I personally have never tried it myself and been thinking of starting this year. I see it on tv sometimes but always seems to be like Texas or some Midwest state that is loaded with big bucks. Now I am lucky enough to have a good spot with some great bucks, but nothing like a taxes ranch. I was wondering if anyone in or near Pennsylvania rattles at all and have any success with it? And, how often do you tend to do it? What week do you normally start/stop?
I'm no where near PA, but I attempted to rattle in bucks. I have never been successful. I heard somewhere that it has a lot to do with the buck to doe ratio. If you have fewer does then the bucks tend to be more aggressive and will respond rattling, where as if you have tons of does the bucks have no need to be aggressive. I don't know if its true or not. Take it for what its worth.
I know people and have heard of people that have success rattling. I have tried it but i haven't had and success. Outback is also right about the B&D ratio mattering.
I'm in CT and I have tried rattling but it has never worked for me. My buddy on the other hand has rattled in several bucks in CT less than 25 miles from where I hunt. I think it is strictly specific to where you hunt. If you have a lot of big bucks that hang around on your land even later into the season, its worth a shot. In the early season I had a lot of big bucks on one of my properties, but by October they had vanished. The rattling wasn't effective for me. When I was a kid I used to rattle like an idiot because thats what I saw on TV. Now I know why I never had success until more recently.
I started hunting whitetails 5 years ago. My hunting had all been done on mule deer, elk, moose and antelope prior to that. I watched videos, read articles and talked to everyone I could about hunting whitetails. I had never even seen a tree stand in real life so that gives you an idea of what a novice I was to this type of hunting. I try to do my homework as much as possible as it seems to give me better "luck". That said, I started rattling but had no idea really how or when to do it. So I copied what guys did on videos...and it worked. I've rattled bucks into range each of the last 5 years. Where I hunt there are not a lot of huge deer but I called in a fair number of shooter deer. The earliest I've rattled in a deer was on Oct 28. I use a few grunts prior to the rattling and sometimes the estrus doe call if the rut is hot. I have called in more than one deer at a time. Not big deer but bucks nonetheless. I do a light sequence for about 20 seconds in case there is a deer close by. I wait a few minutes and do it again a little louder and maybe a third sequence a minute or so after the second. I try to duplicate what I've seen when deer actually fight. I've shot three deer that I rattled in. I don't rattle more than once an hour but don't rattle every hour either. Last year I called in the three biggest deer with just a grunt call. I guess the bucks thought I was a buck chasing a doe and came to have a look. Hope this helps.
I live in Bradford County PA too and I have rattled in a few bucks over the years. I have no where near the success here as I do when I go out to Kansas and hunt. Like the others have said, I believe it has to do with the buck to doe ratio. In Kansas, I have rattled in as many as 5 or 6 bucks in a day. I usually have my best luck during the last 2 weeks of October. I tend to be less aggressive rattling here than in Kansas as I think it might spook some deer here being too aggressive. I have alot better luck with a grunt tube in PA than I do with rattling, by far. Give it a try, but don't expect bucks to come running on every rattling sequence, but it does work in PA. Good Luck.
I have had good success rattling over the years. One must know the appropriate stage of the rut your in and for best results try it on mature buck during the seeking phase for best results. Rattling is best done in the morning before 1100 but works all day. As many have said, don't expect buck to come running with every set.
i do it i have never had one run in on me but supposedly they will not always come right away and come later to investigate. i dont think it can hurt if its done at the right time.
I have never rattled one on in Maine, but i have in Kansas and Illinois regularly when i have been out there.
ive tried in new york in 4 different areas around the state, no luck, my brother and dad also have tried... no luck, i feel as agressive tactics like repeated grunting/rattling and such things dont work in new york/ northeast the deer here are more wary and much less agressive than midwest whitetails just my opinion but i dont believe these methods will work, maybe once on a blue moon will you rattle in a deer in the northeast.
Awesome thanks for all the info guys! Yeah I might try some soft little bits but not going to put much into it. Kinda scared haha
Rattling didn't work well either until a buddy on the same farm I hunt suggested I rattle at bucks that I see. That works great. If he does not respond with a grunt or bleat then I rattle. Since then its works several times a yr. I hunt in Southern MI, not an area know for great buck done ratios. Also try roll8.ng a bag together lightly, if that does not work crank it up. Do not forget to grunt , kick some leaves and make noise when you get cracking. It doesn't work all the time but enough that I love to rattle.
Ive never rattled with sucess. With PA being a state w/ high hunting pressure I think I would might just sit tight and quiet and use other tactics rather than rattling.
Both sides of my family are hunters and with a total of 3 hunting camps as far as I know not a single person has rattled a buck in here just north of the Adirondacks. I would have to agree with the northeast deer being much more wary and less aggressive. Especially when you get into the big woods of the Adirondacks.
come upstate in the northern adirondacks and rattling works great, they dont hear it often in my areas because no one in there right mind would go where i go ive patterned them perfectly and ive had a few come in walk away then id hit the rattle bag softly just so they kinda hear it gets them curious and bam youve got meat.
