Rattling whitetails

[boneaddict]

[blacktail chaser]

Have you ever tried the rattling bags or do you only use real antlers?

[KopperBuck]

For what it's worth I used real horns this year. In years previous I've sat with my buddy and he used a bag and we never had anything come in. Doesn't mean they don't work, but it's hard to beat the real thing. Just a pain in the rear to pack around if you're still hunting on the way in.

[boneaddict]

antlers only

[DBHAWTHORNE]

Great photo Bone!

[rasbo]

I started using the rattle bag for blackies and it worked well,I dont mess up my hands anymore either.

[3nails]

 I use a matched shed set from a 135 class buck. I'll post up some pics of my rattle gear this week(end?) From the time I step out of the truck I don't even want to see a deer. I sneak quickly from 2-5 rattle spots a day at least 1/2 mile apart. The first few years I didn't mind smaller bucks comming in but now I rattle so violently I rarely see anything but mature bucks come in. Occasionaly a younger one with a bad attitude will come in and that can be quite funny. I'll add more later when I'm not so tired.

[3nails]

DB- Make some room in your inbox!

[DBHAWTHORNE]

Done. 

[blacktail chaser]

My daughter and I drew the late whitetail hunt for the Douglas unit and we figured we would try and do some rattling. Are there any good videos out there you might recommend? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[UptheCreek]

I had some success last year using the pack rack.  Easy to pack in and sound fairly realistic.  Rattling does work but it helps if you know where to start.  Look for signs of rutting bucks and good luck!

[boneaddict]

Occasionaly a younger one with a bad attitude will come in and that can be quite funny

I smacked my antlers together at first light one crisp morning, and within about 10 seconds here comes this deer.  FULL SPEED, off the hill, to the abandone reprod filled logging road I was on using as a lane.   He literally locked up all fours and came within an inch of hitting me.   LOL   Not sure who was puckering more.  He was about 24 inch,5x5  but had short short tines.   I have rattled in that particular spot 5 or 6 times since then and haven't brought anything in.   

I chose the spot as its a runway bottleneck (ridgeline type trail that the bucks travel and then cross the road.   The logging road parallels it for a short distance.   I was "wasting" time waiting for light in order to photograph. Actually glad I didn't have my camera set up as he would have slid into it for sure.

[3nails]

Occasionaly a younger one with a bad attitude will come in and that can be quite funny

I smacked my antlers together at first light one crisp morning, and within about 10 seconds here comes this deer.  FULL SPEED, off the hill, to the abandone reprod filled logging road I was on using as a lane.   He literally locked up all fours and came within an inch of hitting me.   LOL   Not sure who was puckering more.  He was about 24 inch,5x5  but had short short tines.   I have rattled in that particular spot 5 or 6 times since then and haven't brought anything in.   

I chose the spot as its a runway bottleneck (ridgeline type trail that the bucks travel and then cross the road.   The logging road parallels it for a short distance.   I was "wasting" time waiting for light in order to photograph. Actually glad I didn't have my camera set up as he would have slid into it for sure.

You crash the horns and you just never know what's going to happen! Kind of wish you did have the camera set up.

[boneaddict]

You have those and then you have the ones that you stand up to leave or turn around and there is a giant rack standing there staring at you.....

Fun when moose do that too.  You think how in the hell did an animal that big come up to you without you knowing it, especially when it sounds like a D8 cat when they decide to leave.

[3nails]

 So here's a quick rundown of my basic equipment and how I do it.
1. Real antlers. Heavy beamed, long tines, eyeguards cut down to 1" to give a thumb grip.
2. Grunt tube.
3. Buck roar/wheeze/grunter.
4. Estrus can.
5. Ezee wheeze.
6. Breeze squeeze.
7. Pad to kneel on when ground is hard/frozen.
8. Good low light binos.
9. Gun with bi-pod.

 The first step for me is to plan out my hunt the evening before. Every rattle location. (If I'm familiar with the area) I want to arrive at the first spot just when it's light enough to be able to judge a buck accurately. Ground shrinkage sucks! I also want to arrive without seeing any deer. Brushy areas are best and set up in a way that you aren't trying to draw them out of it. Rarely will a buck expose himself. I think too many hunters try to pull the buck into where they want them and not set up where the buck wants to go.
 Once I have arrived to the spot I'll take off my pack, unload my possibles and sit and listen for a few minutes. During this time I'll check the wind. Nice to have in your favor but if it's steady in one direction it's not that critical. Once I feel everything has settled down and I'm done cursing the squirrel that just won't shut up, I'll usually start off with a bleat or grunt. If nothing close by responds within a minute or two I'll snort wheeze and wait again. If still nothing, out come the horns. I don't crash them but mostly grind them. I'll grind so hard that they'll get hot and burn a little from the friction. I'll rattle for 1-3 minutes pausing every 15-20 seconds to listen for crashing brush from a buck. Too many times before I started pausing I had bucks charge in, see me, and leave before I could even set the antlers down. While rattling I'll stomp on some branches, whack the ground with the back beams of the antlers (simulating hoof stomps), kick a log or do anything else I can do to make alot of noise. Nothing sounds more unnatural in the woods than antlers crashing with no other noise involved.
 After I have finnished rattling I'll quickly get comfy with my rifle at the ready. Absolutely no movement now because you don't know if they are sneaking in or charging. They'll have your location surprisingly pegged even from a long ways off. No matter how tempting do not glass. Too much movement. Save the binos for judging an iffy buck that you won't mind scaring off if he sees you move. He's looking intently so be still!
 I'll give a spot at least 30 min., longer if I really like the area. If nothing shows it's off quickly/quietly to the next spot. I never "hunt" to the next location. I don't even want to see a deer. Only deer I want to see are the ones comming to the horns. I've passed up many good bucks going from spot to spot that I would have killed had I rattled them in. I don't want to just "get" a buck. I want to rattle them in. No other way.
 Rattling works and it works whenever you do it. I've rattled in deer the whole month of November. Calm, rain, snow, wind, it doesn't matter. A couple of years ago I rattled in a buck during a wind storm. Lodgepoles were crashing down all over the place. He was roughly a 145 class buck but it was early in the hunt and I wanted bigger. He had a bald spot behind his right shoulder and a unique rack. As soon as he got down wind of me he blew up. Never thought I'd see him again. Later on in the day and several miles away in a sheltered draw I rattled him in again! I decided to take him because of this but he busted me moving my gun. All that to say yes, you can rattle in the wind (just be louder) and you can rattle in the same buck twice.
 This is just MY style. If you'd like to kill a buck this way you have to be determined to succeed and don't give up. Also, some of my funnest hunts are in new areas where you don't know where you are going to rattle until you step into it. Look at the picture of where my son is set up. It is no more tha 10 yds wide and 40 yds long. That's the type of area I feel a buck is comfortable stepping into. Some real aggressive bucks will charge into a parking lot but they are rare. I'm sure I'm leaving a lot out so I'll add more info as I think of it. If you've been successful rattling bucks please add your knowledge as well.