Some of you "Pros" give me your advice on rattling
 

I have been hunting over 20 years with most of that being in North Alabama and suthern Tennessee. According to the state of Alabama we have 30 deer per Sq mile in the county that I hunt. I know that our buck to doe ratio is way out of kilter so I am sure that must be part of the problem. I have tried rattling for several years here with no results that I ever saw. I have rattled during the pre rut and peak rut..I have rattled with big horns and small horns when I thought maybe the sound from the big horns might be intimidating the bucks ...Ive rattled with aggrestion and ive lightly rattled ..ive grutned and used a bleat can ...ive used urine and went without ... and always paid attention to wind ..and watched down wind .... still no results from the horns... We have the deer ..so whats your advice?

RE: Some of you "Pros" give me your advice on rattling
 

You mean to tell me, you have 30 deer per sq mile and you cant kill one??
Maybe you should do your scouting a lil better and find where the deer are hanging out, what times do you hunt? Do you hunt high in the morn and low in the eves? do you know where your funnels and bedding, staging areas are located? Rattling doesnt work for me either, i dont do it.

RE: Some of you "Pros" give me your advice on rattling
 

Turkey you obviously did not read what I asked closely ..I never said I have not killed any deer ..I have taken plenty with bow and rifle ...my son has taken plenty ...my Q was because I have yet to "RATTLE" one up and cant understand why.

RE: Some of you "Pros" give me your advice on rattling
 

In a lot of places rattling just doesn't work, at least not consistently. You see it on TV a lot, because a lot of the hunts are on large ranches are behind fences where the herd is controlled. You aren't doing anything wrong, it's just not a "great" technique in some areas. The success of rattling depends mainly on the deer herd, and the buck:doe ratio. I've tried it numerous times, as well, as a lot of hunting buddies. I have a couple hunting spots that are great for rattling, and a couple that aren't good at all. Both have good numbers of deer, and both have mature deer. The ratio, lay of the land, and pressure is the only difference.

RE: Some of you "Pros" give me your advice on rattling
 

Thank you Ks for your input ...

RE: Some of you "Pros" give me your advice on rattling
 

Kshunter nailed it. Some places it works, some places it doesn't. I've only been successful twice at my place in 10 years. But those 2 times have kept me doing it. You just never know. I quit using "monster" antlers, because like you said earlier, you may just be running nice bucks off. I only rattle during the last two weeks of the season here in Alabama, and I only rattle in the morning. Sometimes I rattle during my 10 to 2 hunts, but not usually. Just my two cents!

RE: Some of you "Pros" give me your advice on rattling
 

i've rattled deer up in canada and illinois but where i hunt in ga. i don't remember it ever working.at least not more than once are twice i pretty much just quit trying around here.

RE: Some of you "Pros" give me your advice on rattling
 

I liken rattlin' to calling gobblers but it doesn't enjoy the same frequency of successful results. I claim they're similar in the respect that much of the results are reliant on so very many factors...location, approach, set-up, quarry demeanor, stage of breeding, weather, opposite sex behavior, other males who have staked territory, etc..

Additionally, wind tends to play a role in buck approach while it's a non-factor where gobblers are concerned (providing he can hear the calling).

I happen to be a fabulous turkey caller with decades of experience to boot, I have graduated to calling/guiding for friends for the past many years. But the fact of the matter is, one can sound like a world champion caller but if the conditions/stage of breeding/weather/barometric pressure/gobbler demeanor/density of game/etc aren't favorable...the results will be affected and at times, one's calling/hunting talents are not going to produce results. I switch to semi-ambush mode at times like this with decoys. Additionally, when the conditions/circumstances are ideal, one can sound like a wounded goose and a gobbler can come straight in on the run haha.

The hunter's who enjoy decent results with rattlin' tend to be employing the tactic where/when conditions are favorable and set-up intelligently in my opinion...and keep an eye on the downwind side or place a partner well downwind. Do it enough and over the years it will likely pay periodic dividends.

RE: Some of you "Pros" give me your advice on rattling
 

not going to work very well when buck/doe ratio is so far out of whack

RE: Some of you "Pros" give me your advice on rattling
 

Doctor, I'm from south Ms. I have had some success rattling here but not every year. I generally only rattle when I have evidence that the bucks are competing, (when I have been hearing their rattling, or seeing signs). When I do rattle I try not to sound too macho. It just seems that some yrs the bucks respond better than others. I may try it every so often but not overly much, I may be wrong but I believe that often it may take an hr before a buck checks out where the commotion is coming from rather than charging in like we see on the vids. I have seen and heard some good deer really go at it and it was awesome. For the most part tho the deer I have seen and heard didn't really make that much noise, maybe a small rattle or two and thats it.