Rattling question

[Gutpile]

When I was a kid the old man across the street used to rattle deer a lot. He loved talking about it to the kids who hunted. I cannot seem to make it work though. I've never rattled up a deer. So to you experienced rattlers, school me. I usually hit them hard and really go to town for a few minutes and wait and watch then repeat every 1/2 hours or so. Should I just "tickle" them? I also only do it during late buck when they're rutting, is this correct?

Help me out.

Thanks.

[PolarBear]

They probably winded you or picked up your movement.  Once you stop rattling, you have to be super still.  They will usually come at you from down wind.

[runningboard]

the buck/doe ratio needs to be in synch for it to work very well. if they don't have to compete for does they tend not to respond. ditto on the wind/scent. when I rattled one in last year I knew this about the direction they'll come in and purposely blew my breath to check the wind (it was cold) and then I turned my head to follow my breath and when I did there he was 57 paces away downwind looking right at me.
I combined rattling with a grunt tube & the "can" estrus bleat, total sequence, about 45 seconds.

[runningboard]

quoting myself from a way earlier post about my own success at rattling.

I used the "can" estrus bleat twice, grunted once, the can once more & grunted once more. then I rattled with a bag for about 40-45 seconds and grunted once. I used my breath to check the wind (it was cold!) and looked downwind about thirty seconds after the last grunt and there was a whitetail at 57 paces (paced afterwards).

[Bigshooter]

I have found it very hard to rattle in a bt buck.  I have rattled in a lot of bt does though.  I like to start with a 2 or 3 quit grunts and then 2 or 3 louder ones.  Wait about 30 seconds shake some brush and then lightly rattle the horns together for 30 seconds to 1 minute.  Do not bang the horns together.  Wait 1/2 hour and repeat.  This year I will start doing this around oct. 20th until the end of the early season.  Once the rut is in full swing the bucks just don't want to come in to rattling any more.  This year I am going to try and use the can in late buck season and see how it works.

If you are hunting over bait and having trouble with bucks coming in before dark, try rattling.  They will come in a little earlier.

[Machias]

What time of the year are you rattling Gutpile?

[Gutpile]

When I have its always been during late buck in mid to late Nov.

[boneaddict]

timing is everything....don't give up

[bobcat]

I've never tried rattling but want to try it this year. I will have to pick up one of those rattle bags. Does it really not work well during the late season? I was hoping to try it in the Grayback unit during my late permit hunt, which is Nov 11-18.

[Machias]

I have had the best response in the pre rut, very end of Oct to around the 12 of Nov.  Once the rut kicks in, not nearly so effective, but I still give it a shot.  I have MUCH better luck with a grunt tube once the rut goes into full steam.  I personally like to grunt on the grunt tube a couple of times.  Then a few seconds later I give a longer deeper gutteral grunt.  And then a few seconds later and smash them together and really go to town for 30 seconds to a minute, tearing up limbs and pounding on the ground.  Once I am done I give a grunt and then a few seconds later a hyper ventalating grunt.  Most bucks will swing down wind.    The 1st to the 10th of Nov is usually outstanding time to rattle and grunt in a whopper buck.

[Gutpile]

Guess I'll keep trying. Hope to get a better deer this year. Last year I got skunked since they made my area draw only for late buck and I spent most of the early season trying to get my daughter her doe. The year before I shot a doe with a doe tag so I want some antlers to go with my backstraps this year.

[boneaddict]

The point I was trying to make but didn't have a chance to finish was that you know that I am out there alot right?  Well one day I will rattle and not bring in a buck, the very next day in the same area, same spots even I have brought in 25 or more bucks.   Whats the difference?  I try to sort it out obviously....weather the same, time of day the same....buck to doe ratio the same....    moon...not that much different....temp same......whats the difference. 

[Gutpile]

Gotcha. Last year I did quite a bit of it but I was forced to hunt areas I didn't know very well. This year I drew the late buck palouse tag and know this ranch pretty well and have lots of time. I LOVE hunting game that can be called so I'd really like to rattle in a buck. I don't necesarily need to rattle to tag out but it'd be an interesting change to the norm for me.

[wannahunt]

So are you all talking about calling in Whitetails? I was thinking of trying it on Mulies but I wasn't sure how it worked on them. I have heard it doesn't work as well.

[Gutpile]

Yep, whiteys