Rattling Bucks!!! Page 16

Some people will have you believe you can only successfully rattle during the rut (Myth) I believe . I went out in mid summer many a times in a town where you couldn't hunt , However there was no law on me going to practice & Learn everything I could about rattling deer so I secured permissions where needed & took advantage on rattling where I knew I was the only one doing so in that area .Deer are very curious animals, & all the times I Practiced various rattling techniques I learned a lot first hand. # 1 being Deer especially Bucks are very curious animals!!! Here are some valuable lessons about antler rattling. First, keep your rattle sequences short to about 20 to 30 seconds kicking leaves, scratching trees etc. during the peak, I've even given out a snort along with my rattling sequence . Even with short sequences, a buck may bolt right in before you are ready for a shot. When first rattling, If you see the buck & he seems on a mission you have absolutely nothing to lose I believe, & maybe everything to gain by trying a rattling session . Either way I don't believe you have anything to lose. Bucks & deer in general are use to hearing antler rattling. There are some factors you need to consider during deer season However, one being are there big older buck in the area, sporting Big head gear, (antlers) on their heads or are the bucks that you are seeing, mid size younger bucks ? This makes a difference, believe it or not, for instance older bigger Buck sporting heavy racks will respond better to a heavier set of rattling antlers , where as younger bucks will (get out of dodge) per say because their intimidated by the sound of possibbly two Monsters going at it & usually don't want NO part of that scene. So In the case of seeing only smaller size bucks now, I go to my rattle bag or a small 6 pt set of antlers & my rattling is toned down a bit as opposed to heavy banging of a heavy set of antlers, and rattle in more of a sparring session rather than an all out brawl , This seems to be less intimidating to the younger bucks & they are more likely to respond, or at least come check out the situation. at the sound of a couple of bucks sparring, keep in mind on occasion this will bring in curious doe's as well. & that in turn will sometimes bring in the Bucks along not long after . A mature buck in the peak of the rut may walk right past the sound of a couple of small bucks sparring, yet just the opposite may charge right into the sound of crashing antlers worn by two big bucks fighting over a hot doe. Antler rattling is effective from early October through late December. Since the (November- Rut) is "the Time for pecking order & breeding rights ," and mature bucks know this. from the early stage right -up to the peak period of -breeding time is VERY intense to say the least . With each passing day leading up to the time when most of the does will come into heat in mid-November depending on your location , mature bucks begin to gradually increase their daytime activity. They start "what I call (HOT trailing)" for hot does and begin to encounter other bucks doing the samealong the way . Territories are then defended, This is the time when bucks find out who's who & the battle begins, However for us the Hunter there couldn't be a better time!!! for a chance at taking one of these Bruisers when they are at the peak time when they become less weary of all around them including hunters!! More so than at any other time of the year, & become one tracked in their thinking "doe's & Breeding" & for us that means at no other time will you have a chance to possibly encounter a buck of a lifetime, or a chance to bag one of these Big Guy's. Due to their one track thinking & that being mating season. At No other time will you ever have a chance to fool a buck this easy, & believe me its still not an easy chore just a more likely chance of an encounter with one of these Bruisers. Also remember a Big rub on a tree or several good sized trees usually means BIG Buck. I look at the height to generally determine the size of that particular buck who's rub im analyzing along with hoof size in the scrape they make, usually having a licking branch above the scrape but not always . Height of the rub can say a lot about a particular Buck along with the tracks in the scrape . And of course if it looks like a brush hog went through that scrape/ rubline I can pretty much say yep Im on a bruiser . I will elaborate more on this later on in this site . Also remember in some areas rattling will just not work as we would like, or maybe not at all in that area, but in any case you should test the waters per say there anyhow & see if that area is one of them you won't know if you don't try . As I said earlier there is no surefire way to guarantee a deer by rattling every time, the best way to give yourself a better chance at it is through trial & error so Practice as much as your able, It can only help you in our never ending quest for the Deer of a lifetime!!! So Let me end on this note: