Rack-attack

I will add my pennies

I have rattled up bucks on public land, it is not my main tool but I use it when conditions are right. Stand placement and time of year are very important factors when it comes to rattling. If either one is wrong you can rattle until your fingers bleed and it aint gonna happen. if you are in a stand that, on its own won' t produce a good buck then rattling probably won' t help.

I have also hunted for many years, and spend alot of time in the woods. I have never witnessed a buck fight. But then again I have never witnessed a buck mounting a doe - but I figure that happens once and a while

Like most everything else in a bucks life, the majority of fights probably occure at night.

I am amazed at how many bucks from from my area have busted horns, holes all over the cape from neck to shoulders and that have ripped ears.

If you don' t think they fight in your area, take a trip to the local Taxidermist and ask about the broken horns he gets - you may be surprised

whitetails & muskies

Atlasman...I see you are from Big Buck Country USA??? You obviously have a strong opinion, and we are all entitled to one, and we all have one, right! Anyway, I do not rattle because the area I hunt has a quite low overall density of deer, but enought old brutes to keep me going there. It' s pretty bold for you to talk smack about other peoples tactics....that obviously work. Like with everything when chasing deer, elk, moose or whatever....certain tactics have a time and a place. And I too have seen many busted up racks and capes cut all to heck. I doubt if it' s from running into trees or anything like that.

BTW...16 years isn' t all that long you know. Listen up and keep an open mind.

benhuntin

You forgot to add the words : FOR ME

skeeter 7MM

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

atlasman

I am from Western NY........I was just messing around when I registered and been too lazy to change my profile


I don' t think I talked smack about anyone here........bang a drum stick on a garbage can if you want to for all I care. Just gave my opinion about rattling and why logically it is more a foreign sound then a natural one in doe infested woods.


16 years is long enough to form an educated opinion on what I have seen and experienced. Add the 38 years of my dad and the 18 and 23 years of my brothers and I would say my hunting party has enough woods time under our belt to know what happens in the real world. Not to mention I have 10-20 deer in my yard every night and watch how they interact closely during different times of the year. Currently the bucks in my yard are a 10, 2 8' s, 2 4' s and a spike and button........the rest are does and fawns. I am not exactly a newbie to deer

atlasman

You are right.........it doesn' t work for me because I don' t do it.

I am not knocking people who do.......I am just saying that guys tend to get wound up into thinking real life is like a Primos Truth video and they fail to realize that the woods they hunt are a bit different from Will and the boys.

Like I said already.........be a good woodsman....scout...scout......know deer patterns and use realistic deer sounds to peak curiosity and you will have all the action you can handle. When you start treating hunting like fishing and just going out and making every noise in the book hoping to get a bite.........you' re in for a long day of listening to yourself make noise.

I have seen guys bring deer in with turkey calls...........does this mean we should all be yelping from our stands??

atlasman

If it sounds like I am trying to sound like an expert I apologize........not what I intended. I don' t think for one second that I know everything about the woods. I have plenty to learn I am sure. I am however not clueless either.........and I believe the reasons I have given why I feel rattling is a foreign sound 99% of the time are good reasons based on facts and experience. Combine all that with the fact that rattling is also a difficult sound to master that the majority of hunters are not skilled at and you have more chance of keeping deer away then attracting them........IMO.

Skeeter it sounds like your rattling results speak for themselves.......I would say without a doubt you are in a extreme minority with results like that........good job never the less. Do you think your deer would have responded the same to grunts and/or the can as they did to your antler clicks??? Also, how much do you feel the rattling played in seeing those bucks......vs scouting, stand placement etc??

atlasman

Skeeter I just noticed you are from Saskatchewan.

How would you rate your hunting land?? They have some sweet woods up there.........sounds like your in a good spot.

atlasman

Skeeter........do you find that your deer respond better if you follow your rattles with a loud " Eh"

Grnmtn

We have always had pretty fair luck rattleing in NE PA, VT and NH. Trick is one knowing the land in which you hunt... mainly we work transition zones and travel route during the seeking faze of the pre rut. We have had as many as five respond in one morning last one falling to my wifes arrow. This buck came straight in hooking every other tree on the way, others came sneaking in for a peek. Also dosen' t hurt to have a hot doe in the area as an extra attractant. We don' t bash the horns hard except for maybe an occasional pop, mix in alot of grunting and heavy breathing with foot stomping and some bush snaping and swishing. Pre rut activity has been good with just tickling and rubbing on trees, expecially if you are in an area where the buck are still banded up. It works, has it' s time and place... but I have also watched as a buck cleans out of the area when he just wants nothing to do with it.