Aldeer.com Forums Alabama Deer Talk Serious Deer Talk Forum Traditional Southern Hunting Clubs: How it was ... and is done.

Here is an online article complete with a black & white photo archive of how a Traditional Southern Hunting Club still follows the age-old traditions of Deep South Deer Hunting.

Hauntingly old and refreshingly new, the images of horses, hounds, shotguns and neckties show how it was ... and still is.

http://gardenandgun.com/article/call-hunt

http://gardenandgun.com/content/middleton-hunting-club

Yes, they shoot deer too!

http://sclowcountryoutdoors.blogspot.com/2011/11/middleton-hunt-club-buck-report.html

Interesting post.

Brings back memories of my visits to hunting clubs.

I was at River Bend Hunting Club near Epps on the Tombigbee River when we heard that Bear Bryant had died.

They had dog drives on Saturdays and stalk/still hunted during the week. I counted 22 does that went past my stand on the dog drive that morning. Only members were allowed to kill does at that time.

It was as much of a social event as it was hunting. Not my preference, but nice to visit from time to time. I saw more deer that morning than I had seen all my life back home on the Warrior River.

Indeed, such are memories that transcend and link generations...

"Thus has it been since the long-ago beginning of deer hunting in these ancient woods and the Middleton Hunting Club members are dedicated to keeping these traditions alive."

http://sclowcountryoutdoors.blogspot.com/2011/01/new-years-day-driven-hunt.html

Quality Deer Management Goals and Driven Hunts:

http://sclowcountryoutdoors.blogspot.com/2012/12/chas-co-driven-deer-hunt-2012.html

I was raised as a member of River Bend Hunting Club in Eppes Alabama. Lost of good memories. At one time it was a nice place to hunt. Ran dogs when I was a kid. Lots of big bucks. We stopped running dogs in the early to mid 80's and started climbing trees.

Really great article about Southern Deer Hunting as viewed through the writings of Robert Ruark:

http://www.northamericanwhitetail.com/2010/09/22/huntingtactics_naw_oldman_0909/

Excellent article on the history of the deer drive from colonial times:

Art Of The Drive

Author: Doug Howlett
"Today's modern deer drive has its roots in the deer dogging tradition of Colonial America, a tradition that lives on in the 21st century."

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Art-Of-The-Drive/532217.uts

Looks like a bunch of blue-blooded frat boys to me.

Reminds me of my uncle's club in sumter county back in the 60s

Y'all need to read some of Archibald Rutledges writings. He hunted at the turn of the 20th century, it feels weird saying that, on a plantation in South Carolina. His writings are great and he killed a slew of bucks with an old double barrel. I have found many if his books on line.

I grew up hunting at Spidle Lake H. C. in Belmont AL, we were a shotgun only, deer drives on Saturdays club for years. I miss those days of seeing 50-60 deer in a day of hunting the Tombigbee River swamp.Clubs like that are a thing of the past and people that have never experienced that type of hunting truly missed out, I wish my kids would have the chance to go on a deer drive like I grew up doing.

These clubs like this are hard to find now days.

Grew up hunting with dogs in the river swamp. Man I miss it!

I grew up hunting the Tombigbee river bottoms in the late 70's dog drives were great. I'm with you DB miss hearing those hounds run.

You should show up with some dogs this weekend and see if we can't piss somebody off

I would love to do that. would enjoy any and all parts either shooting or driving. Not many places left like it.

Alabama has hunting club traditions that have endured:

Dollarhide has endured for more than 100 years

http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/article/20090222/news/902211934

RMcL:
Regarding Dollarhide "enduring" for more than 100 years, wouldn't you agree that this club has stayed together not only because of excellent leadership but also because the club continues to hunt as a group on dog drives which leads to common goals as a club and less animosity and jealously among members? I know that this club is a little different than most due to them owning the land and having alot of monetary resources to work with; however, I have just always wondered that if you could somehow get a good group of guys together that formed a club and leased enough land to be able to have dog drives, do you think you could have a club that did this and actually still practice the essentials of Quality Deer Management?
In other words, could you realistically merge the social nature of dog drives with the science of QDMA and still make it work?

We have had our club going on 32 years and now on alot of the land. Feel blessed every time I go through the gate.