Rattling up bucks

[game_Chaser]

Awesome advice guys thx

[RCDuck]

I haven't done it a bunch but have had some success, including my best bow buck. I used a little trick I heard on some podcast for rattling from a treestand. I tied my rattling antlers to my pull-up rope, lowered them to the ground and rattled by jerking the rope. The rattling wasn't as loud as if I were rattling by hand, but the additional ground noise of the horns in the leaves and sticks must have convinced the buck. He showed up at 30 yards and stood there for a bit staring at the base of my tree. He then proceeded head on to the base of my tree. When he got to the tree, I started to draw, not really having a shot, but when he smelled my ground scent at the tree he bounded out to 17 yards and stopped broadside.... end of story for him

[Bayouboy]

I rattled/grunted two up last weekend in East Tx. It certainly can be done. The one I had targeted in the area showed. The mistake I made was not seeing him in a thicket about 40 yds to my right when I got out of my stand. No telling how long he had been standing there looking for where the commotion was coning from. As soon as my feet touched the ground he busted out of there. I caught a glimpse of him high tailing it. He was back the next morning on my camera searching for does.

[txtimetravler]

Rattled 6 bucks in one morning session. Point is….I think anyone could have rattled in those bucks that day. Conditions were just right. Can’t explain it.

I start soft and build from there.
Having a high buck population/ right doe to buck ratio helps.

Keep trying and you will figure it out.

[Big pig]

Rattled 6 bucks in one morning session. Point is….I think anyone could have rattled in those bucks that day. Conditions were just right. Can’t explain it.

I start soft and build from there.
Having a high buck population/ right doe to buck ratio helps.

Keep trying and you will figure it out.

+1

Like calling Spring turkeys. Some days it won’t work.
Other days it’s so easy !

[sqiggy]

Have never had success with this in East TX - maybe im being too dam loud

I was the same way. Could never rattle one in. Hunted Kansas for years and easily rattled them in there. Fact, I rattled in 5 bucks in 45 minutes one evening. I also rattled in a huge 8 and a young 12. Those 2 ended up fighting for about 6 seconds. That 8 picked that 12 up, did a body slam, then threw him across the ground about 12 feet and that fight was over!!! What I found out from that fight, you will NEVER be able to hit your horns together hard enough!!!
Now, in East Texas, I get pics of bucks fighting or sparing but usually all at night. Two years ago, it all changed. I was able to rattle in 3 bucks on one morning sit. All I did different was the way I rattled. Here, I bang the horns together as hard and loud as I can. Then I pretend I’m 2 bucks with their first set of horns and they are just pushing each other around. So, it’s not so much rattling per say, but more of just grinding the tines together. Lots of stops and go, for about a half a minute to a minute. This way has been really working well for me in East Texas.

[BrandonA]

Here is one Riley rattled up. I seem to have my best days on cold, calm drizzly days. As mentioned pay attention to the wind. Use the brush to your favor. Watch some youtube videos of 2 mature bucks actually fighting. Then try to mimick that.

[buck_wild]

On THOSE days when it works it works, dropping the horns out of the truck will work but those days are few and far between.

One of the biggest things I see from inexperienced and heck experienced "rattlers" make is that they just whack the horns together with big clashes for minutes on end. If you watch bucks fight there is that initial clash but after that it's more a grinding noise as the two sets twist against each other. I might make two loud initial clashes but I try to use more a grinding, twisting, tine smashing technique after that. And at the end of my sequence I also try to make that sound of the two racks raking apart then followed with a series of ground thumping to mimic a deer getting run off.

You want to go 401 rattling, learn to do a snort wheeze. When I see a mature buck hang up, I stop the rattling and use my horns to rake brush and snort wheeze. I have seen that drive mature bucks batty. Some will charge in that otherwise would have hung up.

As already noted wind, wind, wind and stick with it.

[BrandonA]

On THOSE days when it works it works, dropping the horns out of the truck will work but those days are few and far between.

