RE: What should I use for rattling
Yeah, what deerslayer said... but if ya ain' t got em, you can get the storebought plastic ones. Science has come along way in imitating the real things! Even hardwood dowels are decent imitators.
Half the trick to rattling in a buck is rubbing yer antlers on trees. I have just used my boot to rub a tree with and scratched the bark. Deer are curious animals (I guess he thought it was another buck, rubbing) and have shown up in a few minutes. Yeah it' s possible they were headed my way anyway.