Took the smoke pole out yesterday
 

7 of us took to the ML's and decided to do some drives. We started at 7am and did 5 drives in the course of the day. Nothing. A total of 7 deer were seen all day and they all excaped the drives. This property sits adjacent to the Pax River in Benidict Md. We have seen the deer go into the marsh alone the shoreline during the bowseason so that is in most likelyhood where they all are. Fresh tracks everywhere so they must be totally nocturnal after all the gunslingers got through with there season. Anyone have one of them Florida Everglade air boats for rent? ;).

RE: Took the smoke pole out yesterday
 

if you were doing drives whats it matter if they were nocternal? find them wake them up and send them to the drivers......drives are now one of my choice methods of hunting when the deer arent moving..like now in the late flintlock season....youd be LUCKY to stand hunt and see a deer after 2 weeks of gunhunters and now the cold and snow.....so we drive......try to plan your drives out better.....have your posters posted where the deer are most likely to go like funnels and bottle necks and good escape routes where they would feel safe running from the drivers.....and plan the drivers routes so they go through every area deer hide our drivers yesterday almost kicked a deer before they got up.......do smaller areas that your group can handle....driving is a good way to see ALOT of deer.......good luck with the smokepoles......im getting ready to go do that same.....take out the flintlock and do drives with my friend and his family........yesterday we got 3 out before i left and one was a buck...the other 2 drivers saw it and shot it.....i had to go before they tracked it....cant wait for today........good luck

RE: Took the smoke pole out yesterday
 

:) mdbohuntr; Gotta story to share about smokepoles. Back in the late 50's dad hunted on a farm. The ol' farmer had a 1863 Confederate rifle mfg. in England, leaning against an interior barn wall. It had been there so long that the stock had a warp to it. He gave it to dad and he meticulously refurbished the weapon. He poured his own mini-balls but I can assure you they were not mini in size. Talk about a smokepole! It kicked like mule and when a deer was hit it dropped instantly. He's still got it but we had to retire it because we noticed a slight hair-line crack in the warped stock. Just thought I'd share a fond memory of my dad's smokepole with you modern day toters.

RE: Took the smoke pole out yesterday
 

i knew a couple of guys near Indianhead, Md. that used to have airboats , i know they aint as popular up there as down here, but i'm sure you can find one:) i have only been out on the river/marsh one tme and seen bucks during the day, i think the smallest if i remember right was an 8 pointer, big bodied, spooked 3 of em up, even though we were working , it was still an awesome sight...most of the poaching is done that way here at night, so i'm not too happy when i hear em running at night, but i have to keep in mind that not all are doing it....

RE: Took the smoke pole out yesterday
 

What I guess I didn't explain was they must be in the marsh and not coming out till after dark. It stands to reason if they were noturnal or not and in the drive path they would be be up and running. Every deer that did get up and we were able to put eyes on it was heading to the marsh. We could not place standers close enough to the marsh to get get any shots. When they were spotted they were in the briars where a rabbit wouldn't go, must have been bedded in there and within a hop skip and jump from the water.

RE: Took the smoke pole out yesterday
 

Too weird, I was just hunting there. In Upland Bird Hunter (the game) that is..:D

RE: Took the smoke pole out yesterday
 

I took my muzzleloader out today and my dad drove the woods for me. He kicked out a group of 5 does and another group of 8 does and the group of 8 stood about 20 yards from me for about 5 minutes until they left. I already killed a button buck this year so now I'm just waiting for a good buck. I still have till Jan. 31st for bow and I have three more days of muzzleloader.

RE: Took the smoke pole out yesterday
 

This year with the ol' smokepole I had only one shot on a muley a little 3x3 all he gave was a rear shot and it just wasn't worth it to waste 1/3 of the meat[:'(]:)