A Not So Tough Deer Hunt

[Johnch]

Every year the guy that owns the land on the other side of the creek from me holds a deer "Hunt"
His idea of a deer hunt is a many step process
Step #1 , at first light or about .... a bunch of his friends show up
Some with shotguns , but I think they all bring cases of beer
Step #2 , they do a drawing for who is a shooter and who is the drivers
Step #3 , the guys that will be doing the deer driving drink most of their case of beer
Step #4 , about 10 AM the guys to drive the deer ride in pickup trucks to about the creek
Line up and make LOTS of noise as they stumble back to the road
IMO They must hope to chase deer in front of them to the guys that IMO are also drunk to shoot the deer

Real World
My Lady and I ride ATV's the 1/2 mile to a nice spot to walk from to the deer blind
We then took a about 300 yards walk to the deer blind
A old farm building about 8' x 12' that I moved to the edge of the creek bottom years ago
So it is about 6 AM when we get to the deer blind over looking a over grown 20 acer creek bottom
I bush hog shooting lanes fanning out from the deer blind every year

Well about 8 AM a nice basket 8 point walked onto a shooting lane at about 30 yards and my lady used my Marlin 44 Mag rifle to make a easy shot
She tagged it and we drug the buck behind the deer blind
Between 8 AM and about 10 AM we both passed on does , that didn't stand on the shooting lane long enough
About 10 AM we could here the pickup trucks coming and so did the deer
In the next few min she had shot a nice doe and I had shot 2 does finishing our deer hunt
I used my Marlin 45/70
She was shooting a custom 44 bullet I designed , based on the Lee 310 Gr 44 bullet , but shortened to be a 270 Gr gc Flat Nose
Star Line Brass , CCI LP Primer and 2400 powder , about 1550 FPS
I used a 400 Gr gc flat nose NOE bullet design Federal brass Win LR primer and 3031 powder , about 1900 FPS

Her Doe was about 20 yards , my 2 does were about 20 yards and 60 yards
We tagged the does and got the ATV's
Loaded the deer on deer carts behind the ATV,s and headed home

It is sort of sad is we only heard 1 shot from my neighbor's deer drive
But I am sure they "KILLED" the cases of Beer

John

[Winger Ed.]

That's great.

The hunt reminds me of my Dad when we lived in New Mexico.
Him and his buddies would go hunting for a few days out in the wilderness.
I'm not sure of the details of their hunting methods, but they never came back with anything but burnt blankets and a hangover.

[Thumbcocker]

Never been to a deer camp in my life. Mostly hunt alone. I like it that way.

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[Markopolo]

that is awesome John.... but... I dont see pictures??? you know the rules...LOL

[CastingFool]

I wish I had neighbors like yours, John.

[richhodg66]

Never been to a deer camp in my life. Mostly hunt alone. I like it that way.

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This is me. Other than my sons, I can count on the fingers of one hand and have some left over the number of guys I've deer hunted with. I'm not anti social, but the solitude is a big part of the appeal to me.

Where I grew up in the coastal deep south, hunt clubs were the norm and drives were the way they did business. Usually, the drivers had dogs. I did tag along with my father in law to one, and I will say, they were pretty well organized with limits to where you could shoot, seems like all the shooters were in elevated blinds and shotguns with 00 were all anybody used, I don't recall any drinking at all, though I'm sure some went one after the hunt was over, I had already left.

I generally disapprove of drives, but there, the swamps and woods were so thick, it was kind of tough to hunt any other way. Seems like all the guys there had a preference for what they liked to do, some really liked being drivers, they tended to be the more active ones and the ones I figured were really more there to work with the dogs. Some guys preferred to sit and shoot. I do remember that bunch of rednecks having a lot better organizational skills for putting it all together than I'd have thought going into it.

[skeettx]

Most I have ever hunted with in deer camp was 5.
Montana, and we each owned our horses and would put
them together for a month before deer camp.
We would pack in for 10 days, no alcohol.
Great times
Mike

[hwilliam01]

That's great.

The hunt reminds me of my Dad when we lived in New Mexico.
Him and his buddies would go hunting for a few days out in the wilderness.
I'm not sure of the details of their hunting methods, but they never came back with anything but burnt blankets and a hangover.

