Antler rattleing
08-11-2007, 09:23 PM
#11
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location:
Posts: 398
RE: Antler rattleing
ORIGINAL: sutton
i am a big believer in rattling as long as its done at the right time. Last year the last week of the first archery season was perfect. I had a buck come runing to me just at the sound of me climbing up a tree with my climbing treestand. and then at light i hit the the rattle pack and within 5 minutes i had 2 bucks come running in neither came in bow range. then about an hour and a half later i hit the horns and anice sized6 point come running in. if he wasnt illegal i would have nailed him.
i am a big believer in rattling as long as its done at the right time. Last year the last week of the first archery season was perfect. I had a buck come runing to me just at the sound of me climbing up a tree with my climbing treestand. and then at light i hit the the rattle pack and within 5 minutes i had 2 bucks come running in neither came in bow range. then about an hour and a half later i hit the horns and anice sized6 point come running in. if he wasnt illegal i would have nailed him.
The 1:1 ratio makes sense biologically since it means bucks would have limited breeding opportunities. Limited opportunites means you hae to work hard to make sure you take advantge of the opportunities you get!
08-13-2007, 12:44 PM
#14
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: The Wild Woods of Tennessee
Posts: 4
RE: Antler rattleing
Gotta be the right time of year but ive had plenty of young buck come in as well as some monsters...I rattle every time i visit the stand. You never know what could happen, so thats y i always do
08-14-2007, 10:28 PM
#15
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: New Orleans, La. USA
Posts: 400
RE: Antler rattleing
Rattleing has its time and place. Sparring vs. fighting!
Learn both of them and when to use them. Pre-rut vs. rut.
You can hear the difference in the sounds of aggression here.
http://www.wideworldofhunting.com/soundsofwhitetail/WhitetailDeerSounds.htm
Don't be afraid to use rattleing but keep your eyes open. They could be standing 75 yards out just watching you.
Good Luck,
Eric
Oh yeh and make sure your gun or bow is ready they may come in quick!
Learn both of them and when to use them. Pre-rut vs. rut.
You can hear the difference in the sounds of aggression here.
http://www.wideworldofhunting.com/soundsofwhitetail/WhitetailDeerSounds.htm
Don't be afraid to use rattleing but keep your eyes open. They could be standing 75 yards out just watching you.
Good Luck,
Eric
Oh yeh and make sure your gun or bow is ready they may come in quick!
08-19-2007, 02:26 AM
#18
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Winnipeg, Mb, Canada
Posts: 1,309
RE: Antler rattleing
I have had lots of success just tinkling the antler tips in order to try to give the impression of light sparring during the pre-rut period. This has worked well especially shortly after the velvet has been shed and the bucks are still travelling in their bachelor groups.
08-30-2007, 02:46 PM
#19
Typical Buck
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: --------------------------------------
Posts: 885
RE: Antler rattleing
Oh and by the way, i forgot to say knowing the size of bucks you have in the woods you hunt will help out alot, Becouse you don't want to take a big set of antlers out rattling with you if the the bucks in you woods are average size more than likly you scare the of then have lim come in .
08-30-2007, 10:38 PM
#20
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Saskatchewan Canada
Posts: 6,921
RE: Antler rattleing
Competition to breed is a must, if the ratio is unbalanced bucks see little need to fight for this right. Assuming the ratio is good rattling is an excellent trick to add to your bag. Pre rut right through to post rut can envoke results. Like most I find pre rut to work really well in combo with sparring simulation though my results have been more immature bucks then mature bucks.BTW, I usesparring the techniquein pre rutforMule Deer and it has worked pretty well. I haven't had much success with rattling Mulie's outside this tech./timeframe.
I find the absolute best time to rattle in mature deer is in the chase phase or late pre rut. While this window is small the result have been great in my area. The key to rattling is setup, I rattle deep in transition as close to the bedding area as possible - I think safety when determining where to hunt. I lalso look for structure such as small meadows, bottle necks, fencelines, etc to set up on. To the rattling itself I grind and twist vs smashing. I start out low toned and low intensity (30-45sec session), I like to add in realismsuch aspawing of the ground and raking of samplings and trees. Grunts, bleats, etc all work in combo with rattling but i make sure to not over use calls either. I wait 15 minutes between sequences and with each time I bring up the intensity and duration slightly, I also start adding in pounding of the ground at the end of the rattling sequence to simulate a deer fleeing after a loss in battle. I pay particular attention to my back door as they like to circle the wagons and have used scents placed in a half moon directly behind my location as a possible mask of my scent to a love sick buck. I will only rattle in one location for 4hour period and never back to back days. Most often then not I rattle between the hours of 10am and 2 pm.
I also have had bucks come in like a freight train and others without a peep, it is because of this that I make my self stay alert and attentive during my rattling attempts. Another reason why 4 hours is the max I have for this technique in one sitting, if i feel myself slipping I stop as i have had more then one deer make a fool out of me while calling.
I find the absolute best time to rattle in mature deer is in the chase phase or late pre rut. While this window is small the result have been great in my area. The key to rattling is setup, I rattle deep in transition as close to the bedding area as possible - I think safety when determining where to hunt. I lalso look for structure such as small meadows, bottle necks, fencelines, etc to set up on. To the rattling itself I grind and twist vs smashing. I start out low toned and low intensity (30-45sec session), I like to add in realismsuch aspawing of the ground and raking of samplings and trees. Grunts, bleats, etc all work in combo with rattling but i make sure to not over use calls either. I wait 15 minutes between sequences and with each time I bring up the intensity and duration slightly, I also start adding in pounding of the ground at the end of the rattling sequence to simulate a deer fleeing after a loss in battle. I pay particular attention to my back door as they like to circle the wagons and have used scents placed in a half moon directly behind my location as a possible mask of my scent to a love sick buck. I will only rattle in one location for 4hour period and never back to back days. Most often then not I rattle between the hours of 10am and 2 pm.
I also have had bucks come in like a freight train and others without a peep, it is because of this that I make my self stay alert and attentive during my rattling attempts. Another reason why 4 hours is the max I have for this technique in one sitting, if i feel myself slipping I stop as i have had more then one deer make a fool out of me while calling.