I have done it a few times and did rattle in a spike once but i have this fear that i will spook everything in the woods. Talk me to about how to rattle. when is it best? how often?
LOL - being afraid of rattling is no way to go through life, my man! There are no secrets to it. Bang those horns together as loud as you can, every time you hunt. Most of the time, it won't work, but sometimes it will. And when it does, it's pretty awesome.
I've never been a big fan of rattling, but I have and do do it. Just my experience is that I see the young and randy bucks respond more than big bucks. Few years ago I rattled and had 2, 2 year old bucks come in, even shot one of them, so it does work, but I have never had big bucks respond. I also don't over do it, you don't have to HULK SMASH those antlers together
I won't until I've heard it in the area first. Then it's light ticking with just rubbing tines against each other, ending in a quick good cracking of them. I then wait 20-30 mins and repeat just a few times
I rattled both of these guys in and killed them. One of them I blind rattled and the other I called him in from about 200 yards away. I would say I rattle in a dozen or so bucks each season - most of them little guys. Just like grunting, snort wheezing, doe bleating, or any other deer call - sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't. But if you don't try, it will never work. IMO, rattling doesn't tend to scare deer away so there isn't much harm to it. During November I'll rattle every 30 minutes or so. Bang away!
I've tried and tried rattling over the years. It has never once worked, never had any deer come to it. I have had a coyote show up on two different occasions. I still take a set of antlers with me once the pre-rut hits, perhaps it will work one of these days. But I think the buck to doe balance just isn't right for it to work well in the area I hunt. Or it may be because I've always rattled solo and they circle downwind and smell me before I ever see them. Where I hunt is a very timbered area and visibility is not far, no more than 75 yards or so in most cases, if that. I've done much better using a doe bleat, that has produced a buck here and there over the years during pre-rut and chase phase. Our season is closed by the time the post rut hits.
Here is a surprise call that I use during deer season also a decoy I will some times use. A turkey call. I figured that out during fall turkey season. Deer and turkey like feeding together here. Both have the hearing but turkey have the sight , also the flock sentries. I firmly believe deer know this. Makes them comfortable coming in and especially earlier,
I've rattled out in the midwest (Illinois) the few years I went out there and it worked like it does on tv hunting shows, I could not believe it! Back home in reality, (CT/RI) I've never had deer respond to it, and I have seen bucks run away if I grunt at them or snort wheeze. The antlers stay home now, and I bring the grunt tube just in case.
yeh I only grunt if it's my last ditch effort.. I just know down here in the south they are so skittish. A lot of that in my part of VA is because of the constant deer hounds 12 months a year.
Early season like now I call it “tickling”. I just make enough noise to try to stimulate a nearby buck’s curiosity. Think about this, tons of deer on camera sparring right now, I’m sure they’re louder than you. Pretty soon though I’ll increase the energy and volume. I love rattling the week of Halloween here in VA.
yeh I mean I know they all out fight here in VA, they are on camera sparing and they all end up with broken tines, but all the 30+ years in the stand I have only heard a fight twice. and it was obnoxious for sure
Only reason I have my hands on this buck is because I rattled him in. Speaking of aggressive tactics. I killed this buck using a buck decoy. Most of the deer scared by rattling or a decoy aren’t that interesting anyway. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I have killed a couple rattling. I have found there is a really good point in the season that it works better in. For me, I have way more success rattling in all kinds of bucks in the last two weeks in October. I haven't had a lot of luck during the first two weeks in November/peak rut. In my area, they seem way more interested in chasing does than fighting for one.
Gotta rattle, I killed a handful of bucks doing it. All we’re blind calling and it’s a blast when it works out and helps pass the time in the tree.
