OK masters if bowhunting....I need some insight. It' s about time for the bucks to start seeking doe and maybe setting up a little dominance up here(MN) and I' m wondering what are the different rattling and grunting sequences you guys use?? And I suppose when to start using them. I know the point of over-calling, so that can be skipped. I use rattle bag and I don' t know exactly what grunt call I have, but I know it' s not an O-ring call so I can' t use it for doe bleats. I have a " can" for that. I know it might be kind of hard to explain, but how do you guys rattle? Same with grunting...I suppose it depends on what kind of bucks you have in the area on the depth of the grunt, but in what sequence? a few shorts and then long or what? And how many in a row. I' ve turkey hunted for years and I know the importance of being consistant in calling, but does that matter when grunting? If it matters....my hunting outlook is this, shot any doe and only bucks that I' m going to hang on my wall....130 or better. I know that all my spots have atleast one buck if not more that will go 140 or more. I suppose the last question to pose would be....Or is it better to just sit there and let things happen??

I' ve been lightly rattling for the past few days. Nothing harsh just a few little rubs on the rattle bag. A couple short grunts thrown in there as well. No luck yet with responses. I think things will pickup in the next week or two.

I' ve got a set of horns tied to a string that runs from my stand to the ground. The ground cover is oak leaves and ferns. I just pull on that string for 30 second intervals for about two minutes. By having the horns on the ground making noise in the leaves it gives the deer a better sense of direction as well as a more realistic sound. I rattled in three eight pointers last night, all 2.5 year olds.

nice tip - James. I think i just might have to try this one out!

James,

I haven' t tried that before, thanks for the tip. It' s a little early here to start rattling, needs to get a little colder.

Last season, I started using a primos call in a can, and then I would grunt a little right before daylight, and I saw more bucks sneaking in right in daylight than I ever have in my life. My father in law and brother in law hunted the same 180 acres with me and they saw 3 deer between them and I saw 22 during the gun hunt. It didn' t work early but around the first week in Nov. and I killed a nice 6pt that I am sure came into this. I did this sequence and I could see a buck slipping throught the grown up field about 80 yards away with his head up looking all around. He stopped and I lost him and then there he was about 15 or 20 yards. So far this season, I haven' t called any in this way so the jury is still out, but it worked here last season around Nov., so I' ll try it again. It could have been alot of other factors, but I think it was the Call in a Can, since It was the only thing I did different.

Any comments from Rack, Ausie, davemill, moderators etc....?? Good reply on the rack hanging from a long string. I don' t real antlers to use. Unless someone wants to borrow or give me a set. he, he

I am really not a big " caller" . 90% of my hunts involve no calls at all. For the most part I save the grunt for when I actually see a buck passing by and need to correct his course.

I have rattled in a few bucks with the bag, but blind calling scares the heck out of me. I always feel I scared the big boy away - and if I would of just kept quite he would of come by.

Usually when the grunt/can/bag come out it is because I do not have 100% confidence in my setup and plan - and I am grasping for a miracle

The only time I really rattle with confidence is during the hot pre-rut, when I am holed up in a thick bedding area for the day. I have had some real good responses at high noon.

One of the biggest draw backs to me with blind calling mature bucks is their propensity to circle downwind to the call. A scenario that always makes me queasy.

If your stand setup is solid - IMO this may be the best way to go

Another reason I use the " antlers tied to a string" set up is it minimizes my movement. I' m not up in my stand with two white rattling antlers swinging them around...I' m simply pulling on a string, and not pulling much at that.

I think rattling can be a great tactic any time of the year. A big factor is your buck:doe ratio. If you' re in an area with bad buck:doe ratio your chances of actually rattling in a buck are pretty slim. But if you' ve got a good concentration of bucks you never know what you might find.

Years ago I started noticing that during the rut I would often have bucks come in withing minutes of getting in my stand. Than it occured to me that they were coming in to investigate the noise I made walking in. Since than I have purpously made made thrasing noises and broken twigs etc , than hurried into my stand and did a little grunting and or rattling. It has paid off handsomely in the past................dabow