king' s outdoor world - Index

king' s outdoor world - Hunting Illustrated Magazine Dec/Jan 2008 - Coyote Crazy! - Index

buck where he doesn’t want to go.
You must always try to fi gure out the
best place to be so that you can get
the shot that will raise your odds of
getting ‘Mr. Big.’ Let him go where
he wants to go - not where you want
him to go.
3) Never waste time walking
or making a drive where there is
nothing in your favor.
4) Don’t try to push a big
buck too far. Keep all your drives
short and sweet if you can. The
further you try to push a buck, the
greater your chances of something
going wrong increase. You can’t give
him too many options to get away
from you.
5) Always use land layouts
to decide where to start your drive
and where to fi nish it.
6) Never underestimate how
far a big buck can run in only a few
minutes. Always give the sitter plenty
of time to get into place before you
start the drive. My formula on how
fast a big buck can move over the
ground is 5 to 30 - that is to say that
a buck can cover as much distance
in fi ve minutes as it took you thirty
minutes to cover. However, this is
variable depending on how rough the
terrain is.
7) Never underestimate
how good a big mule deer’s hearing
is. Those big nine-inch ears are not
just Christmas ornaments. They
are a buck’s number one source of
protection. Don’t talk loud when
making your plans. The sitter must
always slip quietly into his spot.
Never use a radio to tell everybody
that you are in place and ready to start
the drive. If you do, it’s a good bet
you just told old ‘Mr. Big’ you are
there too.
8) Never sit where you can
be seen or your outline can be picked
out if ‘Mr. Big’ comes your way.
9) The walkers must try to
stay in a straight line as they walk.
Try to keep each other in sight. If
someone has to go around, down, or
over some obstacle, wait for everyone
to catch up and then continue your
drive. Patience, my friend, patience.
While hunting mule deer or whitetails
a well planned and executed drive is a
proven technique to bag big bucks
10) As a walker, you must
always keep in mind where your sitter
is because that is where you want ‘Mr.
Big’ to run. So, if you see a fresh track
and he has gone to the left, back up and
go around to try to push him back to
the sitter. If you happen to jump a big
buck in thick trees, make lots of noise.
Hopefully this will make him nervous
and he might make a big mistake and run
straight to a shooter without thinking.
11) A sitter must never get bored
and quit looking. You must always be on
110% alert. About 80% of the time if old
‘Mr. Big’ is killed, you are the one who
will do it. So, don’t ever quit until the
drive is completed and then some. Stay
5MULE DEER5
alert, eye of the tiger, no picking your
nose or drawing lines.
12) Never get down or get
discouraged because the last fi ve
drives produced nothing. Number six
could be the lucky one where old ‘Mr.
Big’ will run right to you and make
you the happiest person in the world.
13) If you jump a big buck
or see one that you have no chance
of killing, shoot a shot off anyway.
There is nothing I know of that puts
everyone on high alert faster than a
gunshot. Maybe someone else can
move to, run to, or get to a different
spot and be lucky enough to see him,
knowing where you are at, and shoot
him.
I hope these suggestions give
all of you just a little more knowledge
on how to make a successful drive. I
know drives are not for everyone and
they can’t be used in every situation
but, when and where a drive is
possible, I know they can work really
well for you. A drive, for the most
part, can help you see a deer that is
lying down or is in thicker terrain.
Hopefully it will up your odds of
getting a shot at a big buck. Because
of drives, I have been able to see and
kill more big bucks in my lifetime of
hunting. They have always worked
well for me and hopefully they will
work well for you. Keep the wind
in your face and may patience,
persistence, and knowledge always
be a part of your every hunt.
December/January 21