Rattling for deer

[Greenthumbed]

Hey Gang,
This is my first season of hunting. I've been out on several day trips and with the exception of one morning where I saw 5 WT bucks (I didn't get a shot at any), I have not seen any game. I am not discouraged yet. I'm headed out tomorrow bright and early with a friend with our minds on Mule deer. I am wondering if it is too early in the season to start rattling? If it is when do I start to rattle? When is the beginning of the rut?
I'll be hunting MU 4-35.

[Wild one]

It's a little early to rattle in my opinion but you can get a bucks attention

For mule deer I have had better response with doe bleats. I also find light rattling is more effective than being aggressive.

WT come better to calling but it is still on the early side. Doe bleat combined with aggressive rattling( rake trees smash the ground make it sound like a brawl) but I wait till Nov and target scrapes or rub lines.

Calling works for both but don't expect to just step in the bush and call with good results. Targeting areas with rut sign rubs/scrapes is the key

[bowmagnum]

It's early to rattle whiteys but I'll be carrying antlers from now on and raking brush. Muleys start rubbin soon and won't stop for a long time. Once you find fresh rubs rake brush and make your own rubs. I've had them come in in October. They pre rut hard right around Halloween. Good luck.

[Kill-da-wabbit]

Wild One and Bowmagnum have it right. If you are stillhunting, take your call with you. Everytime you break a twig or kick a rock, give a fawn bleat. Or if you really break some twigs, break some more, rake a tree and give a buck contact grunt or lighter challenge to cover your ass. There were a couple of WT's yesterday I saw, region 3, that were "play fighting". So it won't be long...

[Greenthumbed]

Great info, guys! Thanks a lot. Much appreciated.
I'll have to get myself a doe call. Any suggestions on which one is a go one to pick up?
a fellow I was speaking to a while back told me to soak my rattling antlers in a pail of water for a couple of days. He said it makes them sound better. Any one heard of this? Can't hurt, I guess.

BTW, I had a huge day of hunting for Mulies today. We covered a lot of landscape over a 10 hour day and saw no game. Tons of trails and plenty of deer shite, but not one animal! Where the hell are they! Everything is so dry. They must be sticking close to water, I couldnt locate even one drop of water. All the creeks on that flank of the mountain are bone dry. It must be hard on the game.

[Darksith]

I wonder if this early snow has the doe's changing their location which could change where we find bucks. My trail cams have gone almost dead in regards to deer on them. No fresh tracks either, could just be they are holded up in the timber though.

[Wild one]

The primos can doe bleats are what I use. Tried them all they all work

As for your day hunting mule deer if you seen a lot of good sign why cover so much ground?

If there is lots of good fresh sign slow down cover less ground even just hang out and observe. Covering ground is for finding pockets not hunting. Odds are you hiked right past the deer and did not know it

Myself I target pockets not km's of terrain when it comes to deer. Think smaller ignore how much ground you can cover and spend time where you think the deer are

[Wild one]

I used to cover ground and run ridges from first light till last then I got smarter lol

Success went up huge when I started thinking small

[Greenthumbed]

Good advice, Wild One. I guess We had a spot on the map that we wanted to get to so we covered the land. I think we were trying to find a pocket, like you said. I don't know how fresh the sign was for the most part. We saw fresher sign once we got closer to our goal, but by then the wind had moved around to our backs and busted us I think.

I think you are right though, less is more. I have to remember that. I am really trying to slow down, but I also have to just sit and wait and let the game come to me instead of the other way around. I'm covering a lot of ground still trying to find that spot to call my own.