One of the biggest things I see from inexperienced and heck experienced "rattlers" make is that they just whack the horns together with big clashes for minutes on end. If you watch bucks fight there is that initial clash but after that it's more a grinding noise as the two sets twist against each other. I might make two loud initial clashes but I try to use more a grinding, twisting, tine smashing technique after that. And at the end of my sequence I also try to make that sound of the two racks raking apart then followed with a series of ground thumping to mimic a deer getting run off.

You want to go 401 rattling, learn to do a snort wheeze. When I see a mature buck hang up, I stop the rattling and use my horns to rake brush and snort wheeze. I have seen that drive mature bucks batty. Some will charge in that otherwise would have hung up.

As already noted wind, wind, wind and stick with it.

Yes the snort wheeze is deadly and effective. They have some pretty good snort/wheeze calls.

[bugleboy]

Great advice above. One thing not mentioned is that late in the year, after the main rutting activity is generally over, I have had good success with just tickling the antlers together. Like two small bucks sparring. No loud banging and crashing of the antlers.

[elgato]

Rattled up 13 bucks this morning in La. 7 in one spot. a couple over 170.

Drizzle rain all afternoon and into the night yesterday . Turned chilly mid 40's this morning. Overcast with a nice breeze.Perfect day for rattling. I think every deer on the farm was on its feet.

The best way to have success rattling is to do it. Requires nothing special. I sit against a tree with 40-50 yds visibility in front of me and bang the hell out of the antlers. Buck fights are not subtle. Sometimes the bucks come in extremely fast other times the drift in but I rarely stay in one place more than 15 mins. Younger bucks tend to hang around and I watch them closely as they see other bucks coming in before I do usually.

I had a 4 yr old 170 come in this morning at a dead run within 15 secs after starting rattling. After a while they may drift around downwind but usually they come from wherever they are.

The most important thing for success in rattling is to have a balance sex ratio with great age structure. Everything else is a distant second after that.

Good luck . It is THE most fun way to hunt

[Johnny Dangerr]

Camo Head net and gloves
I prefer one rattler, one hunter
Put an Opening downwind of you so if one circles you can see him first
Never move without looking carefully
Listen closely for sound of deer approaching.
The little ones will hang around.
Mature deer are hard to rattle in my opinion

I break limbs and stomp or hit the ground with my horns
I have had better luck in am rather than pm

I have been 50 yards from 2 monsters trying to kill each other. No way to make that much noise. I kick rocks etc...

[Gary Roberson]

I have rattled thousands of whitetails and a few muleys over fifty years of banging horns together. I learned the basics from my Great Uncle and the finer details from Murry Burnham and Bob Ramsey who were two of the best.
I have written several articles on calling deer, especially rattling for several different magazines and Mike Hanback wrote an article in OUTDOOR LIFE about hunting whitetails with me. In my book, EYES FRONT there are 8 chapters on rattling whitetails. While I love to spot and stalk deer, nothing is more enjoyable than calling them to you.
Adios,
Gary

[piercebronkite]

I haven't done it a bunch but have had some success, including my best bow buck. I used a little trick I heard on some podcast for rattling from a treestand. I tied my rattling antlers to my pull-up rope, lowered them to the ground and rattled by jerking the rope. The rattling wasn't as loud as if I were rattling by hand, but the additional ground noise of the horns in the leaves and sticks must have convinced the buck. He showed up at 30 yards and stood there for a bit staring at the base of my tree. He then proceeded head on to the base of my tree. When he got to the tree, I started to draw, not really having a shot, but when he smelled my ground scent at the tree he bounded out to 17 yards and stopped broadside.... end of story for him

Excellent advice! I was wondering how to do it effectively from a treestand.

[BarBBar]

The problem with rattling at first light is that the buck will sometimes come in before you can see the pins of your bow sight. Under those conditions, I would use a lighted sight and make sure it is turned on before touching off the antlers. In the 80s, I rattled a good buck that worked in behind me downwind. I couldn't shoot my bow because I had the old unlighted metal pins which were too dark to see, even though I could see the buck.

I once rented a video of Murray Burnham rattling bucks in South Texas. It is a fun watch.