when do you all start using rattling/tickling in the season? I've been hunting corn for a while and am considering going deep in the woods this weekend and tickle the horns a bit to see what is in there. It's muzzleloader season this weekend in KY (i will still hunt bow) and i'm thinking about getting away from the food source since they are going to be on the move quite a bit. Its been a full moon everynight this week so i plan to get in early and try to sit till 1:00 PM. Do you all recommend any time to start hitting the horns? Also, how do you hunt when the bucks go nocturnal? More mid-day hunting or just stick to the mornings?
Another week or so and It's getting to be that time. Usually around the 3rd week of October I have my best luck rattling.
There's a really good article in this month's North American Hunter on rattling. I can't seem to pull it up online to get a link for it. If you find it somewhere or have a subscription for it, it's worth the read.
You can tickle your antlers really anytime, but thats the difference in tickling and beating the snot out of your antlers or rattle box or bag whatever you use. It's gonna depend on what level the bucks aggressive behavior lies? But tickling won't hurt just do it periodically and like steve said by next weekend you can probably start hitting them alittle harder and see how the deer react when they come in. Now by the end of the month and into november I would get fairly aggressive with rattling and alot more sequenses intertwined with grunts and doe bleats! good luck....
I get Bucks fighting all the time on camera. From the time the velvet comes of they go at it.IMO you can rattle almost anytime and have success.I like to rattle in the morning right as it gets light out that's when I have called in the majority of the deer.
Once their antlers harden they will start to spar with one another. I watched two young bucks sparring this morning (10-13). There won't be any real power struggles over hot does for another 3-4 weeks though. Rattle accordingly. Nothing super aggresive now but sparring always attracts a crowd of onlookers.
