ORIGINAL: Buck Magnet

Come to Pennsylvania during rifle season some time and try finding some private property to hunt. Most of the private property that people allow hunters on will have many more hunters on it. After the first morning of season the deer just don't move on their own. Why? Well, they had over a million hunters in the woods for that first day across the state, the deer pick up on that pretty quick.

Lonewolf, what type of rifle hunting do you after the first day of season? Do you sit in a stand and just hope and pray that something will come by? If thats the case, chances are those deer that are comming past you are on their feet because of a deer drive.

As far as how "sporting" it is, you are looking at things in way to simple of a scheme. You simply believe that guys surround the woods, drive through and all the deer run right out to a guy waiting to shoot them. This can't be further from the truth. No matter how much time we spend in the woods we will never have the knowledge of the terrain that the deer do. I have been on alot of drives since I started hunting and it takes more knowledge of the deers habits and the land than setting up a good archery stand. First off, a good deer drive starts off with playing the wind. Usually the drivers will go in upwind and VERY slowly move through the woods towards the posters. Next you have to figure out exactly where the deer are, and in woods around here that could be anywhere as they are all thick undergrowth mixed with crab apple trees, green briars, and blowdowns. Now the fun begins, you have to figure out a way to bump them up and get them moving in the direction that you want without having them run for the hills. Try playing mind games with a deer once and you tell me how easy it is to outsmart one. We usually just let our smell and the sound of us walking bump the deer as it keeps them from moving too fast. Now, that deer has infinit escape routes and you gotta hope that he takes one past a poster, and even then it isn't a gimmie, that deer has to be moving slow enough to identify as a legal deer and to make a safe and ethical shot. Simply put, it isn't a gimmie as you are trying to portray it. Later on I will take my digital camera out on my quad ride and get some pictures of my property and I will post them. I want you to tell me how to hunt this property without doing a deer drive.