Rattleing?
 

So how soon do you guys start this? I've got a nice road kil 8 point rack to use this year and have never had any luck rattleing with a small 6 point rack I've used. I've seen small bucks run like hell at the sound...the other way! Right now bucks are just starting to show up as road kill and I've seen lots of deer still mainly grouped together as of last night. Saw about 6 bucks all in a group and couple large ones. Does mixed in.

Bow season opens in the am and I'm jazzed about it!

In Iowa, the bucks will be breaking from their bachelor groups within the next couple of weeks, and will start looking for territory of their own to control and find does. I tend to wait until I see bucks sparring the fields before I start rattling, but every year it seems I could have rattled a few days earlier than when I start....

Time to be adventurous and figure out when your local bucks like to hear the horns being tickled!!!

When deer hunting, Im out for any legal buck. Im not hunting specifically for a trophy. For this reason I like to rattle softly at first, as though 2 smaller bucks are starting to feel each other out. Especially pre rut and early rut. My logic behind this is that 2 monsters battling will make a hell of a noise and smaller/timid bucks aernt going to want to stick their noses in there and get a beat down. If however you rattle softly,or lightly, the way 2 younger bucks would, you will be less likely to intimidate other smaller bucks in the area and hopefully bring them in to see whats going on. The other benefit is that you can still draw in the trophey (if your lucky enough for him to be around), because he wont tolerate the younger/smaller bucks in his territory while the rut is on.

I add a little grunting to the mix and probably do a grunting/rattling sequence every hour or so.

Here in sw Ohio I been seeing bucks in bachelor groups with does mixed in. Never had much luck but im really gonna try it this year startin in mid oct when they should be broken up by then and establishing dominance