Rattling for Deer East Texas

[HoustonR6ryda]

rattle'd (Primo's rattle bag) in a monster once in Oakwood,came in so fast I missed straight at the bottom of the tree,one of my greatest hunt's ever learned alot

[texasdeerhunter]

I've rattled in lots over the years. No monsters, but several nice ones. Young bucks sssm to be more gullible. I rattled in 4 different bucks last year at the same time, granted they were all 3.5 or younger. Then they started posturing towards each other when they saw each other. It was a fun hunt. But you do need some type of barrier downwind of you. In this particular case last year, it was an open field on the edge of an oak flat

[Muddy Bud]

Not East Texas but I have found buck to doe ratio is over rated when it comes to rattling. I have rattled two sometimes three bucks at a time on a ranch that was way out of whack on the buck to doe ratio. It just depends on time of year. The best time is pre rut, when they first start chasing.

When the does are not quite ready but close. This is when you'll have the most success, granted most of them will be smaller younger bucks you will eventually get some mature ones who o come in. I like to rattle on the down wind side of a pipe line or creek.

[muddyfuzzy]

OP, I hunt just North of you in Zavalla. This buck responded to numerous cold calls; 1/2 dozen times both grunts and rattling, in 2014but was not shot. He again surfaced 2015 but was less responsive to rattling and was shot coming to check a dominant buck breeding grunt. Don't know what changed year to year but he wasn't nearly interested in the horns the second year I hunted him. I have found the younger bucks to be more responsive to rattling and older more mature dear favoring a mouth call in that area.

[justindiehl7]

Update: Friday evening rattled in a 4 pointer from my tree stand overlooking my feed pen, got him close a pizzed him off real bad with an extinguisher mature buck roar, finally tracked off, wish I would have had a buck decoy to study his reactions.

Saturday morning got down from the stand at 8am, and hauled butt to a big open lane in the middle of our place, bordering a creek and sparsely vegetated area. Rattled for 5 minutes with 10 minute intervals 3 times with. combination of buck and doe grunts, no specific pattern just trying to mix it up. I was set up with a briar pact about 6 foot tall, 20 foot wide and 20 feet long, under a small pine with tall grass on either side, wind coming from my back paralleling the creek, and headed down the East Texas version of an natural sendero. Gave it 10 minutes after the last rattle and stood up, took a step and turned around to look around and there was a long spike on the treelike about 30 yards behind me staring right at me. Learned my lesson there as to give them time to get through those thick east Texas woods. No luck Saturday evening around the feed pen, then Sunday was a rain out. Frigid air coming this weekend so it should light the rut on fire so midmorning rattling should be dang good, will keep y'all updated!

[Big pig]

Like others, it has been best for me in oct. before they started locking down.
Best to try early, not late in the morning. My best luck is out of ladder stands. Elevated, but not too high. Cause they definitely come in looking.
And like someone above, seems better in the morning.

We do have a decent ratio in Leon co. More bucks means more chances one of them might be aggressive.

I rattled in a bunch last year in goliad. That was a ton of fun. Makes every buck look bigger !

[Native Texan]

Now is the time to try rattling!! This cool weather will have them active, frisky, and looking for does.

[DaveC]

I thought about this thread on Monday (Oct 30th) when I was using my climber to get down at 1250 after a long sit of seeing only one inside the ears nine point at 11:10.

I had made it about 5' down the tree when the noise of the climber decent must have resembled a buck fight or spiked curiosity because I had a 3 1/2 yo looking 8 point come in (one year class older than the previous mentioned 9) looking for the noise. He crept in looking for a bit, then skirted around me at 30-40 yards and went on to eat some brush before leaving but it was cool to see nonetheless.

[Tiger]

may have better luck grunting

[Gary Roberson]

A couple of years ago I wrote an article, "Common Sense Rattling for Hill
Country Whitetails" for THE JOURNAL OF THE TEXAS TROPHY HUNTERS magazine. The basics that I give you in this article work across the state.
Adios,
Gary

[BIGTERRY75]

The better success I have had rattling was in an old meadow that my grandfather all but cleared and grew hay in. This particular meadow has a pond that borders it's South and West sides.
If I have been seeing deer activity on the cameras I would sit in the small thicket in the middle of the field, where I have a 360* view. Or, If the wind is right I will set up near the pond where they cannot come from downwind.
I give most of my luck to the fact that I can see them before they see me.

Another example....
On a property that we hunt down by the Sabine River there are some "cliffs" if you will and we have set up there at the base and rattled with luck as well. Again we see them before they see us, and we have a barrier that they cannot or don't cross.

Hope this helps