Here in Western New York the deer gun season has been open for a week and from here on out our whitetail deer morph from a large flesh and blood mammal to ghosts. You know they are there because you see their tracks but they aren’t visible. The hunting goes from good to extremely tough. Most deer by now have had an encounter with a hunter either by catching their wind, hearing them shoot, or a visual meeting. If they survive that meeting, they will head for the thickest cover in the area and most will not move again until after dark. Especially the big old boys who bury deep in the thickest cover they can find and become completely nocturnal the minute they hear the first shots ring out.
Now the question in most deer hunters’ minds is, “Do I sit on stand in one spot knowing that chances are the deer won’t move all-day or do I get a group of hunters together and make them move?”. The purists will say to sit quietly in a tree or ground blind and hope; it is sacrilege to disturb the woods in such an obnoxious manner. But the meat hunters will say that if the deer aren’t moving, get into the thick cover and force them to move. This, by the way, does benefit the stand hunters as the drivers get the deer stirred up in all directions helping every hunter in the area.
One of the biggest problems for hunters who decide to push deer, other than the safety issue, is all the posted property there is in this area. Almost every acre of good hunting ground has yellow signs hanging on its borders. The challenge is finding out who owns the property to ask permission. There is a fantastic smart app out now, ONX Hunt maps, and for $30 a year it not only shows you the property borders, it will also tell you who owns that block of land and provide the property owner’s address.
Even with the landowner’s address, getting permission to gun hunt someone’s property for deer is the hardest hunting permission of all to obtain. Most landowners will tell you they have had a bad experience when they did allow people to deer hunt their land, making it all but impossible to break that stigma and get the okay.
In many cases, the successful groups of deer pushers are from small townships and know everybody who owns land for a fifty-mile radius. If you can get in with an established group of drivers, you’re all set; but be careful hunting with people you do not know. Remember that you are literally trusting those people with your life. I know that sounds dramatic, but you must be able to have complete faith that the hunter next to you will not shoot in your direction if a deer jumps out of thick cover and runs between you.
In my early hunting career, I got in with a group of deer drivers. This was a sketchy lot to say the least, and this crew bent the game laws like a politician bends the truth. I remember one hunt when the head of this troop had six of us pile in the bed of his pick-up truck and said: “On this next spot I’m just going to slow down but not stop. You guys jump out, one every thirty yards, and cut right into the woods quickly. If you hear anyone yell just keep moving.” I naively asked, “You do have permission to hunt here, don’t you?” “Sure, sure kid…just get moving when you hit the ground.”
Thinking back on it now, I must have been crazy. I didn’t know half of those guys and they had my life in their trigger finger.
Whatever way you decide to hunt, be safe. No deer is worth someone’s life. If you decide to drive deer, know who you are hunting with. Wear orange and if you shoot, know your target! There is nothing about a human that looks like a deer. I want to believe that it is rare that hunters mistake each other for deer. They can’t be that dopey, can they? I believe most accidents happen when a deer comes between hunters and they get so excited they shoot at the deer without being aware of what’s behind it. Most hunters see that deer, their adrenaline kicks in, and that’s all they see. You must always know what is behind your target. If you miss, that bullet or slug is going to travel a long distance.
I know, “Thank you, Captain Obvious,” but every year someone shoots when they shouldn’t and ruins their life, not to mention the life of their victim.
Other common accidents happen when hunters shoot themselves while climbing in and out of a tree stand or over fences without unloading their gun. Another common spot is back at the vehicle when somebody mistakes an empty gun that is still loaded. If you treat every gun like it is loaded all the time, this will never happen.
All that being said, if everyone follows these commonsense rules it is a safe sport. Now get off the couch, throw on some warm orange clothes, and go harvest some tasty venison. If prepared correctly, it’s the best red meat you will ever eat.
