Does anyone have any " rattleing" success stories?
 

Does it really work?

RE: Does anyone have any " rattleing" success stories?
 

from what i have read and seen the success of rattleing varies from different areas. Like i have heard that it works a lot better in the West than in the East. But i am not sure how true that is. I know that i have tried it with no success, but that doesn' t really mean much;)

RE: Does anyone have any " rattleing" success stories?
 

I rattle out bucks each year, in fact my success has increased in the past few years. The key to rattling is location of course, I like to set up in deep transition areas close to the bedding area of bucks. I favor spots that force the deer to come out rather than get around me, ie: meadows or ridgelines... under good cover. While I do get some interest in early pre rut, I tend to rely on rattling in the later stages of pre to early post rut. I like to add grunts, tree raking, ground stomping & even some scents to my rattling sessions. My routine is usually: rattle using the above technique, wait 15 minutes grunt, then wait 15 minutes and rattle again. I start off soft and then bring up my intensity, tone and duration as time goes on. I usually start with 20-30 sec session, then move to 45 sec session, following this point I will start to tone vary and change things up a bit but still remain at that 45 sec range for each session. If you rattle in deep transition and do not have the luxury of funnelling deer out before they get around you, make sure to have a shooting lane and keep an eye on the back door. This is where estrous or rutting buck scent can provide you with some additional time. I always set up with my nose to the wind and the bedding areas upwind of my location. If using scent I place tampons soaked in scent in a half moon around my location (upwind) and vary the height I hang them from the ground (18" to 36" ). I use tampons because they swell to pick up lots of wind drift and they come complete with a hanger system:). BTW, I have rattled more bucks in between 10 - 3. I only rattle mid day during late pre rut(chase phase) and Rut. The other times I may try and rattle at peak movements, but quite honeslty my best success has always been in that chase phase or full rut at mid day. Also I will only rattle for 3 hours in one spot and never rattle in the exact spot in the successive days. I think of it as a one shot deal when they are running does. I do however often rattle the same spots year after year and in some cases they have produced harvest each year. This year I rattled out 3 bucks in the spot I took my 6x5 the previous year, a buddy ended up taking a nice 4x4, the biggest of the 3. We shot both these bucks from the same tree darn near. I also rattled out my buck this year in a spot where I have always had bucks respond in the past, this was the first year I actually pulled pin on anything. So once you find a rattling hot spot as like any other honey hole, odds are you' ll be successful again, if you play your cards right.

I will caution you by saying rattling is like anything else it doesn' t work everytime and not always in the same manner. Liken it to fishing, you sometimes have to search the tacklebox to find the right lure and other times nothing seems to work. But you keep trying and just maybe next time you' ll get a bite!;)

RE: Does anyone have any " rattleing" success stories?
 

I rattled in my first buck last year..........a fork horn. I had a decoy out and stated rattleing just before shooting time. He came out right at first light and I had a nice shot but let him go. It felt good knowing that it actually worked.

I' m going to try it this year in a tree line between two corn fields, hopefully it will work, I' ll let you know.

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RE: Does anyone have any " rattleing" success stories?
 

I experienced my 1st rattling success at the end of October in NY last year. I was sitting in my stand in the late afternoon and thought I saw a piece of a deer about 120 yards out, pulled up my binos and just caught a glimpse of antler as he slipped through the only window I had out that far. The deer was walking parrallel with me and wasn' t coming any closer so I figured what the hell. I hit the bleat can .. followed it up with a few loud grunts.... and waited. No movement and I didn' t see or hear any deer so I picked up the horns and created 1 hellacious fight, with some grunts mixed in for dramatic appeal. I sat quiet for about a minute when the buck' s head popped back into the window about 120 yards out .. looking right in my direction. He was just staring and not moving for about 2 minutes .. so I hit the horns again and added the grunts and he started walking in my direction. He didn' t come in to fast, he was a nice 7 point .. nice buck but definitely not the area Super buck .. but he came in steady. At about 50 yards he hung up looking for the fight. I hit the bleat can 3 times and he started back up again ... when he crossed behind a thick pine I came to full draw and stopped him with a mouth bleat on the other side. Perfect broadside 27 yard shot ... my arrow actually stuck in a tree behind the deer. He dropped about 40 yards away. I waited about 15 minutes, calmed myself down .. packed up my stuff and went to find him. When I reached the tree with my arrow in it the woods went completely silent ... the kind of quiet that occurs just as the first snow flakes start to drift down. It was so quiet the flakes sounded loud as they hit the ground ... it didn' t take me long to find the deer .. but it' s like it happened 10 minutes ago .. seeing the buck laying beneath 2 small pines .. the hush of a few flakes falling down in the woods. All by myself....

