Majestic monarchs of the north
During October we are generally out in the forest scouting for good hunting opportunities, checking trails for deer scrapes and rubbed trees, making note of the area so we can monitor the activity of the deer and perhaps utilize this location when we guide a hunter on his quest for a Saskatchewan trophy. One of the most interesting times you can have on a deer hunt is to call a deer to you by rattling a set of deer horns simulating two deer fighting. This is done by first clanging the horns together with a little time between, then a little tine noise, which you do by working the horns together, then more rapid tine activity as if the deer were locking horns as they fought for supremacy in the forest. You can also add in a little leaf noise by raking the ground or rake over some willows as if the deer was angry. To be an effective guide it is also very important to learn as much as possible about the activity on a deer’s scrape line. You must try to determine if there are more than one deer using the scrape line and at what intervals are the scrape’s being visited and refreshed. If you decide to set up to rattle on a scrape line, try to set up with a 360 degree view. Elevating your client is good if he is as tuned in to the forest as you should be, otherwise sticking together is best and non verbal communication can take place. It is important to know that depending on the time of the rut, a deer coming to check on two deer fighting on his scrape line is not necessarily going directly to the scrape, he may just come nearby to observe the activity, hence your vantage point is very important. You may also find ratting will bring in a doe if she is in cycle and looking for a buck. It is always exciting when you get deer movement from rattling, there are times you get a young buck just running in checking out the action, but more times than not a mature buck will take a vantage point from a distance, then slowly make his way closer to the activity usually one step at a time. If you are good you will catch it, if not he will appear like a ghost. Many years ago an older gentleman from Texas taught me the art of rattling deer and for a good while I honed my skills guiding our customers to interesting and exciting experiences in the Saskatchewan forest. One of the most memorable years of rattling was with our longest running customer Nick, who this year will have hunted with us for 22 consecutive years. We were just new to each other and I took him out rattling that week. It was a good hunting week, rut was coming on, a good covering of snow on the ground and deer were moving picture perfect. Well, we rattled in four deer that week. Early in the week the deer were cautious and we were getting visuals without opportunities. Then one day it was snowing and I could hear a deer coming behind us. I leaned over and whispered in Nick’s ear that there was a deer behind us, he never moved so I pointed. As we attempted to turn around, the deer was about 35 feet from us – a nice buck – with our movement the buck took his leave, making those 20 foot strides with his white flag bushed out on full alert, displaying the grace and beauty of a white tail in full motion. As it turned out I whispered into Nick’s bad ear and he had not heard the deer with his good ear, we enjoyed the moment before heading off on a new quest. |
