I know a lot of people think drive hunts are ethical. I personally not only don't like them but don't hunt with anyone that thinks it's ethical. I'm not talking about a soft push hunt where you put gentle pressure on the deer. I remember after this season why I gave up deer hunting for 25 years. As a bow hunter keen on taking high percentage shots, the drive gun hunts break all of those rules. You don't get a standing shot on deer. The ones I saw here in IA this week were shooting on average 200 yards with shotguns at deer running full tilt. Not only that but they decimate an area and educate every deer in miles to go nocturnal. They screw the hunts up for everyone else that values fair chase. Most of these deer were either running directly away (butt shot) or quartering to the blockers. Most of the hunting (I use that term loosely) parties were 10 or more individuals. Safety is a bigger issue. These small woodlots almost guarentee you shoot toward each other. I am thoroughly disgusted at what I witnessed and worse to hear the bragging about wounding deer and leaving them for a couple hours because "they weren't going anywhere." There were at least 6 instances where i heard people bragging that they hit deer 4 or 5 times in non vitals areas but had slowed them down enough to finally get them later. How many do they not get. I saw a blocker shoot at 3 running does and he and his party looked for blood for exactly 25 seconds. I was stand hunting while I witnessed all this on one piece of land. If you aren't willing to hunt deer by putting in the scouting, applying the ethics in fair chase, and taking only high percentage shots, then get out of our beloved pasttime!

THWACK!

Amen Thwack. I know what you mean. I've seen it here too. Not to that extent though. Thank god! Next year, you come hunt over at my place. No drive hunts on my 80 acres. And the drive hunts on the other properties just push the deer right to my timber.

KEEP IT LEGAL. KEEP IT SAFE. OR WE MAY NOT GET TO KEEP IT AT ALL.

Where have I seen this topic before????<img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle>

I think I'll pass!




&quot;Semper Fi&quot;

I don't want to get into the debate of drives being ethical vs. unethical; although I do have my opinions. I do get a little frustrated trying to bow hunt after the firearms season has passed because the deer patterns completely change and the deer are on high alert for a long time after. However, I get 2 months before firearms season with my bow to fill my tag and things do tend to settle down a little in the 1 1/2 months of bow season that follows. My main concern with drives is the safety issue. I'm surprised there aren't more people getting hurt, or worse. I think that for the sake of our sport, we're fortunate that there aren't more incidents caused by these types of hunts. This is the first year I've gun hunted and the only reason I went out is because I felt a little safer knowing I was the only one on the 150 acres I'm hunting.

Go for it guys,the anti's love it.

No one that puts on a drive is a true hunter because you say so.What a load af bull feces.

I have and will continue to drive deer! Just because you saw a couple yahoos tossing lead dont paint all of us with the same brush! If it is not on properety you have exclusive permission to be on, you have nothing to say about what people do!

We are even planning a 10-12 man drive the week between x-mas and new years,, with archery equipment(that must really make your blood boil). We want to fill our groups last tags(oh and we party hunt too,, that must get under your skin too!)

You can't label all people that drive hunt, there is always a few bad apples. I drive hunt with my friends and others, and we get standing shots, and have yet to loose a deer due to distance or running(lost one this year, standing shot at 70 yards, just terrible shot placement)...and as for driving with a bow, I took a nice old 9-point last year on the last day, driven and a perfect double lung shot.

Shots that are True....Pass right Through!!!

I have a Drury video at home that has the Drury's and some friends reverting to &quot;old time&quot; tactics to harvest some deer. Yep , they did a deer drive! Damn those unethical Drury's!

<---Doug---<<<

I spend 99 % of my time dwelling in the treetops. However, you're painting with an awfully wide brush. There are a lot of gun hunters that say we bowhunters are the ones doing all the wounding. They've heard a couple stories about some yahoo wounding 4 or 5 and never getting one or found one with an arrow in it. Do you want them to paint you with the same brush? Same arguement.... different weapon. Deer drives are a way of life in a lot of Northern states and provinces. It's a very effective way of getting deer. If done properly the shots are usually taken at unaware and relaxed deer getting out of the way of some guy trying to creep through the woods like a shadow. I've driven and taken deer with the bow on drives. Not these barking, make noise like a pack of hounds drives. When the drive is over and the hunters have left it's not unusal to see deer in the same woods going about life as normal. Charlie P summed it up pretty well...&quot; The antis love it&quot;.

What defines a &quot;drive&quot; and a &quot;gentle push&quot; may very from person to person. I've been on some little drives, and really I didn't get amazing results. Usually I don't even see any deer, and when I do it's just little does. Some good drives that are well planned out, with thought given to safety will normally produce good results. Standing shots are normal.

&quot;Hey ya'll, watch this&quot;