I can' t wait till hunting season starts!

RE: Does anyone have any " rattleing" success stories?
 

I really don' t think it works to well, unless there is a buck passing within earshot of you.

Last year I rattled/grunted in my first buck. It was a 6 or 7 pointer. Also grunted in a spike, which I took on opening day of gun season here in NY.

RE: Does anyone have any " rattleing" success stories?
 

Last year was the first year I rattled, and it worked pretty well. Unfortunately I had the wind change directions on me from the time I got into the tree and daylight. I started to rattle at first light. I did' nt even have time to pick up my bow when all of the sudden a nice 8 walked in. Hit the wind, and he was gone. Too far out for a shot (55 yards). I saw 7 bucks that morning. NO SHOTS though. I was pretty bummed out about not getting a shot off, but it was an exciting morning.

RE: Does anyone have any " rattleing" success stories?
 

Good stories! do u ust horns or a rattleing bag?

RE: Does anyone have any " rattleing" success stories?
 

I have rattled in and shot bucks in the past. I think one of the biggest mistakes that people make when rattling is to rattle too hard, too aggressively. If you are whacking your hands and winceing in pain, you are hitting the antlers together too hard.

When a buck does come in, it is a real sight. They come in with ears slciked backl and hair standing on end looking for the intruders. It is real exciting. Good luck.

RE: Does anyone have any " rattleing" success stories?
 

The 1st time I ever tried rattling was in NH .. and I actually rattled in a nice high racked buck .. but he didn' t stick around long as a large bull moose came in (end of September) and kicked the crap out of 2 different pine trees .. that was about 4 years ago .. and was the last deer to come in to rattling that I have seen in NH, but not for lack of trying. I have rattled in 2 different Bull Moose since then, just no deer until this last fall in NY.

I agree w/ Catskill Hunter .. I don' t think it works very well .. but it will work sometimes in the right conditions. I' ll keep mine with me as a last ditch effort to try and turn a buck that would have walked by.

RE: Does anyone have any " rattleing" success stories?
 

I think it depends alot on the buck to doe ratio of an area. I have rattled in only one buck here in florida. This was on the back edge of the peak rut on a Primitive weapons only area. This area has few deer but the buck to doe ratio is pretty close during the rut. I saw the buck step out onto a 30 yard wide logged out strip about 200 yards from me. He proceeded straight across but stopped when I clashed my antlers together. He stood there looking for about 15 seconds. I lightly clanked them again and he started heading my way. I shot him with my muzzleloader when he was about 20 yards from me.
I have tried it again on other occassions with no success. Grunting has worked pretty well though.

RE: Does anyone have any " rattleing" success stories?
 

3step, I use real horns. I prefer either fresh cutoffs from a harvested deer or fresh sheds.

TM, makes a good point and I forgot to mention it previously about how hard you rattle. I tinkle, grind and twist when rattling rather than smash the crap out of them. I due tone/intensity vary but still don' t smash them together.

RE: Does anyone have any " rattleing" success stories?
 

Rattling doesn' t work...............at least not as well as a sound more common to the woods.

Understanding why rattling would draw a buck in will make you instantly realize that your woods most likely is not the place to rattle. For bucks to be fighting over does to breed with the ratio of buck to doe has to be very low. Most any woods today not vigorously managed will have a very high doe to buck ratio and therefore enough chicks for every buck in the woods to get some........no matter how sad their genetics or racks are.

Rattling in the woods where bucks don' t have to compete for breeding is nothing more then a foreign noise..........they never hear it and even if they did why would they care enough to go fight when they can just go the other way and bone the 5 does in the next pine row??

I have been in the woods for 16 years and NEVER seen 2 bucks locked up in battle over breeding rights.........I do have footage of 2 bucks locked up in my back yard less then 40 yards off my deck and the clicks and cracks of their antlers could barely even be heard. Rattling loud enough for a deer up to 100 yards to hear is so unrealistic it is laughable.

