Rattling NOW!?

[Jmnhunter]

hey, I was going to try rattling over a decoy this weekend, any thoughts? I should be able to get a curious buck in.
thanks

[Bogsucker]

I have rattled in both bucks and does this time of year though without a decoy. Bucks are establishing "pecking" order at this time rather than fighting over a particular doe and the sound of antlers crashing seems to be attractive to them at this time of year.

[scotty18]

I rattle though out the season. During times when their not rutting, I think it makes them curious. If you really want a blast. Take a predator call with you. So far I have taken 5 deer coming into a dying rabbit. A couple of yotes too. Just don't take a howler with you. I did, it scattered deer for miles!

Thanks,Scotty

[This message has been edited by scotty18 (edited 10-07-2004).]

[TomBow]

I rattled last weekend in WI and saw a total of 18 deer. Sunday morning, the only deer I saw were 3 bucks (2 forks and a spike). One of the forks even pawed the ground looking at the spike. I will keep it up as it seems to bring in some deer.

[doser]

Shot a eight pointer Sept. 27 this year. Rattled it in. Made the rattle bag sound like they were sparring. Bucks are real curious early season. Don't go over board early in the season. The predator calls like a dying rabbit work good for fawn immitation. Effective for bucks and does. Nice thing is if Coyote comes in you can Whack him too....bonus. Good Luck.

[HOGEYE]

I had a six pointer come by the other night about 60 yards out. I didn't get a response from the grunt our the can call, but when I tried some light sparring from the rattle bag he came right in. Hopefully I'll get that kind of opp next year when he is bigger.

[Nuge'sBloodBrother]

Hey Jmnhunter,
Why don't you take a duck call with you too and see if you can find some ducks too!

Tam/Hardin58

[Captain B.R.K]

Lets us know if you did some rattlin' and if it worked!

I was out Thursday night and tried some rattlin'. After the 3rd sequence, I had a 6 pt. come in and be a bit nosey. I could have taken him, but it was fun just to watch him. Didn't even know I was there. Just looked around, sniffed around and then walked off.
First time I ever rattled a buck in....pretty cool!

[rocky]

I was looking at the rattle bags today and they seem pretty slick. Does anybody think they work better or worse than the imitation horns you can buy or doesn't it matter.

[PerchJerker]

I rattled a couple light sequences this weekend with a rattle bag, no success. I have never rattled in a deer, but I figure it will happen sooner or later.

[BLACKJACK]

rocky, I used one of those rattle bags this weekend, Sat morning I had three 6 pointers in sight at about 80 yards, they'd look over to where I was rattling, but they wouldn't come in. There also was two does with them, so part of the problem could be that they were already preoccupied, it might work better on a single deer.

The rattle bag sounds pretty good, it comes with rubber straps to quiet it down on the walk in, it even has a strap for carrying. Lots handier than carrying a set of antlers. Does it work better than antlers? Only time will tell, I'm going to keep trying this season.

[bigbucks]

I've rattled lightly, not super quiet, but not real agressively, the last couple of outings. I saw several deer one night, but a long time after the rattling, so I don't think they were affected by it. The other night I didn't see any.

I used it to scare deer away in the dark, when they were only about 50 yards out & they only ran off about 50 yards, so I don't think it hurts much. I would only do it maybe a couple times an outing at this point, unless you start seeing positive results. Then you could go every 15-30 minutes, I'd probably go with 30.

[Jmnhunter]

hey, tried rattling over the weekend, i was beating a dead horse. It was windy and hot, so maybe that didnt help.Had a couple of as*****'s come down a trail with their ATV's (I dont care for them) to pick up a friend I guess pretty close to where I was located, I even had my truck parked in the entrance of the trail. That didn't help either. I'll try again pretty soon, starting to see rubs and scrapes.
-good luck
-JMN

[Fish- N- Hunt]

I might try a little rattling tonight. I never have been succesful with this and I had a couple of questions concerning rattling this early in the year. How loud am I suppose to be rattling, can a deer even hear it if I am doing it softly? Is it a bad idea to rattle and grunt this early in the year? Or should I wait a couple weeks yet? Any input will be helpful

Thanks

Fish- N- Hunt

[TomBow]

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[This message has been edited by TomBow (edited 10-13-2004).]

[bigbucks]

TomBow, wrong thread for your response perhaps?

[Crow Hunter]

My .02 on rattling- this is what has worked for me. Try and find an area that is really torn up with deer sign- lots of scrapes and rubs. This is an area that a buck is defending. Attempt to find a spot there where it would be hard for the buck to get downwind of you- bucks come to rattling most often by circling downwind, and you will never see most of them because they smell you. I like to rattle from the downwind edge of a steep ridge, edge of a field, etc. where they can not get downwind in cover. Don't rattle too loud for the first sequence, the buck could be very close. If nothing responds after a while, then rattle a little louder. When it gets to be around November first or a little before, then get more aggressive with your rattling. When they do come in, they will know exactly where the rattling came from. It can be pretty exciting when they come in with their hair standing up, they are tearing up brush with their antlers, etc. The less dominant bucks will likely sneak in. Good Luck!
CH

[TomBow]

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[This message has been edited by TomBow (edited 10-13-2004).]

[HOGEYE]

I have attempted to rattle many times and have had limited success. I normally don't rattle much during the so called "prime hunting times" as I try to sit in areas the I believe they will be traveling along anyways. Sometimes I rattle when entering the woods early or having a late morning. With the pre-rut beginning to kick in and the tempers starting to flare in the woods, I do thing that a more aggressive rattling technique WILL work SOON(I still put more stock in scent control and proper stand placement though).

Funnels are always a favorite of mine. I scout with the use of aerial photos which are available free online from the Minnesota Land Management Information Center (LMIC).

Here is the webpage add.

http://www.lmic.state.mn.us/chouse/naip03mrsid.html

You will need some free software to view the files.

http://www.lizardtech.com/download/dl_download.php?detail=geo_expressview_plugin&platform=win

I am rather new to rattling and have only been successful when being persistant. Don't give up.

[Jmnhunter]

thanks hogeye, I will have to start rattling here pretty soon myself. Things should start to get interesting here in the next week or two with cold temps dropping by.

-Good Luck, and tell me how you do!

[bigbucks]

I'd say if you're going to rattle there's no better time than the present. I had a small doe come out Tuesday night about 15 minutes after rattling. She only stayed about 10 minutes & I realized later it seemed like she was looking for something. I think maybe she came to the rattling.