Here goes:
I started bowhunting at age 12. When I was a student at the Univ. of WI in the '60s I took one of my professors bowhunting, it was something he had always wanted to try. Despite tons of patience and my best efforts he was a real nimrod in the deer woods. He "just didn't get it."
Once, that first year, on a morning hunt I set him in a ground blind I'd made against a windfall. I then went a hundred yards down the trail to another blind. While waiting for daylight to arrive, in the stillness of the pre-dawn darkness, I suddnely heard sneezing, coughing, hacking throat clearing, and a whole comotion of nasal and throat noises coming from Frank's direction. The noises were loud and went on for at least 15 minutes!
Later I asked Frank what this was all about. He explained, "Well, I had my nasal spray in one pocket and my buck scent in my other pocket. Both were in small plastic squeeze bottles and I got them mixed up."
And that explained all the noise and comotion and why we never saw a deer that morning!
Note: Eventually Frank did become a pretty good bowhunter and we developed a solid friendship. He was the best man at my wedding a few years later. Frank is gone now but this has always been a good story to tell around a campfire and a good memory from "back then."
Well, let's talk rattling. If you don't do it, or have little faith, rethink what you know. Does it work better in farm country where deer numbers might be greater, or your sound travels further, or other variables, I don't know? I know I have a great deal of success using the horns, and a decoy.
If you think the only time a deer will react to rattling is during the rut or pre-rut, you're missing out on some opportunities.
A couple great memories I think of. Third day of the season it was unusually cold. Maybe 20 years ago? I'm sitting on the ground in a makeshift blind, I rattle at first light, and a decent buck runs in immediately, and comes to ten yards. I heart shoot him. He runs off, I grunt, he charges back, bleeding profusely out both sides. I watch his eyes roll into the back of his head, he rears up, stands on his hind legs, and falls on his back, pinning his antlers in the dirt.
Another time, I was tagged out. I insist on rattling for my buddy, who is just starting to realize that rattling is not just a Texas thing. He agrees. We hunt the edge of a CRP field, and wait until the last 30 minutes of daylight. I rattle, grunt, make noise, and call in an 11 pointer with a 19 inch spread. I'm right behind him as he laces him with a string tracker on, and get to watch the entire event. His best deer by far, and I'm positive he believed me that rattling works. I was his guide that day, and got a lot of points from him. We were crazy excited about that one.
Another great hunt, was another time sitting in a drainage ditch in a blind made from a water trough and some branches. I had a decoy out, between two standing cornfields. I rattle again in the evening, and out sneaks a deer and bristles up and charges my decoy. He runs off, and slowly stiff-legs it, and walks in licking his chops. I shoot him with a string tracker on, and watch the spool unwind until it stops. I used his horns for my decoy, and still use them.
I can say without a doubt, that I've rattled in more than 100 deer. I always use the horns in conjunction with doe bleats and buck grunts, and I will break branches and stomp the ground. Fields with heavy grass seem to be the ticket, and treelines between crop fields make great ambush spots. I sort of got away from decoying and rattling for about a 10 year stretch. Don't know why? Laziness? Anyway, I've had a resurgence, and I've never been happier. Nothing more rewarding than knowing you tricked a deer. I used to believe it tricked the younger deer the most, but what I've really realized, is there are simply more younger deer to rattle up. With the latest focus on horn growth, and far more people passing young deer, I'm finding those older deer are just as responsive. The key, is very early, and very late within shooting hours.
I will be using those tactics more this year, and im pretty jacked to make new memories.
Favorite midwest hunt would probably be arrowing a 130 inch ten at 8 yards that came sprinting in after a grunt/rattle sequence. My dad's a farmer and is usually in the fields, but the weather cooperated and it was the first morning he's ever sat not during rifle season as the crops were harvested. After the buck tipped over he looked at me and said, "well that wasn't so hard, just do that everytime". I laughed and said it generally doesn't work like that.
NO GOOD DEED GOES UNPUNISHED!! Still very nice of you!
I was in Montana bow hunting Pronghorn in August. The outfitter told me the horses have been on this ranch for years and not gathered up so some of these horses are really wild.
The weather was hot on the second day when this group of horses decided to come to the small pond I was on.
The stallion did not like my pop-up blind. He first started to run at it and slide to a stop right before hitting it. I really didn’t like that. I finally yelled at them all to get out. They ran off.
He came back but behind me and was standing over the blind. He was drooling on it. So I open the window and yelled at him to get out of here.
I was sitting in my chair, in a black shirt, my underwear, and hiking boots. The horse bit into the top of the blind and ran with it. I go flying out of my chair, and bow goes flying as it was in one of those ground holders for bows. I look up to see the horse running away with my blind. I’m mad and start chasing the horse.
In retrospect I’m glad no one got me on film running around Montana in my underwear chasing a horse who stole my blind. It eventually dropped it and I decided to try a different area of ranch.
No way was I gonna get blood or whatever on it. Sooo, I stripped down to just my fruit of the loom , tighty whities and put my lacrosse rubber boots back on. So there I was, in my underwear and boots about to gut this deer. I no sooner bent over and started to cut, he reaches over and grabs the elastic on my underwear and proceeds to yank up to my ears giving my a helluva a wedgie. As I lunge at him with the knife, I then notice he has my wool and starts running away thru the woods.
So there I was with my hands full of blood and the looms pulled to my nipples, twins were out and a thong like no other.
We still laugh today.
Friday Am we had 4 Deer down & were pounding the PBR's . We talked Pete into taking my gun & go for a walk . 1 minute later the gun go's off . We race out the door thinking he shot himself . Theres a 5 ac pine plantation next to the farm . Pete saw 4 legs & fired . The 170 inch 14 point was dead . Pete wanted to kbow what was so hard about. Deer hunting . He put the mount over his fireplace & never hunted again .
Part 2 coming .