Having said all that...........deer are VERY curious animals and will come and inspect noises that they can' t see the cause of.......bleat cans and grunts are great for this as they offer a well known noise to the deer but no visual confirmation. They figure if a deer is making the noise how dangerous can it be over there?? They come to check things out and you take aim. Why use a sound that deer are not used to hearing??

Deer hear loud banging rattling every 15 minutes about as often as they hear Polka music and I' m not about to blast that from my stand either ;)

I am not saying people haven' t gotten reponses from deer with a rattle.......IMO the response is purely curiousity 99% of the time and you would have gotten the same response from any lure that day on that deer.

RE: Does anyone have any " rattleing" success stories?
 

Over the past 10 years, rattling has been so successful for me I no longer use the " tube" because I have had bucks spook on the tube. I do throw in a throat grunt or two if a buck has taken the bait and is curious but not yet over the edge.

However, I do not rattle by hand, and the horns are not in my stand. They are on the ground but can be lifted to the height I want to lift them.

As for distance that a buck can hear the ticking and rattling.

One morning I observed a buck on a high spot across a very wide and harvested cornfield. He was approx. 1500 yards away with a river between him and me. I lifted the horns, jerked the cord to slam the horns loudly 4 -5 times, danced the horns so they ticked loudly, and then dropped them in the brush a few times and bange the brush and a small sapling nearby. That buck covered the distance so fast, I almost was not able to get on the string fast enough. He pulled up just on the other side of the river at about 40 yards out and would not cross. He is a 12-point big boy and I am not going to take anything but a sure shot.

Later in the year, in the early AM, I saw him in the same field, about 200 -300 to yards out, heading for where he beds. I gave him the horns again. He spun around, and again came on a dead run. This time he hit the river and stood in the water looking around at about 25 yards out. However, he hit the river behind me. I fingered the cord and lightly ticked the horns. He came out of the water, came up the bank, was slowly moving my way, and was going to come to my left

As I slowly turned to position myself for the shot, a " pull-flap" on one of my rubber boots went underneath one of the cables on my stand and " twanged" the cable. The sound was not high-pitched nor was it loud, but it was a quiet morning and he and I were tense. He then demonstrated why he is big. I swear he walked on the water when he crossed back over the river and disappeared into the timber.

Therefore, I would have to disagree that a deer must be close, or that rattling is a waste of time. I have downed a few bucks over horn rattling that did not obey the rules. And I have rattled several in that I did not shoot at, or they missed my arrow.

On two occasions, I have also had does come in.

RE: Does anyone have any " rattleing" success stories?
 

Atlasman , I guess you haven' t had good luck rattling huh?:D

I would say rattling has proven it' s worth in the hunting woods! I' ve had bucks come from their bedding areas 75 yards away to check out the ruckus.

Atlasman your theory about the buck to doe ratio dictating wether a buck will fight for another doe doesn' t hold water from what I' ve seen. You forget one thing. If theres 20 does in the area and 5 bucks , the dominant buck will fight for all 20 instead of settling for 10!

RE: Does anyone have any " rattleing" success stories?
 

I am assuming you are kidding, right?

Even in my home area where buck/doe ratio is far from desirable, buck fights are common. Some get pretty serious.

Some of the midwest areas I bowhunt...buckfights are downright scary.

Rattling loud enough to hear from 100yds is laughable?

I am pretty sure you are joking. Yep, no doubt.


I forgot the original question...Yep 3 step, I have had some excellant results from rattling.

Like catching big bass on a topwater...does not work every time, but when it does, it sure is exciting!

RE: Does anyone have any " rattleing" success stories?
 

I really don' t see the point.........It isn' t a natural sound in the woods. You may as well sit in your stand and blow a kazoo all morning ;)

Like I said I have been in the woods for 16 years and NEVER saw a buck fight loud enough to be heard 100 yards away..........so why sit and rattle like it' s happening every 15 minutes?? Very unatural.

Do bucks scrap every now and then?? Sure. Like I said........I have video of bucks going at it right off my back deck in my yard and I could barely hear the clicks of their antlers........and they were a 10 and a high 8.

