This weekend im gonna hunt hard. Real hard. Im gonna try and rattle myself in my first big buck. What do ya all do to rattle in big bucks? grunt with it? just rattle? whats the secret behind the horns?

Forever Hunter

I would like to know the answer to this question!!

About 2 weeks ago I rattled in a big doe. I was just tickling them together and out she runs. She didn't offer no shots though.

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I havent rattled in a buck this year because I have already harvested my limit of 2 bucks, but last year I was successful in rattling in the largest buck I have had a shot at so far. I have multiple sets of rattling antlers but I opted to use a rattle bag this morning. I was hunting the fringes of a river bottom bedding area, that is bordered by a ridge. I used a doe esterus bleat can call with a grunt tube set at medium followed by the rattle bag( I was attewmpting to simulate 2 medium size bucks fighting over a hot doe) and when I completed the rattle session I esterus bleated a couple of times followed by a couple of tending grunt calls. Within 10 minutes a large racked buck desended the ridge trail leading right into my shooting lane. He was straight necked ,stiff legged and brisstled up. And of course I missed him, My arrow hit a twig and deflected, I ended up harvesting a 24 point sappling <img src=icon_smile_sad.gif border=0 align=middle>Good luck in your rattle hunt.

I usually begin by tickling the tines real softly, wait for a couple minutes, and then proceed to bang 'em together a bit more forcefully. Finally, I'll whack 'em together real hard, followed by aggressive rubbing and banging. I usually intersperse grunts througout the whole series.

My theory behind this is sort of like the concept of working a bass pond for the first time; it's better to start off with soft, delicate presentations -- such as a plastic worm -- as opposed to spooking everything in sight by banging a crankbait in on top of 'em. Sometimes it might take the crankbait to get a response, but at least you didn't scare off all the ones who were a bit more sensitive in the process.

Discipline -- not desire -- determines destiny.

I grunted in a 4 point and a small 6 point last weekend in the morning. They were passers other than that the bucks are chasing the does and the does are rejecting them left and right. I would assume that the does will start excepting late this week or weekend.

I also have had luck so far with the can call from Primos but nothing but curiousity so far.