Posted: 11/26/2013 7:41:08 PM EDT
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Got my first deer ever this past Saturday on the hunting club that I joined. This was during a dog drive where everyone draws a number then takes the stand that corresponds to the number then they release the dogs. Stay for 1.5 hours then meet back and do it again in a new area. I think I like this style lol..
It was kind of small, but it looked bigger when it was running through the woods lol. I made a "Murrrp" sound at it to stop it and took the shot. If I would of had more time to size it up I might of actually let it go. Now that I have a deer under my belt and some meat in the fridge though, I believe I will be more patient and wait for bucks in the future. Gun is a custom built .223 using Barnes 70gr TSX with a Millet DMS 1-4x 
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My friend hunted on a dog drive in VA some years ago. He said it was
very different than what he was used to. Some say its not ethical, but I say F the naysayers. If it's legal where you are than go for it. Tradition in hunting is one of it's big qualities and some swamps just need to be pushed with dogs. It's not legal where I'm from and either is bait but there are some that say hunting from a treestand is not real hunting either. Congrats on the deer - it's where I say a hunter is made. Anyone can pull the trigger on the first one but after you see whats done next, some people refuse to shoot again. We were VERY fortunate this year and saw ALOT of bucks. A big 12, a 10, a six and a 4 plus 2 does fell within the first 3 days of the season opener. |
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Congrats on the first deer. As far as dogs drives, ignore the people that make a stink about hunting deer with dogs. If it is legal in your state and you have no ethical problems with it then go for it. It is a tradition in most southern states and I'm glad to see some people still do it. It is much more of a communal hunting experience that sitting in a stand or blind by yourself all day. Not to mention the time and effort that goes into training a dog properly. As for taking the doe, a doe is usually the first thing I take each year. It puts meat in the freezer and serves as a confidence booster early in the season. |
Congrats on your first deer OP!
  
As to dog deer drives, here in Virginia west of the blue ridge it is all still hunting (usually with rifles and from a tree stand) and east of the blue ridge it is generally shotguns and dogs on the ground. I personally prefer still hunting (and sometimes use flintlocks, no camo and hunt from the ground too!) but both have their merits, required skill sets and ups and downs. The dog thing is a different more social thing in the east, it can be really fast paced and a bit of a throw back to the Colonial way of doing things, although depending on methods it can sometimes feel like a mechanized infantry assault when atvs, radios and etc are in the mix  ...I'd feel a bit of shame in shooting something under a feeder but to each his own, I guess what I mean is when in Rome, do as the Romans.
PS I killed the smallest deer I have ever bagged last weekend- does can be hard to judge size wise (I would have passed on it had I judged it better), but the little ones sure do taste good! |
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Congratulations OP. Dogs are incredibly versatile. They serve equally well at driving deer as they do treeing raccoon, retrieving birds and flushing trolls... http://i.imgur.com/zzSDo.gif 
ETA: @ OP. It was 20 years before I ate the heart of a deer. OMG! Don't throw em away. They look nasty on the outside, but inside is deep red and very tender meat. I breaded mine up and deep fried em with some Alpine T ouch seasoning. I'm looking forward to hitting the next one with some Dillo dust. I feel ashamed that the hearts I didn't blow a hole clean through, were essentially wasted.  If it makes you squeamish just thinking about it; cut into one and take a look. It's top notch viddles!
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| No problem with the running of the hounds lol! I did it for years in SC it just got to be socially unacceptable, and I left it behind. We ran 20k acres at 1 time. None the less. Question: is everyone cool with you shooting a rifle? We use to only use shotguns on drives due to the danger of a rifle bullet flying into the wild blue yonder. I'm just curious about your commands opinion of using the rifle? |
| Everyone else that I saw was using rifles as well. In my case, I was half way up the side of a hollow, looking at the other side. The deer was half way up the other side as well, so there was a huge backstop. We all look at the map and we also use radios so we generally all know where each other is located and we aren't put too close together. Most of the club is fairly well timbered and hilly too so a shot through the woods isn't likely to go very far without lodging into a tree or a hill side but it is definitely worth it to be careful |
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Congratulations OP. Dogs are incredibly versatile. They serve equally well at driving deer as they do treeing raccoon, retrieving birds and flushing trolls... http://i.imgur.com/zzSDo.gif I find myself mesmerized by this post. Thanks DPeacher. 
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