So the story goes...
I was talked into, and given permission from the boss, to make a 1.5 day trip to Idaho in an attempt to fill my two unused NR DEER tags that failed to make their way onto a mule deer. I’ve hunted whitetails once in 2013 and rattled one into like 10’ behind me in 121.
I’ve paid attention to Mr 3Nails for the past few year just because obviously he gets it done!! So I borrowed my buddies horns as usual and 10pm Tuesday night found me trying to watch the 3Nails YouTube video without waking my wife up...no dice. Anyway i took in bits and pieces...I really just wanted a “how to rattle” refresher. So I got one...
Rattle, come in hard with the horns like they’re locked up, stomp, listen, repeat, be on your gun, always!!
So we got out there and set up camp and hunted a evening, it’s any whitetail so I figured I’d just creep around...no dice. Those things just disappear!! So I rattled twice that evening, bumped some deer and went back to camp empty handed. It was dark and 5pm and had just snowed so we drove around looking for fresh tracks. We drove for about 4 hours in the snow where people had been driving/hunting all day and....we failed to find ONE SINGLE PLACE where anyone got outta their rig!!
So we go to sleep, hear Bigfoot or aliens landing in the middle of the night, wake up to some guys revving their engine for hours before first light...then finally unloading their 4wheeler. We get up and realize that we didn’t have a plan. I said drop me off here and I’ll meet you at 1030. I see a deer at first light, it disappears, as usual. I walk up the (gated) road a little more, jump the same deer (doe) I think. I decide to head up a steep hillside, it opens up with giant trails. I think...I should rattle.
To be honest it happened so fast... I think I did a grunt, a tick, a tick, grunt, grunt, rattle (10ish seconds)...
.
.
.
Not sure if I heard something, I must have. But holy #*$& there he was, a buck deer 120yds away coming right at me, I was on my gun, safety off, just following him as he moved quickly towards me. I reckon I coulda stopped him but I didn’t, just BAM!! At like 30yds. I was all like holy cow man did that just happen and...THAT WAS AWESOME!!
Just then I see a doe, his woman I reckon, standing atop the hill wondering what in the heck was going on so BLAUCH, she got it too.
So now the question is... what do I do with this newfound rattling addiction??!!
THANK YOU SO MUCH 3NAILS!!
