RE: rattle bag -vs- plastic antler set... which is better iyo?
I've never used synthetic antlers but I did have luck with a Knight and Hale rattle bag. The buck in my Avatar was rattled in with a rattle bag in Illinois in late October last year.
I think real antlers definitely sound more "realistic" than the rattle bags, but I like the fact that my rattle bag can fit in a hip pouch or my pocket.