hi there welcome to the forums i don't know much about rattling and never actually done any rattling in the field though I might pull some antlers out this year. I think almost anytime. of course do more aggressive rattling in the rut
My favorite time to rattle is the first week in November in the morning when I think they made it to their beds.
About the third week in October I'll start tickling the antlers a little bit(sparring) and then come the first week of November I'll start hitting them pretty hard. As long it's looking like the rut is beginning to get underway. Just be careful not to overuse them. Over rattling/calling can be more harmful than not calling at all... Just my opinion.
Just read a pretty decent article in this months Pertersen bowhunting mag, it pretty much said what Drawback said. Still pretty good read if you can get a hold of it.
I start tickling the antlers lightly mid to late October and then really rattle hard at the end of October/early November. I like to rattle in the morning.
depends on what you're looking for. If you're looking for dominant bucks, go pre rut and very early rut when they're getting territorial but before they go on doe lock down. Little bucks sometimes tend to get curious and may respond no matter the timing.
I start rattling as soon as the bucks start sparring , which is right now . I call in more bucks at the end of Sept. through the middle of Oct. than any other part of season , with a rattle bag . Although I have heard/seen some sparring sessions get pretty heated , I tend to keep my rattling on the light side early in the season . If you wait till dominance has been established (end of Oct.) to start rattling you can and will scare off some pretty good bucks . I tend to only rattle to bucks that I can see come the end of Oct. through the rest of the season . From the end of Oct. on I have a lot better luck with a buck roar anyway though .
Bucks are sparring in WI right now. I wait to see or hear what others are seeing deer do and emulate it. I'd have no problem soft grunting or lightly "Todd Graf tickle tickle" the horns now. But come Nov I'm rattling as loud as I can sometimes. Just be ready after you do a rattle sequence, get your bow in your hand. They come fast!
