A couple of weeks ago there was a lively argument on this forum about deer drives. I think a few guys were giving James a hard time (I think he had a negative view of the practice).

I found this news article today about a deer drive in NC where both a father and daughter were killed during a deer drive. I don't have a dog in the fight, never been in on a deer drive.

FWIW;

https://portal.tds.net/news/read/ca...er_killed_in_south_carolina_hunting_a-ap

Growing up in Iowa, we had slug season. The orange army was always out thick. Dad had a slug hit his windshield while driving down a gravel checking traps and we had a slug go through a shed. Lots of idiots out there. I never really got into deer hunting, but have always respected a big bow shot deer more than a slug shot deer from a drive.

Drives in Wisconsin as a kid were the Best. If you were 8 or 9 and could walk , say shhwiiiit loudly through your teeth , the you were made a "driver" carry a stick line up and make the Push .....beating brush or trees with your stick.

GREAT Fun!!!

Sorry for those killed ... why/How they could not identify their target is beond me!

you know the interesting thing , when the state of WI went all rifle the Green county sheriff was concerned the number of calls for shot trucks , sheds and farm equipment was going to go up a lot..

what happened surprised the heck out of them but then they realized it made perfect sense.

the number of calls went to down way down almost none , the first year the county went to rifle.

why , they could finally hit what they were aiming at and gave the rifle respect because it could travel so much further.

the reality is foster slugs are not good at distance , it isn't that the slug isn't still moving or lethal it is that you can't keep one reliably in the vitals on a deer at ranges much past 100 yards . people however would still try for 125 and 150 yard shots maybe even further but they had wild ideas about the trajectory of a slug and would aim 3 feet high at 125 you might have needed a foot but the slug then sailed 2 feet over the deer

a slug is still traveling at longer range if aimed high enough , up a hill or shooting over a ridge and that slug could travel 400 yards but people were so convinced that because they couldn't hit they need to aim higher with no data to actually back it up and because they missed they kept shooting , they would lob one of those 5 slugs in , maybe if they got lucky.

your shooting shouldn't have to involve luck, that is a bad practice clearly ranges should have been kept to under 100 yards , but they were so frustrated that a deer they could have easily hit with a rifle that they could use for coyote every other day of the year a deer at 150 yards was outside their reach with a slug.and unloaded the gun at the deer. clearly poor self control and frequently perpetuated myths about slugs and how fast they dropped.

people don't look like deer period to shoot the father and daughter sounds like a bunch of shooting at motion in the bushes never shoot a deer you can't positively identify as a deer.

I would bet there is a lot more to that story than we are hearing.

I bet you're Right

In our little parcel or paradise we have done well. We have done many drives over the last couple of decades. We set them up.

I am sorry to hear about this. I did not read the article. I do have to ask why you posted it.

Why?

Lots of drives here in Europe for deer, fox, red stag and wild boar. It makes up 95% of the hunting for those species in France. I'm the oddball hunting alone whether archery or rifle. Almost all are shooting rifles, .270, .280, 300 Win..

Unfortunately there are about 10-12 mortalities every year across France in these hunts.

I am always welcomed on those hunts around me, but rarely go.

Pete

Here hunters often use dogs to drive deer moose or bear.
I guess that would be safer than hunters driving the deer,although I cant see how someone could shoot a person covered in flourescent orange.

One scenario is when they get a good one crippled and they get jumpy, then just shoot the first thing that moves. Also I never shoot at any thing running at me. Quail or deer. Something may have jumped (man or dog) it causing it to come at me. I wait for for a side shot or running(flying) away from me.
Another thing is those flimsy little plastic orange vest. Esp. small vest on big guy, the sides don't come together. If you have on brown coveralls and turned sideways then that's not good. A limb or something may block the view of your hat.

Not about deer, but i knew a guy that went squirrel hunting and killed a red fox squirrel. He had on overalls with big back pockets, he stuck the squirrel in his back pocket with the tail hanging out. He went on thru the woods and heard one cutting nuts, he stopped and leaned over against a tree with the squirrel tail in his pocket sticking out past the tree. Some other guy came in the woods and didn't know the first guy was there. He saw the tail sticking out and shot it with a 12 ga. The guy didn't die but was crippled the rest of his life.

A guy at church had a brother that went squirrel hunting and was sitting next to a tree where they was cutting nuts. He had fairly long hair and it stuck out past the tree he was sitting by. His buddy walked up there, seen the hair on the side of the tree and shot him in the head. He lived.

A good friend of mine got an eye shot out bird hunting by a guy that lost track of him and when the birds got up, he shot him in the eye with one pellet.

Terribly sorry for the father and little girl. It would be bad to carry that the rest of your life, knowing you killed them for a lousy deer.

It fairly easy for some because all they can focus on is the deer and not the person or persons coming along behind the deer so they shoot and miss or the projectile even hits but passes through and also hits someone or something else such as a car or building

I have hunted (drives) with the same group of guys for 20 years, and never a close call. The key is its the same guys, all safe and trustworthy.

X2 what greencounty states, since most of NY’s southern zone went from shotgun to rifle, hunting accidents actually went down. We all heard the same story that rifles would make it more dangerous, turned out that is not true.
As far as shooting someone making a drive, blaze orange or camo, there are no excuses for not id’ing your target.
NY also does not have a blaze orange law, and hunting accidents are rare.

A farmer neighbor died in a deer drive when I was a kid. The idea that slugs in populated farm country were safer than rifles never was true for all the reasons Pete stated. Even more true with all the people hunting from towers on field corners with rifles, they pick their shots with a rifle resting on the window.

Should we also post links to where someone was killed while NOT driving deer? What a ridiculous post, surely we can all find something better to do than troll the internet.

I agree M. Magis.

Statistically, driving deer is probably one of the safer activities a person can participate in.

The news yesterday on the radio was all about a crab boat that sunk and 4 or 5 guys are dead. That commercial fishing in Alaska sure is dangerous.

drives can be safe, but you have to realize when your a guy walking with a gun and when your a guy who can shoot.

we also error on the side of caution with our shooting and our wearing of orange , you really can see a person wearing a full orange coat and hat 50 or more yards further than a guy in all camo with a little vest on . just a rule of square inches of orange if you catch a little glimpse of an arm through the brush and trees.much further out.


only 100% it is a deer and a legal deer with safe backdrop behind.

Commercial fishing is extremely dangerous world wide. Hunting is only dangerous in the US.

I have taken part in a few deer drives. I made it out not skeered and unharmed. Does that count?

You must not have read Swift4me's post above about France!

Chris