I use a rattle bag myself (H.S. Strut) but I hear the same thing. That natural antlers have a lower pitch and thus sound more realistic. And yes, they say to soak them in water before you use them to keep them from sounding hollow. As far as rattling from the ground by yourself, that' s what I do and I' ve rattled in 3 bucks in 3 years. If your ground blind is good, they won' t see you. The problem is that they WILL circle downwind of you, so set up for it. Use a buck-in-rut scent and have a shooting lane set up downwind. Pre-rut is the best time to rattle them big boys in. Good luck.