that, every summer. Alaskans have been feeding their families for generations up here with set nets and dip nets. 25 fish for the head of household and 10 fish per every member of the house hold. It's hard, exhausting work. A family at my church, with 5 kids, can net 95 fish per year. It takes about 2 fish to feed the whole family one meal, so that's almost one meal per week. But I'm sure you're one of these greenies who think that's immoral. You'd rather we be dependent on foreign farmed fish, pen raised and fed pellets of bait fish with who knows what GMO's in it, or dependent on Wal-Mart's tainted beef etc etc.

Personally, I don't think this is even hunting anymore.

Personally, I don't give a crap. The meat is in the freezer and dinner is served. Don't like it? spend the big bucks on a private lease.

 

[another pake]

Another bow hunter who thinks he is superior to gun hunters. Let's see...where have I seen this before? Oh yeah, we call it the Haul Road corridor up here. No hunting other than archery for 5 miles either side of the Haul Road (prime caribou country) for 414 miles. Essentially a 4140 sq mile tract of public land turned into a private playground for bowhunters.

I'll bet your bow even has training wheels, a trigger release, and light gathering sights. Yeah, that's reaaaaaaal hunting there.

Wow, somebody is a little grumpy. No need to make assumptions or vilify the OP through your imaginations. For all you know he's hunting with a hand made longbow and cedar shafts.

Well, I'm not a fan of the kind of drives that the OP describes either.
Run and Gun I call it, but I understand why it's done, and in short seasons that's what it takes sometimes. I'm not a fan for several reasons but mostly I enjoy the solitary experience of the hunt and it's hard to get that with a group. I'd bow hunt hunt more if I had the time and the patience and the skill set. And yes, I believe that there is a different skill set required, but that's another topic isn't it?

 

[DM~]

Not only does it ruin it for the rest of the hunters in that entire area, but is also dangerous.

Personally, I don't think this is even hunting anymore.

We all have our own thing... Heck, I wouldn't care if they banned bow hunting!

I see far too many "bow wounded" deer for my liking!

So you see, it's all about the person/people doing it, NOT what they are doing...

DM

 

[The Alaskan]

http://www.newsminer.com/features/o...cle_d2d0b0a4-4285-11e3-808a-0019bb30f31a.html

Yeah that's some real ethical hunting there.

How about these guys who ran down a moose with an airboat to shoot it with their bows. Yeah...bow hunting...reallll ethical. At least when my rifle goes off, my animal goes down.

http://www.adn.com/article/20131010...bowhunting-trio-charged-chasing-moose-airboat

 

[BK]

This group was doing deer drives all day through out the area and pretty much cleaned the entire area.

Shoot, that's illegal here, but it sure sounds like an efficient way to put venison in the freezer. If that were only legal here, I just might, uh, um, never mind!

 

[entropy]

I'm not a huge fan of drives either, but I have participated in them this year (in WI, no less!) but, They were on private land, and there were no other hunters that were not involved. Having observed many drives in the past, and in particular, this group, I know now why my son likes them so much; he gets to shoot all the deer! He got 11 last year, three on Saturday (opener here), and still counting. The other guys (and gals) he hunts with are such poor shots, they were impressed that it only took me two to down a coyote that ran. I don't like to take running shots, but on a coyote, I will make an exception.
I look at it this way; there are enough people denigrating hunting already, we don't need to be fighting amongst ourselves-that just helps the opposition.

 

[Davek1977]

While the circumstance presented in the OP certainly sounds unpleasant, I don't necessarily think it means all deer drives should be made illegal under all circumstances. What constitutes a "drive"? Is it stationing blockers at stategic points, then using other hunters to "push" game to them? If that definition is used, it sounds an awful lot like MUCH of our hunting here in SD, though they typically take place on vast expanses of private land. The elitiest attitude regarding other hunters being weak in comparison the the mighty bowhunter? Even if I agreed with you, your attitude would turn me off. Since I disagree, it makes it all the easier to ignore you We don't need new laws just because you don't like certain aspects of hunting. Many people view archery hunting as inhumane, with too high of a ratio to wounded animals to those harvested. They see the activity as barbaric, not the peak of ethical behavior. Me...I don't bowhunt, but don;t have an issue with you doing whatever it is you do in pursuit of game, so long as it falls within the parameters of the law.

 

[red rick]

OP , you don't like deer drives so it should be illegal . How selfish does that sound ?

 

[Mman]

There are so many rules encumbering hunting where I am that I never get anything. What we need are less rules not more. You have to be a lawyer to figure out how to hunt without committing a crime in some areas. No wonder less and less people even try.