When to start the rattling?

[MUSKY18]

Just wondering when you guys/gals think the time is right to start using the rattling horns. With the rut fast approaching, can a guy start to use them now and start getting more aggressive as the rut draws near? I would like to really try and use the horns more this year, but dont want to get over zealous and start using them too early.

[gr8icefishinmind]

Fast approaching, its still a month and a half away!! I'm not sure if you could really rattle in a big buck right now, but the little guys like to play around and spar this time of year!! I would think it would be a few weeks before the big boys really pay attention to rattling sounds!

[Scoot]

Yep, still a while before any real rut activity will be happening. For me, I've not had any real success rattling until the third week of Oct. From then on though, it can be pretty effective if used in the right time and place.

[student]

If you were to do anything right now, you could take a set out and just tickle the tines a little. I personally would not even bring them with until then end of October and into November.

[tracker x-2]

I'd leave the horns at the farm and maybe bring some antlers out toward the end of Oct.

[hunter322]

heres a question. personally ive never had succes with ratling. what time of day would you say deer are most responsive to ratling?

[96trigger]

Cold, clear, crisp mornings, when the rattling can be heard from a mile away is my favorite time. Evening about a half hour to hour before sunset is also good. If its cold all day, I'll rattle all day during the rut. I have had the most succes in the mornings, but have had success at other times to.

[BLACKJACK]

I had never had much luck with rattling either, a couple of bucks came 'looking' but never had a shot, but I keep trying it. Then last year I was doing some rattling and I had a young buck come charging in from the opposite direction, don't know where he came from, and stood right under my stand for about 5 minutes. He was looking around for the 'bucks fighting', panting away, he had been running so hard. Then he laid down about 15 yards from the base of my tree!!!! He laid there about 15 minutes and then decided to get up and go searching again!!! It was really neat!!!

I normally don't start carrying my rattling 'horns' until mid-October, and prefer to use them in the morning. For evening hunts I will try them after I've been in the stand for awhile but when its prime-time, that last 1/2 hour, I let nature take its course.

[matchset]

i believe much of my success with rattling can be attributed the use of a Decoy in combination with rattling.

give the curious bucks something to look at!

[slabchaser]

The week before or the week of Halloween, depending on the deer movement and the weather.

[nonteepical]

the only reaction to rattling i've had was a little 6 pointer high tailen it outa there, he didn't want anything to do with it.

[bottom-bouncer]

My horns are always with from the first day to the last. I really dont use them untill after the 15 of october it is never to early to try though there are a few misconceptions about the rut one being that the pre-rut doesnt begin untill the later part of october. That is false as soon as the velvet is shed the bucks are ready and willing. This is why the bachelor groups begin breaking up shortly after they shed there velvet. early in the season you need to be very gentle when rattling. but it can be effective my 17yr old rattled in a 8point opening morning by just tickling the tips together. For those people who say that the only thing they have seen when rattling is it chase a small buck away. One of the keys to succes when rattling is to have an idea as to what size of bucks are in the area. If you start hammering on the horns and make it sound like you have a couple of 200" bucks going at it you are going to chase the small bucks away nobody wants to get there a$$ beat by the neighborhood bully. cool mornings are my favorite but the last week of october through the first week of november and the again during that week leading up to thanksgiving I will rattle every hour or so all day long with the last sequence ending at least a half hour before sunset.

[Archerysniper]

The week before or the week of Halloween, depending on the deer movement and the weather.

I will not rattle till at least Oct 23 and even then I will play the sign that I'm seeing in the area that I'm hunting