Do you have anything that goes with you in the woods every time you go, or something that may not be "ideal" but you use it for sentimental reasons rather than for success? As I was rummaging through my garage this last weekend, I began to think about all the antlers, turkey fans, beards... etc.
I picked up my "rattling antlers" and immediately went back to November 17th, 1996. It was -16 F with about a 20mph North wind and I was with my best friend in the Black Hills in NE Wyoming. I had turned 14 (legal big game age) a month and ten days earlier. I spent the whole month trying to kill my first antelope and finally did at dusk on the last night of the season, halloween. Anyway, Casey and I sat there drinking hot chocolate waiting for the deer to come down the ravine. Luckily for us, it didn't take long. About 125 yards on the other side of the ravine I saw antlers and a deer moved behind a couple of trees and I settled the crosshairs of my Ruger .243 behind his shoulder in the middle of my basketball size opening. Shaking from the excitement that also took away the cold, I waited, and waited, and waited. As the words "Shoot him!" exited Casey's mouth, I squeezed the trigger.
We heard the bullet hit and my buck crashed down the hill to the trail we had walked in on. It was perfect. He was a steller 88 1/4" whitetail. To this day, I use that deer's antlers as my rattling horns. I get made fun of by my buddies, but it doesn't bother me. To date, I've rattled in 6 deer that have been killed with those horns. My first bowkill, my biggest bowkill, and one of my buddies largest deer.
They're small and don't produce the sound of two booners going at it... but they work and I'll probably never take a different set. I can't even make myself cut off the brow tines... It's the sentiment.
Sentimental things in the woods...
