I experienced my 1st rattling success at the end of October in NY last year. I was sitting in my stand in the late afternoon and thought I saw a piece of a deer about 120 yards out, pulled up my binos and just caught a glimpse of antler as he slipped through the only window I had out that far. The deer was walking parrallel with me and wasn' t coming any closer so I figured what the hell. I hit the bleat can .. followed it up with a few loud grunts.... and waited. No movement and I didn' t see or hear any deer so I picked up the horns and created 1 hellacious fight, with some grunts mixed in for dramatic appeal. I sat quiet for about a minute when the buck' s head popped back into the window about 120 yards out .. looking right in my direction. He was just staring and not moving for about 2 minutes .. so I hit the horns again and added the grunts and he started walking in my direction. He didn' t come in to fast, he was a nice 7 point .. nice buck but definitely not the area Super buck .. but he came in steady. At about 50 yards he hung up looking for the fight. I hit the bleat can 3 times and he started back up again ... when he crossed behind a thick pine I came to full draw and stopped him with a mouth bleat on the other side. Perfect broadside 27 yard shot ... my arrow actually stuck in a tree behind the deer. He dropped about 40 yards away. I waited about 15 minutes, calmed myself down .. packed up my stuff and went to find him. When I reached the tree with my arrow in it the woods went completely silent ... the kind of quiet that occurs just as the first snow flakes start to drift down. It was so quiet the flakes sounded loud as they hit the ground ... it didn' t take me long to find the deer .. but it' s like it happened 10 minutes ago .. seeing the buck laying beneath 2 small pines .. the hush of a few flakes falling down in the woods. All by myself....

I can' t wait till hunting season starts!