Tactical 2-Man Deer Drives

“… our drives don’t resem ble those put on by larger hunt camps. Nowadays, our drives are mostly two man affairs, maybe three. They are also more efficient and productive over all than the party drives, and we believe safer.”

- Chris Rehlinger

Opening weekend of Wisconsin deer gun season is the time to sit on stand waiting for a shot at a buck seen on a trail camera or while scouting. Heavy hunting pressure the first week helps to fill the game poles. After that, the weekdays that follow can be slower with deer hunkered down and fewer hunters in the field to keep them moving.

That’s when we get out and drive the woods. But our drives don’t resemble those put on by larger hunt camps. Years ago, when our camp drew more hunters, we did put on such drives. But nowadays, our drives are mostly two-man affairs, maybe three. They are also more efficient and productive overall than the party drives, and we believe safer.

A line of drivers busting brush, shouting and whistling just isn’t necessary to get deer moving. Deer see, hear and smell this coming from a mile away, allowing more than ample time to get up and quietly skirt the line of drivers.

A single hunter walking quietly through the woods is enough to drive deer, and if that hunter works through a nighttime feeding territory toward secure daytime bedding cover, he may drive those deer to a fellow hunter.

When those deer move, they follow logical pathways to other secure cover, and understanding this is the key to putting on successful drives.

No need to raise a ruckus. On the contrary, drivers should advance slowly and methodically, as if stalking. Move at a snail’s pace, pause often to scan the cover ahead, and you may even get a shot at a deer as it breaks. Occasionally a bedded deer will sit tight, watching its back trail. A skilled stalker may close that distance.

But far more deer will leave long before that, and you need a drive strategy that takes advantage of the predictable pathways those deer take.