I cant even count the number of bucks ive had come into rattling. Some were pissed and ready to scrap and some were just curious. There are a few things i try to do. First i scan my surrounding very well to make sure there isn’t a deer i didnt know was there. Second, when i am rattling im usually in a location that has a little more cover. If you are in a wide open tree where they can pinpoint you easily it may be counterproductive. I still try to hold the antlers out of view if i can. A deer can pinpoint sound amazingly accurately. Ive had them come from hundreds of yards away right to the base of my tree. Third thing is, i usually try to envision the fight in my head. Its not just a bunch of banging like you are playing the drums to a Slayer song. They usually hit hard go crazy and then lock up then go crazy again. There is usually some kind of tempo or cadence to it. Start with lower volume and then pick it up. Sounds silly but youtube buck fights and watch some of them and practice what they are doing. Hold the bases tight to absorb the shock to simulate the antler bases attached to the skull plate. I wear gloves if i have them to help absorb shock and also to protect my hands. I have had tears in my eyes from brow tines i refused to cut off (dont do this just cut them off) gouging my thumbs on a 10 degree day. OUCH! I tend to hold the antlers curved the same way instead of curving towards each other. This is safer for the hands. I believe i owe credit to Todd Graf for that after i saw him doing it like that on a bhod episode. If i decide im rattling because i know there is an aggressive buck in the area i will give at least 30-45 min between sequences. Any more you will be educating them. Think of it this way. Its going to work same as if you walk into a bar looking for a fight. If an aggressive buck is fired up and ticked off he will come barreling in. If a buck like that is not around or has had his butt kicked recently it may not work. Ive had does come into rattling before too. Guess they just wanted to see 2 dummies fight. Ive also rattled and had deer run to the next county. Point is you dont know until you try. When it works out its fun as hell. I cant imagine going to the woods for a whole season without rattling. If im not blind rattling i usually am only rattling at a buck i want to kill but i can tell im not going to get a chance. Hes either going the wrong way or too far or both. I definitely wouldnt grab the antlers if they were coming at me. I rattled at one buck that was over 400 yds away and he was 30yds from me in no time at all. Another thing to keep in mind is to decoy any animal you want to appeal to as many of their senses as you can. Especially true with coyotes. So if they hear you rattling you’ve captured their sense of hearing. If you can give them a visual like a decoy, even better. Now they can confirm what they heard. Buck urine and maybe doe in heat scent in the area (depending on time of season) can help as well to give them a whiff of a rutty buck and a reason to fight for (doe in estrous). If rattling from the ground you can add many more sounds to make it realistic. Stomp your feet and kick some leaves around. Smack the antlers into a tree. Add as much realism as you can. Sometimes i even hold the grunt tube in my mouth and throw some aggressive grunting in. Another thing is just like guys sparring in a mma gym, bucks spar all the time (after velvet sheds) Very lightly early season and real late season. Can you tell i like to rattle? This was last years buck. He was a big bully and ran the show. My neighbor said he saw this buck walk into his food plot on couple occasions and run even bigger bucks right out of the field. I blind rattled him in last November 12th. He was ready to roll. I remember being nervous about it just like you are. Bottom line is it isnt going to work every time. Its not something i do every hunt. But i bet I probably throw rattling into 50% of my hunts. The first time you try it and it works you will be hooked. Edit: another very important thing i will add is that when a buck isnt blinded by rage and just comes barreling in, when he is more cautious, he will want to circle downwind to confirm what he hears. Be ready for this and try to setup to capitalize on this. Use the terrain to your advantage if you can. Ive gotten check mated by a few bucks when rattling who circled downwind on me and busted me. Hope this all helps!!! Good luck!
for the most part it seems the success is being had in the midwest not the south,. I know our doe to buck ratio is out of whack. In my part of the state we can kill 3 bucks a year and as many does as we want to buy tags for. But I have never met anyone here that rattles and kills bucks consistently.
That would be another variable, location. I cant give any input on that because i only hunt a small area in the midwest but you may be right about that.
I just picked up a Black Rack that I'm going to try out this fall. Namely, because it packs and carries a lot easier than my regular rattling antlers. Probably give it a go tomorrow night!
