Is it time for rattling yet?

[aliagha]

going out for deer this weekend and i was just wondering whether to take the antlers and try to call in some bucks or should i wait for the Rut season??

[bushpig slayer]

bucks respond in mu1-2 right now but if they are hot on a doe forget about it,they won't even turn their head

[Rodd]

Definately prime time for rattling right now!!

[PeachlandHunter]

going to try some rattling this weekend, good luck

[blindcast]

Bucks start sparring as soon as they come out of velvet in early September and you're liable to hear them clashing any time from then on. That means you could and should be rattling from the time the season opens. I've tumbled whitetails coming in to the rattle in October. Worst time, like Bushpig says, is in the peak of the rut when the dominant bucks are tending does, but it doesn't hurt to try because there are still lonesome bucks spoiling for a fight. I found I get mostly young bucks coming in to the rattle during the mid-November rut.
Just my five cents worth.

[aliagha]

Good to hear that! give me some tips on rattling, i got antlers from the buck i shot last year. I know that you have to be quiet and patient while out hunting, so does the sound of rattle scare other animals away? bears, Does??

[walks with deer]

No i have had does come into rattling.

[blindcast]

I'm assuming the rack is split and cut off the skull cap, leaving the coronet on the beam. First thing you want to do is take a saw and cut the tips off the antlers and if there are brow tines (usually only on wt but sometimes md have them as well) chop them off too. Then use a rasp to get rid of any sharp spots, burrs and stickers at the base where you would hold the rack. Then drill a hole through each of the beams to put a short piece of rope or a leather lace through so that you can hang the antlers around your neck. Makes them easier to carry and you won't leave them behind at one of the rattling sites. Also, the best technique is to whack the back of one antler with the front of the other. Better control and less collateral damage to your hands. I have two set of rattlers, one from a big wt another from a small 4x4. The small rack is easier to carry and seems to work better. Start your rattling sessions by raking a tree and give a couple grunts on your call and then gradually rack up the intensity. Rattle a max of ten minutes, then spend 20 minutes to half an hour glassing around you. Maybe try one more session after that, but if nothing shows, change locations. It's a numbers game, you might have to try as many as 10 spots before something shows, sometimes nothing at all and other times the first spot is a payoff. It's not sure fire but it definitely works.
If you're scaring deer, it means that either you're starting too hard and loud, you're not watching the wind or you're doing something else wrong. Watch a rattling video to get the technique down pat and then modify it to your application.
Yupp. You'll get does coming in to check out the action. Spikes too.

[quadrakid]

I wish i had read this post earlier. Tried some rattlin last weekend, nothing quite like slammin a very sharp browtine into your hand.

[aliagha]

I'm assuming the rack is split and cut off the skull cap, leaving the coronet on the beam. First thing you want to do is take a saw and cut the tips off the antlers and if there are brow tines (usually only on wt but sometimes md have them as well) chop them off too. Then use a rasp to get rid of any sharp spots, burrs and stickers at the base where you would hold the rack. Then drill a hole through each of the beams to put a short piece of rope or a leather lace through so that you can hang the antlers around your neck. Makes them easier to carry and you won't leave them behind at one of the rattling sites. Also, the best technique is to whack the back of one antler with the front of the other. Better control and less collateral damage to your hands. I have two set of rattlers, one from a big wt another from a small 4x4. The small rack is easier to carry and seems to work better. Start your rattling sessions by raking a tree and give a couple grunts on your call and then gradually rack up the intensity. Rattle a max of ten minutes, then spend 20 minutes to half an hour glassing around you. Maybe try one more session after that, but if nothing shows, change locations. It's a numbers game, you might have to try as many as 10 spots before something shows, sometimes nothing at all and other times the first spot is a payoff. It's not sure fire but it definitely works.
If you're scaring deer, it means that either you're starting too hard and loud, you're not watching the wind or you're doing something else wrong. Watch a rattling video to get the technique down pat and then modify it to your application.
Yupp. You'll get does coming in to check out the action. Spikes too.


Thanks! really helpful tips!