I have had alot of success in the past and will share with you what I do. I've rattled in many small bucks already this year so far. The 12 pt. on my wall from last year was rattled in as well.

#1 Try to find rattling antlers instead of a bag. The bags just don't sound authentic enough for me. You could easily get small bucks to come in out of curiosity, but the big boys might be more gunshy.

#2 I like to rattle deep in the woods, not on a field edge. They seem alot more comfortable coming in quickly.

#3 And quickly they might come in. Very quickly. So the rattling sequence is important.

#4 For the first 10 seconds, rattle lightly in case something is close by. You don't want to scare it off. Stop and listen for about 10 more seconds. Rattle harder for about 30-45 sec. and stop. Listen briefly for the beautiful sound of a breaking twig. Repeat this one more time. I do this about every 20-30 minutes.

#5 I've had success during pre-rut as well as the rut. Good luck!