I know all of you guys want to think that real life is like all those hunting videos we watch but the sad truth is it is not. Rattle away if you like..........you are probably scaring off more then you are bringing in.........and those would have come in to a different call anyways. Deer are so curious that a few natural sounds is all they need to want a visual match and when they don' t get it they come in for a closer look. I really get a kick out the guys who think not only do they need to rattle but they have to do it with real antlers too or it won' t work :eek: You could rustle a bag of potato chips and get the same sound and results..........if you run into that overly curious buck.

This reminds me of guys that put out all kinds of scents soaked on rags and tampons and hanging from their boots LOL. How in the world does anyone know how much scent is natural to a deer' s nose?? People pour it on like crazy thinking it will travel farther and bring in more deer...........really all they are doing is creating such a strong scent that it is recognized as abnormal.......When it smells like a doe is sitting on their face yet one isn' t even in sight it' s pretty obvious something isn' t right.


If people were not so damn lazy and got their ass out in the woods for some serious scouting and proper stand placement they wouldn' t need to spend all their money on quick fixes and gimmicks from the Cabela' s catalog. Being a good woodsman gets you bigger and better deer...........not playing with toys and smelly rags you bought the night before at the store.

RE: Does anyone have any " rattleing" success stories?
 

Nope




Yes it is.

Ask every member here how many buck fights they have seen in the woods that were so vicious that they could be heard from 100 yards away............then compare that with how long each and every member here has spent in the woods and you will find that percentage to be under 1%. Yet guys go out and rattle like these fiere battles are taking place every 15 minutes all day long......it' s rediculous to think a deer would believe that is normal. Now imagine every guy up in his tree rattling like a maniac and you have cracking and rattling coming from every direction all day long.............yea, that usually happens in the woods ;)

In the proper setting rattling is a good tool.............99% of us will never see that setting unless we buy a video.

We do all like to pretend we are in that world though ;)

RE: Does anyone have any " rattleing" success stories?
 

I like C903' s idea of dangleing the horns. Deer may not fight often but when they do its dang sure not 20 ft. up in a tree.

I' ll just set the first few hours, then give rattleing a try before I get down.
[:-]
3 step

RE: Does anyone have any " rattleing" success stories?
 

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:)

RE: Does anyone have any " rattleing" success stories?
 

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.

RE: Does anyone have any " rattleing" success stories?
 

You forgot to add the words : FOR ME

RE: Does anyone have any " rattleing" success stories?
 

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:D

RE: Does anyone have any " rattleing" success stories?
 

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


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 ;)

RE: Does anyone have any " rattleing" success stories?
 

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??

RE: Does anyone have any " rattleing" success stories?
 

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??

RE: Does anyone have any " rattleing" success stories?
 

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.

RE: Does anyone have any " rattleing" success stories?
 

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


;):D;)

RE: Does anyone have any " rattleing" success stories?
 

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.

RE: Does anyone have any " rattleing" success stories?
 

Out of desparation I tried rattling last year. Sitting in my climber I heard rattling and scraping 100 yards down the ridge from me for hours. This was the real deal. Bucks were close but no calling was bringing them in.

When I came out of my stand I inadvertently kicked up a monster 16 pointer that must have bedded down before dawn not 40 yards away in a clump of deadfall.

Shaken, humbled, excited, sweating and breathing hard I just sat down for a while. It wasn' t long and I heard those bucks again. I picked up a good stick and began rubing it against a sapling (imitating a buck rubbing) I stomped and scraped the earth with my feet ( a buck scraping). Gave a few quick grunts and ducked into concealment. 15 minutes later another buck came looking. I never did get a shot but I' ll never forget matching wits against that 8 pointer for hours on that wooded hillside and oak flats after my encounter with an Ozark Mountain Monster.

GUESS WHERE I' ll be opening day?:)"

RE: Does anyone have any " rattleing" success stories?
 

Hopefully I will have time to type several of my thoughts on this subject for you.

I will tackle what I quoted from you first. What if I realize that I hunt two farms that practically surround their place in Illinois? And have hunted them for years.

I am honestly more than a little bit surprised at your findings concerning rattling for whitetails. Between you and your dad, and two brothers, you guys have some serious time in the woods. I don`t have an answer as to why you have not seen more fighting action than you have.