Reminds me of a story my Grandmother told. It was about fishing rather than hunting but the results the same. When my Grandfather returned from one of his "fishing trips" with the boys, she asked how it went. He said "Great we caught lots of fish and had a great time". She said "Where's the fish? He replied that they had eaten them all. She said "Everything go ok, then?" He said "Yeah, all but I couldn't find my Pajamas....you didn't pack them!" She said" Yes I did....I put them in your tackle box!"

[Hamish]

John,

We used the dingalings to kill deer for many years too,,,,,

[725]

Goober hunters................. Hate to be around them. I'm no tea-totaler, but guns and drunkenness don't mix. Do one or the other. At deer camp this year, I moved my Buffalo Trace & Basil Hayden to second place. The new winner is "Heaven's Gate". That said, I do like having drivers stumbling around moving the deer for me. 'Bout the only advantage to public hunting. On more than one occasion, I've been the noise sound shooters/hunters unloaded on. It wasn't pretty. Wouldn't be surprised to learn your drunken neighbors were sound hunters. Be careful.

[missionary5155]

Good morning and Congratulations to you and wife !
That is why I hunt river bottoms during bow season.... No one else there.
I once heard a gun hunter say "yea I only got one sound shot this morning". That is why kevlar was invented..

[Midohhntr]

Congrats on the deer....Years ago, probably 25 or so I use to be involved with a few drives, no alcohol ever but now a days I don't see hardly any doing drives anymore.. I like others like the solitude..

[RU shooter]

I agree drinking while hunting is not a good idea . I too like my alone with nature time , we do on occasion drive or should I say push deer but it's done a lot differently as we usually hunt on areas where there's benches on the side of hills and only with trusted hunters the pushers usually only 2 work best will simply walk or still hunt slowly not being loud at all there no need as the deer will move anyways .

[waksupi]

It was nice of them to drive the deer to you!

[bisleyfan41]

What makes you think they were drunk? Did you see them with alcohol? Did you witness them chugging multiple 12 ouncers before the drive? Or maybe they just hunt different than you and you feel you have to ridicule them? Them making noise (totally proper for driving deer) and stumbling through the brush that you admit requires bush hogging to see or shoot through makes you think they were drunk, huh?

I've participated in a lot of deer drives when I hunted in clubs, some successful some not. Driving deer done right ain't pretty or glamourous. But it can damn sure be effective. We always stand-hunted until 10 or so then came out for organized drives. Likely if you only heard one shot, they weren't drunk. Sounds like maybe they just conducted their drive in the wrong direction???

Maybe so they don't trouble you by driving venison to you next year so you can fill your freezer, you should encourage them to start at the creek and push them away from you?? Try to remember, we (hunters) are all on the same team and they pushed deer to you. You should go thank them. But whatever. Congrats on your deer, I guess.

[BrutalAB]

Actually sounds like it could be an effective method and more in line with what hunters from history forgotten might do. (beer included)

Really sounds like they had fun and enjoyed it whether or not they actually harvested any deer. I know it sounds more fun to me than sitting still and quiet in a blind all day and not seeing a single deer.


(Posted while sitting still and quiet in my blind)

[Johnch]

What makes you think they were drunk? Did you see them with alcohol? Did you witness them chugging multiple 12 ouncers before the drive? Or maybe they just hunt different than you and you feel you have to ridicule them? Them making noise (totally proper for driving deer) and stumbling through the brush that you admit requires bush hogging to see or shoot through makes you think they were drunk, huh?

I've participated in a lot of deer drives when I hunted in clubs, some successful some not. Driving deer done right ain't pretty or glamourous. But it can damn sure be effective. We always stand-hunted until 10 or so then came out for organized drives. Likely if you only heard one shot, they weren't drunk. Sounds like maybe they just conducted their drive in the wrong direction???

Maybe so they don't trouble you by driving venison to you next year so you can fill your freezer, you should encourage them to start at the creek and push them away from you?? Try to remember, we (hunters) are all on the same team and they pushed deer to you. You should go thank them. But whatever. Congrats on your deer, I guess.

I have been invited to his deer hunts for years
I went 1 time and ONLY 1 time
It was a party for most from the time they got there
The guys doing the shooting , well I never saw them drink till after the drive was over
But I don't like the idea of the guys pushing the deer to be drunk or at least been drinking right before the deer drive started

I just use the whole mess to move deer to my land for easy shots

John