Dubbya

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.

ABarOfSoap

aluckybar of soap

jmbuckhunter

Nope, not the sentimental type.

I take what works.

mobow

Well, there was this one gal I dated.....but.......I don't think we were hunting in the woods.....

No, I actually don't. I just use what works. I do, however, have my superstitions, but that's a tale for another day.

MN/Kyle

That was my 8th birthday


About five years before my grandpa passed away, my father and my grandpa went on an Elk hunt in Colorado together. My grandpa shot a nice 5x5 elk. When they got back, my dad made him a ring out of the ivory (i'll post pics when I go home from school). After my grandpa passed, my grandma and dad decieded to give me the ring to always remember my grandpa. I wear it around my neck everytime in the woods.

WesternMdHardwoods

Haha I still will never understand this? I have always heard that soap is a big no no for deer, actually heard that if you put it around gardens, yard, etc... it will keep the deer away??

I guess it is unscented soap?? Either way whatever works for ya!!!!

virginiashadow

I USED to have a lucky hunting hat that I wore many times I need luck to kill a buck....but some hack-a** stole a whole bin of my hunting clothes out of the back of my truck, and took my lucky hat in the process. Kind of silly I know, but that hat was very important to me.

WesternMdHardwoods

Ohhhh and as far as sentimental....not really but I do hunt with a release that was given to me by my older brotherto start out with 10 years ago.... I CANT imagine hunting/shooting without it?????

A lot of technical people on here would probably CRINGE at the simplicity of my OLD release!!

Haha so I guess I do have something sentimental.... just never thought of it that way!!

englum_06

Not yet, but one day I will. My uncle (who is really really sick with all kinds of cancers) is the man who got both my dad and I into hunting. he taught my dad everything he knows and I've learned most everything I know from sitting and talking with him and my dad. I plan on taking one of his old bows and setting it up to hunt with. I think it would be so neat to kill a deer with his bow, as kind of like a tribute to him. Might sound cheesy or whatever, but that bow will be sentimental to me.

peakrut

A necklace from Cardeer

Spent 358 Winchester cartridge from Dad's gun.