I do hunt in some really good areas in the midwest, and western states, but I also hunt quite a bit in PA, and W. Va too. I have seen with my own eyes many, many bucks sparing. And probably around a dozen serious, drawing blood, foaming at the mouth buck fights. By far the worst one I ever saw happened in PA. One dead deer, the other found dead the next day, maybe three hundred yards away. BIG bucks that could be heard from over 2 hundred yards away!

Granted, most fights I have seen were nothing more than a little pushing and shoving. That is why you don`t rattle the same in every situation, nor do you rattle as loud in the early season as you would in the immediate pre rut time, or during the rut.

If buck fights are very rare, how do all those tines get broken off? How do bucks get their faces tore up? Maybe they are just real clumsy!:D

Rattling does not work all the time, but it certainly works enough for me to continue the practice. I have shot several good bucks with a bow that have come in at a run to the horns.

If you don`t believe in rattling, that is good. Just leaves more for me![8D]

BTW, since we are talking about dumb things hunters believe work, how do ya feel about mock scrapes?

When I am rattling, I don`t have enough hands to do that, hold a bow, and video. When I am sitting over one of my mock scrapes, I got enough hands to video that!

RE: Does anyone have any " rattleing" success stories?
 

Congrats on being able to hunt such wonderful property. I am jealous. Like I said 99% of hunters don' t have the good fortune to be in your shoes.



I think I will start a new thread asking how many guys have seen bucks fighting. Might be interesting.

I have hunted in PA more then a few times in Elk county and will be going to W VA this year. I also hunted in Iowa for 4 years while in college........no fights....lots of deer. You have hunted in a few states and have access to premium land as I understand your post...........and you have only seen 1 battle that was really loud and fierce??.....Do you think this justifies guys all over the country rattling like maniacs every 15 minutes as if a deer battle royal is occurring each and every day of the season?? I don' t.



See above

I would say that many tines get busted while rubbing and scratching the velvet off their racks. I am sure a bunch get broken tangling with other bucks too but I doubt in fierce battles over breeding rights (in the woods I described earlier at least)

Don' t mistake what I am saying to mean I think bucks NEVER get into scuffles......a good friend of my dad' s shot a couple bucks for 2 years straight that had deep puncture wounds in their hind quarters. The next year his son took a big buck with a 5pt rack on one side and a 10" long spike on the other. Obviously he didn' t play nice. Like I said already......people use rattling like they are throwing a lure for a bass. Hunting ain' t fishing and most deer that hear rattle after rattle every 15 minutes for 6 hours are gonna regard that as a foreign noise because knock down drag out battles like that do not take place in doe infested zero breeding stress woods.


Do you think those deer would not have come in to a can or grunt........and could you have got them with more scouting and better stand placement with no horns to click??


Sorry man.......I still fill my tags......and my freezer. My antlers only rattle when the wall gets too full ;)

I like mock scrapes. As far as scent applied to them I think I saw an article that studied deer reaction to different scents applied to scrapes to see which was best........the winner was........New car scent [:o] LOL Once again backing up my theory that deer are just plain curious creatures. Seeing a scrape that wasn' t there before will raise an eyebrow on a bucks normal rub line.......but as far as putting different scents in them at different times of the year or day......LOL Take a wizz in it yourself if you want to.........the key is getting his attention with the scrape and knowing when he will likely come by........then be ready. Save your money on the scrape juice and buy your hunting buddy a cup of coffee instead.....if he doesn' t finish the cup, dump that in the scrape before you climb up :D

A good friend of mine carries a pee bottle full of his wizz day after day out to the truck so not to leave his scent behind.......HA HA HA. The buck I shot last year with my bow was standing on wet leaves I just wizzed on 10 minutes before.

RE: Does anyone have any " rattleing" success stories?
 

I must not have explained clearly. In my 30 thirty years of bowhunting, I have seen firsthand probably a dozen serious fights. Oh, here.....

I only went into some detail about one that happened to occur in PA. As far as hunting in elk county, I have walked accross alot of that county in my travels. There may be a lot of buck fighting going on there, but spikes don`t make a bunch of noise when they go at it.

On to the mock scrape deal....I have heard that same report about new car smell. Pure, unadulterated BS! Maybe in a pen, with young deer, not in the wild with mature bucks.

As far as human urine, Just last year, I videod not one, but two 130-135" bucks within 5 yards of my stand, sniffing where I uninated less than 10 minutes prior. No alarm from either one. I have the bucks on tape, you would have to take my word on the urinating part. I usually turn the camera off before that stuff!;)

I notice you bring up about guys beating horns together every 15 minutes for 6 hours.

