Tips for a 2 man deer drive ?

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john1984
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Tips for a 2 man deer drive ?

Unread postby john1984 » Sat Nov 22, 2014 10:56 am

If 2 guys with one gun wanna do some deer drives in bigwoods like this zoomed out pic photoImage how would be the best way to go about it? There are clearings in this forest. Marshy grass but not as tall as cattails, brushy, boggy. But some clearings the grass is only waist high. I went scouting midweek midday last year the first few days after the WI 2013 gun opener, and marked deer beds on my gps. Havnt been out there since. I am hoping I can push a buck into a clearing similar to these pics , so my dad can get a shot. The woods are very thick at times. How should I assume these deer will eventually wanna run? Should I push assuming most deer are gonna prefer to run INTO the wind? Or would they prefer to wind at there back when being pushed ? Its hard to post a guy up in the woods (too thick) I'm thinking. I just feel that after opening weekend this year the deer drives are gonna be the way to see deer.ImageImage this is FLATLAND

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john1984
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Re: Tips for a 2 man deer drive ?

Unread postby john1984 » Sat Nov 22, 2014 11:10 am

ImageImage

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JoeRE
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Re: Tips for a 2 man deer drive ?

Unread postby JoeRE » Sun Nov 23, 2014 1:21 am

Well, on flat land I find its a little harder to funnel deer when bumping them. I do a lot of 2 and 3 man nudges late season and have had a lot of success doing it but in farmland hill country. In my experience the deer will tend to move on travel routes along edges of the thickest cover when bumped and avoid openings, sounds like your area is really thick. I might try pushing a lot of those transition lines between cover and islands of trees in your aerial photos if you think that is where the deer are bedding. One key with small groups is to do a bunch of smaller nudges instead of one or two big ones - break up the area you want to walk into 2-300 yard bits. Take your time, might not bump a deer every time but when you do its more likely to go where you want it to in only a couple hundred yards.

Its interesting, the oldest bucks always employ one of two ways of escaping getting bumped. They either sneak really slow, or they blow out of there 100 mph and don't stop for a mile. Its always one or the other seems like. Other deer are a little more consistent.

How deer will move with the wind I have found depends on local issues - Are there wolves in the area and are deer drives common? Where I hunt in Iowa, older deer almost always run into the wind because there are no wolves and everybody and their brother does deer drives all gun season. If you can use a just off wind from the likely travel route to hide the blocker that constancy can be great!

I also have hunted up north in Wisconsin and done just a few drives up there....deer there move much more with the wind at their backs to avoid something trailing them - completely different than what I depend on in Iowa.

Good luck, hope you get a chance for your Dad. I think the most important thing is to break it down into small mini-drives and move slow, sort of still hunting.
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PK_
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Re: Tips for a 2 man deer drive ?

Unread postby PK_ » Sun Nov 23, 2014 3:05 am

Set up the gun downwind of the bedding areas and circle the driver upwind, don't bust them out just move in slow and let your scent get them up and moving.
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