Share some tips/ what you rattle with/ how effective it is? I've never rattled much but looking to try it out since the rut is going strong here.. Any advice?
i'm no pro but here are my tips, try to sound like 2 deer sparring or all out fighting i rattle with a rattle bag or synthetic horns it's effective if you have the right ingredients, good buck to doe ratio, right time of the season( rattle to early in the season and you might as well be out there singing a song ), and i personally have had the most success in the morning( not that you can't do it at night, just i've had way more sucess in the morning) , beyond the noise of the horns, i like to scrape the tree i'm in and make rustling sounds with leaves whatever, it's 2 deer fighting they make alot of noise, sparring i just tickle the horns for 20-40 seconds, for fights i make alot of noise from 30sec to 2 1/2 min, i also like to use grunts before, between, and after and some blowing( not the dreaded sound you hear when you spook or kick them up, a buck blow of dominance), sometimes i add some estrus bleats before or after to simulate the fight that occurred was over a hot doe
I've had my best success this year rattling. I hit the grunt tube a few times before then after. I just tickle the horns together, about every 20 to 30 minutes. I have also stopped using a rattle bag and went back to horns. As far as the bag goes, the best luck I've had, are the ones with the wooden dowels inside, not plastic.
My best advice would be to use real antlers if rattling works where you hunt. I say this because one evening in early Oct I was hunting and I heard some "wanna be" rattling not far from me. I knew it was another hunter doing it, and it didn't sound real at all. This guy was using those plastic ones. If a human knows when it's not real, then a whitetail certainly must! Also, you'll get best results when there's a close buck to doe ratio.