Maybe you just need to go with someone who has some knowledge on what may work, and what may not. You might be surprised.


I have called in many bucks with a grunt call, and some with the can call. I do a fair amount of scouting, and I actually take pride in my ability(luck)to put stands in the right area year after year. I only bowhunt, a close range sport. Sometimes the darn critters just happen to stay 50-100yards out. I need `em a little closer than that. I have had bucks turn and look several times while I grunted at them, only to come right in when I tickled the horns. I have also had it work the other way around. They would not commit to the horns, but would respond to a grunt or bleat.

If you don`t much believe in rattling, you would get a kick out of my rattling forays for midwest bucks. Big horns, and as hard as I can bang them. Yep, it scares most bucks away. Guess what...those are not the ones I am interested in anyhow. First time you hear two 300 pound bucks tie up over a hot doe, you will realize that they sure can make some racket.

Gotta go for now, I`ll check back in a few!

RE: Does anyone have any " rattleing" success stories?
 

Atlasman, first off I didn' t mean to sound like I was anything special, so please don' t take it that way nor was it meant that way. I simply related some numbers to show that in my area I have experienced success when rattling a certain way and not just a fluke. I also would never try and tell someone that their way was the wrong way. As long as it is legal, safe and works, who am I to say " Nope your doing it all wrong!!!!" .

I use grunt calls with all my rattling sessions. I tone vary, run soft toned mature buck grunts, courting grunts, tending grunts and even aggressive grunt calling during peak rut and the right area. I don' t use a can at all and I will bleat on occasion by mouth but am not for blind calling(besides rattling). I am with BC on this one I could careless to see smaller, immature deer, if they head for the hills no skin off my back. My technique is no where near completed, I seem to adapt or change something every year. However the basis stay the same and it has worked well in attracting bucks. I am sure some would have or may have come by without the horns due to my location choices. I have experienced very little success when blind calling, I know rattling is the same thing, but I thing it gets those bad boys goat and they forget their heads for a period of time. The last thing I want is a buck to pin point me, circle me and then bust me. Yes, It happens when I rattle, I pay particular attention to my backdoor and try to set up in a way to funnel the deer away from my downwind side. I do know that the 2 bucks I shot in the past two years came looking for fight, both deer where mature animals, ears pinned back, hair on end, musky smelly, grunting and had a loud approach. The buck this fall snapped trees as he made his way to my spot, I was ready for him long before he even appeared.

You' ll notice in my posts I mentioned " Location is the key" . So obviously scouting, area are the main reason. I have never found rattling success by just smackin horns anywhere, I do my homework and as mentioned rattle near the bedding areas under deep cover. Ear shot is the best with any calling technique, if they can' t hear you than they won' t respond. Instead of smashing horns and my finger tips, I prefer to sneak into their domain while they are away, than around 10 am I will start rattling until about 3. I only rattle a certain area for a maximum of 3 hours and have found dog days of nov.(our rut here) ie cloudy, snow mixed days, seems to work better for rattling, all 3 bucks killed last fall were on similar style days and within a 5 day period, just prior to full blazed rut.

Obviously my area is good. I hunt 2 areas of the province in each I adapt my techniques accordingly. Up north where I have a cabin, I spend most of my time in Nov. hunting & I rattle lots. This area is forest fringe, so includes choice farmlands, but provides endless miles of bush and rolling terrain that big deer love. Down south and closer to my home I spend more time just sitting in good transition areas and keeping quiet. Southern area is more agricultural, so lots of good food, but not as much great cover. I hunt an area that is similar to my northern spots but on smaller scale. Rolling terrain with decent lots of bush, butted up to argicultural lands. Both areas have their fair share of good deer and any time I head to the field it may just all come together. I by far don' t rely on one technique and scouting is the key to either area to maximize my odds on a mature buck. Also both areas see a fair share of hunters, but I hunt areas that require you to work to get into them, no easy access is my clue to go and do some hunting/scouting. I hunt on mostly public land, but do have a number of spots that are permission only. To tell you the truth most of my good bucks have come from public land, I attribute that to hunting areas that most don' t go..it becomes the deers safe haven when the pressure is on and I am around to capitalize. As long as the ladies are pushed back, the bucks will follow.

