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Shotgun Hunting Preference

doublerack

doublerack

Active Member
Just throwing this out there since gun season is coming up here in Iowa.
Everyone has their own opinion and own preference how to shotgun hunt. I can think of several off the top of my head: hunt from a stand, hunt from the ground, ground stalk, party hunt and push deer, and stand while others drive the deer. I know there are mixed opinions on each. I prefer to ground stalk on my own or be part of the party pushing the deer. What are your preferences? Any other ideas how to shotgun hunt? Insights as to the benefits of each?
 
I sit in the stand and let the farms around us push deer, our farm seems to become a sanctuary after the first gun season since it doesn't get pushed. The deer will continue there normal routines after about a day or so. Just the way I like to do it, never found much fun in pushing deer.
 
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I will be hunting from a stand with a muzzleloader

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and let the farms around push deer

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What they said!
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I'll be in my condo (all warm and cozy) with a muzzle loader letting the neightbors push the deer.
 
I like any season thats bitter cold. I like to sit in the morning and evenings but will defintely push deer in the afternoons.
 
drive around a section and shoot them out my truck window!
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Just kidding. In my opinion, you can't beat the camaraderie of party hunting. But then again that's the only way I've gun hunted since my dad took me out as a young boy.
 
i agree with you 180class, that is the way i have been taught since i was young. However i did take my nicest buck to date sitting in a stand.... But i like the friendship and memories that come with party hunting. Good luck to everyone!
 
I always enjoy getting together with the friends and family I haven't seen in awhile and doing deer drives. I'm not saying I'd rather gun hunt; bowhunting is my true passion, but it gives a nice change of pace from sitting in a stand. You get to see a lot of deer, great changes of scenery, and see others having success. I think it's a great tradition.
 
Party hunting with 8-9 guys. 1/2 the group still-hunts through the timber with the remaining hunters posted on escape routes. The guys doing the pushing typically shoot 70% of the deer. The "standers" account for the remaining 30%.

I want to emphasize that the guys doing the pushing are NOT leisurely walking through the woods with the gun over their shoulder hoping to push deer into someone else. They are literally sneaking at a very very slow pace and are on full alert for deer that are bedded, have just risen or might be trying to slowly sneak away undetected. They are trying NOT to push deer into others and instead want to get a shot themselves. It typically takes 3-4 times longer to run any given section using this method but it is more productive than the alternative. Using this method deer that are not fired upon typically don’t leave the area, they circle back into the timber and are there to hunt again the next day.

After sitting in a tree with a sharp stick every day since Oct 1st it is a welcome change to have friends and family around to enjoy the hunt with.
 
I think to a degree it depends on where you hunt.(I party hunt by the way) I hunt in a very wooded part of the state. When the 1st shots are fired deer go into a diffent version of lockdown where they do not move at all. If you don't move these deer around, you are not going to see very many and in my opinion no big bucks. And 9 guys working a 200 acre woodlot the advantage is still on the deers side.
If you hunt real small pieces of timber I see where the ethical part of party hunting starts to slide and I would think this would be more advantagous to spot and stalk or still hunting or sitting on the edge of the food source around it at evening time.

Just my 2 cents, what do I know
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I think to a degree it depends on where you hunt.(I party hunt by the way) I hunt in a very wooded part of the state. When the 1st shots are fired deer go into a diffent version of lockdown where they do not move at all. If you don't move these deer around, you are not going to see very many and in my opinion no big bucks. And 9 guys working a 200 acre woodlot the advantage is still on the deers side.
If you hunt real small pieces of timber I see where the ethical part of party hunting starts to slide and I would think this would be more advantagous to spot and stalk or still hunting or sitting on the edge of the food source around it at evening time.

Just my 2 cents, what do I know
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I agree. I hunt the same area in genral and around here if your not moving deer, your not seeing deer. And to top it off, It not nearly as much about harvesting deer and playing comando as it is the quality time wih freinds and family.
 
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I'll be in my condo (all warm and cozy)

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Driving deer is something I personally don't care for. I prefer to take deer that are calmly walking or stopped.

I hunt either from a blind or a stand...one on one with my quarry
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Bow hunting is my true passion also. We all sit until about 9am opening morning and then meet up. I like walking the timber and doing the drives, it gives me a chance to check out new areas to put up bow stands next year. I shotgun hunt just to helpout the landowner's group. 650 acreas of mostly woods and they usually only have 6-8 guys. Last year I saw 22 bucks on Saturday, but the last couple years I have just been buying doe tags and filling them. I'd rather wait until late muzzle to hunt the bucks when their settled down.
 
I just buy my landowners and hunt out the kitchen window where I am all nice and warm. If I get lucky and they run one across the pasture, well lucky me and I am still warm
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If not, oh well and I am out $2.

But if I was going out usually sit in the morning then slow stalk in the timber till lunch and then back out to the fields for evening.
 
I normally don't go, but if I do, I prefer to either sit in a stand or walk draws like I'm pheasant hunting by myself. I've seen some MONSTERS!! Luckily for them I'm not a very good shot with a shotgun.
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My family has a strong tradition of sitting in blinds and stands and letting the neighbors push the deer around all day. We normally don't do any pushing at all...and if we do, it is one guy slowly still-hunting a small area.

Just a safety reminder....for those of you out there that use gun-houses, pop-up blinds or anything that covers you up....put up some blaze orange on top of the roof of the blind so the neighbors can see you!! I always stuff an extra orange vest to tie on to the outside of the blind.
 
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Just a safety reminder....for those of you out there that use gun-houses, pop-up blinds or anything that covers you up....put up some blaze orange on top of the roof of the blind so the neighbors can see you!! I always stuff an extra orange vest to tie on to the outside of the blind.


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THAT IS AN EXCELLENT IDEA!!!
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I will be hunting from a stand with a muzzleloader

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and let the farms around push deer

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100% thats what we do

What they said!
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