Atlasman, this will only be my 22 hunting season, I know I have more to learn so far be it for me to try and sound like an expert. I have been rattling for 16 years and when i first started it did nothing, however i came up with my technique after witnessing a live battle in the bush some 6 years ago. The two bucks were nothing special in the 130-140 range and I heard them lock up and tustle a good distance away, as I approached (maybe within 50) I heard the grinding, grunting and rustling sounds. So I guess you can count me in the 1%, since I have witnessed deer fighting in the woods (my woods to be exact). I know for a fact in my area they go at, broken tines, bruising, found dead locked up deer, necks bigger than shoulders and the list goes on, all point to this fact. My response from deer has been everything from quiet stealth curosity to ears back, hair standing up & grunting all the way in. Last year I rattled in & harvested a mature(aged at 9 1/2 by the DNR) 160 class buck & I heard him coming, long before I saw him. He came in loud and proud, ready to kick some butt. On the same token I mentioned my buddy took a 4x4(140 class) while I was rattling last fall, he came in cautious and almost sheepish. I only thing we heard was a twing break and he appeared about 100 yards away a few second later. All deer were deep in transition areas under good cover.
I did say it doesn' t work everytime prior and stick by it. I would never say it is a technique that is good for all!! However for me it works very well and I have harvest or done the rattling on harvested bucks for a total of 10 bucks thus far. I don' t have an exact number of bucks rattled in over the years, but last fall I rattled 9 in total including 3 which were harvested (2-140' s & 160). I would say that is a pretty effective technique!
To the guys who do rattle! 100% of my rattling is now done from the ground, due my technique mentioned prior. If you do rattle in a treestand you should take in account the increased sound travel and drop your tone/intensity accordingly. Try to grind and tinkle vs. smash the horns, this should help to control the volume better. I am not sure how far you could rattle in a buck, thus why I said location is key. So to maximize your efforts try and get as close to their bedding areas as possible without spooking the game. Also try and rattle in loaction that the deer will feel safe and comfortable in there approach. I do not rattle food sources (ie open fields), but like to rattle alternate food sources such as meadows that are locked in bush. You' ll often find the deer bedding in close proximity to these spots and thus they can be effective spots to horn tinkle.
Good luck to all no matter what your hunting techniques are
