i just got back into bowhunting last year after a 22 year haitus. loved every second of my experiences both last year and this year so far. my question to you guys that have been at this for awhile...do you try rattling horns in the early season? i had a buck hang up at 50 yards last night in the woods. wind was right and i had does and fawns within 10 yards of the stand. the old doe knew that something wasn't right as she came in stiff-legged and stomping, but soon relaxed and was feeding on acorns. i am careful about scent and keep all of my hunting clothes in a tote to and from the field and use scent elimination products religiously. please let me know your experiences of rattling early. thanks, jason
I've never had a deer come in while rattling in October period; however, come November they'll most likely check things out. I've read articles about rattling early season, and if you choose only do light tackles, since the young bucks are the ones that are normally playing around this early. The bad thing about rattling this early is you will most likely scare of any mature bucks or does with fawns.
I would say that rattling at a buck that is at 50 yards will only get you busted. Early season, I would prefer soft grunts to bring a buck in. I did just that on Sept 15th this year and killed a 140 class deer.
