Do Big Mule Deer Bucks Respond to Antler Rattling, When, Where + How?

[dana]

Jelvis,
Have tried slamming the tine several times but only with limited success. Seems muleys don't get into it as a hard as whiteys. On one of my Muley Crazy videos they show some good rattling action, but they say it's tough to get the big boys to come in.
I do use the rubbing antler and burping pretty much from the end of oct through the end of the season. I rub a lot. Sometimes I use the barrel of my rifle if I'm not carrying a shed. Have had tons of big bucks come in over the years. It works well in the thick crap where you only can see 20 metres in front of you. You bump a buck and just get that image of asses and antlers and you start pounding on a tree and burping, that buck is going to turn around and come and kick your ass. Works well with does too. If you bump some does and you don't want them messing up the deer beyond them, burping and racking calms them down. They'll allow ya to just walk on by.
As for scents, I only use the natural stuff. I'm too cheap to buy the store bought stuff. I find where a doe pissed in the snow, and I'll rub my legs in it. The first buck down in our group, I'll grap the tarsels and rub them all over me. Sometimes I'll just pack that sticky tarsel on the outside of my pack

[Jelvis]

iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

[hunter1947]

Yes they do,i have called in a handfull of the big guys ,but you have to be well camoed up so they can't see you and the wind working for you ,Hunter 47.

[Jelvis]

----------------------------

[mark]

hey jelvis, yer gonna need patience and luck, as ive hunted big muleys all my life, but ive never had any luck with rattling, thats just me though!

[boonerbuck]

You'd be surprised at how well it works when you look at an area you know deer are hiding in.

It's important to wipe clean from your mind all the White Tail rattling you've seen on TV/DVD for mule deer. You don't want to be anywhere near as aggressive unless you are in a wide open area and you know those bucks are farther away and you want them to show cause you can't catch up or get near them.

Tickle at first and build up to some decent sparing. I usually don't grunt but some hunters always do. I'll do some raking on bushes after a 1 minute sparing match but you want to be paying attention at this point!

Most times they are out for a look or trotting in before I finish my 1 minute session. Some times I've watched 10 minutes just to discover a buck looking over top of a bush and I must of over looked him several times. I've even seen bushes moving around on a calm day and it turns out I've worked one up but he's blocked from view.

Not the wisest decision in rifle season but I have walked right up to them after rattling by holding the antlers up beside my head and just steadily walked forward as close as 20 yards. This screws them up pretty good.

I found that once I had the confidence that I wasnt scaring them off it was effective. For the first couple of seasons I tried it I was way too worried that I was ruining my hunt. I got over that by working on the younger bucks I decided to pass on and seeing just how well you could manipulate them. I had bigger bucks walk out while working them also and that's all it took to have me completely sold.

Like I said in my first post though, some years I just had no luck at all with it. Last 2 years I had minimal success with it but 3 years ago I had rattled in/out over 15 bucks in a week.

[Jelvis]

0000000000000000000

[Jelvis]

------------------------

[Rattler]

Jelvis - I have rattled in mule deer bucks and have watched them come from 100 yards to less than 20 yards. Using a combination of scent, calling and rattling does work. I haven't tried the decoys yet, but know buddies who have used them with success. I generally rattle from mid October on to the end of the season.
I find whitetails are far more aggressive and have had lots of luck rattling these guys in...

Huntwriter - good advice on rattling.

[tooley]

Hey Jelly, in my experience, the whitetails will come runnin' but the mulies aren't usually that agressive. I find that they will come to see whats going on, but don't expect to get run over by one.