Hello, how long during the season do antler rattles bag calls work. is it literally only a few weeks in November or is it longer are there any finer points on how to use these things. are there any terrain features or whatever that they work well near I have head great things about them but have never used them.


have you had success with ratting calls

well there is no for sure answer to this question as there is NO sure time of yr it works
deer are individuals, and some will respond to noises like rattling and some will not
deer are curious creatures too and will often come and investigate sounds ANY time of the yr, just as well as sounds will SCARE them at any time of the yr!

I have had some success with rattling calls, BUT only in places where there is a decent amount of OLDER class bucks
seems to me it takes a few yrs for them to really respond to them with the THOUGHT of it meaning breeding bucks fighting, and not again, just a curious deer coming to noises and wanting to MAYBE see what the fuss is about!

other times I have had dozens of deer in food plots, close enough to hear things and never so much as raise a ear or seem to care about the sounds
and worse yet I have see it scare deer off that WERE in view after rattling, both LARGE bucks and small one's!

like scents and all calls,
some times they help, sometimes they do NOTHING, some times they scare things away!

I prefer using a fresh (less than 4 years old and not parched white by the sun) set of real antlers for rattlin' --- I just don't like the sound of the rattln' bag, because it doesn't sound authentic --- Even though you still might have a chance to bring the big brute in with a rattln' bag

Hear up north in Maryland...I believe that it is best for rattlin' from October 21 through to the main rut --- November 3, 4th and 5th. After that...rattln' might be effective, but not as good as before the main rut --- That is...preferably hunting a place having a three buck to one doe ratio.