I have been using real antlers for my rattling for the last few years but they are a pain to carry in and out of the woods quietly. I picked up a Primetime rattle bag the other day and was kind of impressed at how well it sounded. I was wondering what your thoughts are on rattle bags versus real antlers?

Hank, I' ve been using a bag for a couple years now and have been pretty successful with it. Yeah, they sound as real as real antlers do, but without the bulk. I know what you mean, I carried around a set of 8 point antlers with the brow tines chopped off for a long time and they are a pain, not to mention dangerous should you fall on them or something weird like that happens.

Give em a try, you' ll like them.

I' m not so sure about the bags - I recently picked up a bag of dowels and plastic stuff. It sounds much like dowel rods and plastic stuff. In fact, my hunting pal' s stand is about 400 yards away - when I used them the first time, he was laughing so hard he nearly fell off his seat. I don' t know, maybe I' m not using them right, but I went back to real antlers. Yes, a pain to carry and handle, but it is the real thing.

my cousin took a cloth lead shot bag, and put different sized dowl rods and peices of wood in it. It has called in more deer than my 10 dollar primos rattle bag...

I think the bags are great. It' s like anything else it won' t work all the time but then again neither will antlers If used properly I feel they sound the same as antlers.

I dont like the bags, I know the antlers are a pain but I just like them better.

I use both but prefer the bag.

I have both the real thing and the bag. I almost never use the real antlers now. The bags are much more convenient and bucks are easily fooled, even if the sound is not spot on. I hang mine in the tree next to me, so I can easily reach it and make a few clicks with one hand, while still holding my bow. I' ve been able to do this with deer in sight, and make almost no movement. If you practice with them, they can be quite realistic.

i have to agree with the bag, it is more convenient that a set of horns, and i don' t mash my fingers, called in a big buck with them last tuesday, when i need volumn i slap them against a tree. thats my story

Made my own bag. Took Oak & hickory dowels of different lengths, PVC small diameter tubing, and pieces of antler.

Much more convenient and I' ve rattled in bucks from spikes to a 10-pointer last fall.

With all the crap I carry to the woods, including the climber, the bag just makes it that much easier...