EH only works when your drinking a Canadian (Beer) and I don' t drink while I hunt:D

RE: Does anyone have any " rattleing" success stories?
 

I have only 1 time that I can actually say it worked for sure. It was the 1st week of Nov a few years ago. I saw a nice big 9pt with a doe about 150yds away along a field edge at the top of a ridge. She was hot and he was right with her every move. I was m/l hunting and downhill in the woods, too far for a shot. I figured I' d give the rattle bag a shot. I was down behind a big oak, and started working the bag and hitting the ground and rustling the leaves. After a minute or two, I saw the buck walk to the edge of the hill and look down towards me. He was curious, but not leaving the hot doe. All of the sudden, from behind me around the hill I hear this loud crashing and here comes a BIG 6 pt, running right at me. He stopped about 15yds behind me, hair sticking up all the way down his back....he wasn' t happy! I was sitting facing the tree, with my back to him, and the wind in my favor. He was looking for the fight hard. (I thought, perfect....the big 9pt will see him and maybe come down to investigate.) Anyhow, he stomped around for a little bit, looking all over for the fight, and then went back around the hill from where he came. I waited about 5 minutes and rattled again. Almost immediately, the big 6 pt came charging back in and screeched to a halt about 30 feet from me. Man was he pissed...it made me a little nervous as I didn' t have my gun up and in that direction since I wasn' t going to shoot him (QDM). I will say though, that' s about as nervous as I' ve ever been in the deer woods. He was a big deer and not happy. After a few minutes, he went back around the hill as he did before. The big 9pt never did leave the doe, and actually bedded down with her for 2 hours looking down towards me. I didn' t end up getting him, but what an exciting experience it was...I remember it like it was yesterday.

That is the only time I' ve seen it work for me using a full out buck fight simulation. I have had deer come along after rattlling(sparring type sequences), but honestly I' m not sure if the were coming to it or just coincidence. And I have had them come in a couple times to light sparring out of curiousity (after I' ve seen them, and they aren' t coming my way).
I hunt in areas that have many does to each buck, so I think the amount of all out fighting is not as much as in other areas that have better ratios. There is plenty of sparring though, no doubt. I will say however, they definitley fight, we' ve killed more than a few deer that had busted up racks and cuts on their heads, necks and ears from fighting. For me where I hunt, I think it' s a matter of catching the right deer in the right state of mind...then it will work. Some other folks where I hunt have had some success also, but it' s not alot overall. I don' t agree that it' s an unnatural sound though, even in the areas I hunt where fighting may not be as prevavlent as other areas. I think alot of it probably gets done at night, (which makes sense because that' s probably when many of the mature animals are moving anyhow). I' ve seen areas all tore up that had to come from a fight, and it wasn' t there the day before. I will continue to bring my rattle bag, and use it like any of the other tools I have...when I feel I need to. It definitely can and does work.

RE: Does anyone have any " rattleing" success stories?
 

i tryed rattling for a couple years.... frust time was out in the open where i could see for over a mile... didn' t have anything come in that day... did have a buck mount a doe a little out of range of me though the day before... last year i started bowhunting... and i moved to a river that is really wooded in some spots... at the end of the season i found out i should have listened to my dad in the beginning of the season... its a 1x2 mile section and my dad told me to hunt as far into the middle as i had permission... well i only hunted a 1/4 mile from the road... didn' t see a single deer... then i got a tree stand for x-mas... thats what changed my opinion... with six days left i tryed it out as far in as i could go... where the oaks were straight and tall... first morning i saw deer along with that night and the morning and evenings of the next to... but i wasn' t careful and burnt it out quick.... after reading some of these stories and advice i think i' ll be rattling some of teh time i' m in my stand... i tryed it in the beginning of the season with no success.... but i think i' ll give it another try;)

RE: Does anyone have any " rattleing" success stories?
 

outdoorsman, welcome to the sport!!! You must realize that rattling is a technique that only will produce when it is the right time of year and area. Also rattling in prerut is good only when either the deer are sparring, then you must mimic them (so spar)or they have broken from the bachelor groups and getting ready to mate(rut). I guess what I am saying is deer don' t fight like dogs or cats, they only misbehave when the ladies are around and ready to breed.

Good luck in your new stand and locations this fall.