Rattling Antlers

[mnsqueeze]

rattling has done real well for me, i to take my rattling antlers with me all the time., in the beginning of the year., i just tickle the tips , nothing hard at all., and then when i start to see the bucks in the field getting more aggressive then i Will do the same., years where the buck to doe ratio is high,.is when my antler rattling works well!<--(for me anyway)., i have brought more bucks in when i tickle the tips.,

[musky_xl]

the problem i have with rattling is when its done from a tree stand... not sure the sounds of crashing antlers is all that natural coming from the tree tops...??? i have tied the antlers together and dangled em from the tree, so all i have to do is jerk the string. this also is a much more subtle sound and not so loud.

[ACPOSSETIM]

I don't use them around home much, too many does and the bucks don't seem to respond well. Southern IL, has worked well and Kansas worked great! I use a couple different sets depending on the location small set is about 120" and the big set are 150"s. I like antlers much better than the bag, I may be nuts but I think you can tell the difference between the real deal and the bags. I do use the bags if I'm hiking a long way to the stand or if I'm carrying a bunch of gear to save space and weight, but I prefer the bigger ones...they tend to sound more like antlers, more resonance maybe?

[oneshot]

I have had some success with blind rattling but it is not as common as calling to a buck i see. That being said I don't think it spooks deer and do try it some. Last year in KS. we saw a hot doe being chased by a 120 buck who chased her out of site and back about 3 times after the last time my buddy pulled out a bag and rattled. In a matter of seconds a small buck charged in and locked up at 40 yards , after he left we tried again and a spike came to 20 yards . After the spike left we tried once again and a 140 class 9 point died at 5 yards. I tried rattling the rest of the week with no response at all. I think the estrus in the air had everyone in a mood to look for a fight that morning. I guess the more you try it the more chances of geting a response you have.