Success with Rattling?

[Cabin Fever]

These hunting shows kill me the way bucks come into rattling! Honestly, I've only tried it a few times, but feel awkward making such a racket in the woods! I might give it another shot this fall.

Have you had success rattling up bucks in NY?

[steve863]

Have you had success rattling up bucks in NY?

No.  Tried it for a while a number of years ago without any luck.  Got tired of the antlers stabbing me in the back thru my backpack so I gave them up!  Of course some people will tell you that it worked for them, but I'm sure they will never know just how many deer they scared off by rattling either!

[nyslowhand]

Yeah, me too!

Quit carrying the horns and got a rattling bag.

Never (to the best of my knowledge) had any luck.

May rattle a couple of times if I'm bored and then put them away.

Where I hunt there is a high doe to buck ratio, 2:1 or 3:1.

My opinion is that if this were reveresed with a lot of bucks and a few doe, the bucks will fight.

In this situation rattling is a common, natural sound and may attract attention.

If they don't hear it naturally, they may be curious and probably won't come to the rattling.

Agree - disagree?

[CNYlungbuster]

Have you had success rattling up bucks in NY?

No.  Tried it for a while a number of years ago without any luck.  Got tired of the antlers stabbing me in the back thru my backpack so I gave them up!  Of course some people will tell you that it worked for them, but I'm sure they will never know just how many deer they scared off by rattling either!

Well I'm one of those guys it worked for...lol and granted it may and probably does scare deer away but if used the right time of year and in the right situatuion and there is a big boy in the area he'll come running.  I've also rattled in doe's and small bucks and by small I mean spikes and button bucks lol.  So in my opion it works thats just my .02 cents though some guys don't like them, but I do know one thing you won't catch me in the woods in early november without my horns. 

CNY

[6 Does n a Buck]

I think rattling will only work if the herd is in balance.  When there is a need for buck fighting over a doe.

[erussell]

I think rattling will only work if the herd is in balance.  When there is a need for buck fighting over a doe.

Agree, when there is a lot of bucks it works quite well. I have called in lots of bucks and a herd of doe while rattleing. The Doe seem interested in seeing who is fighting I guess. The key is starting out with a simulated small pushing mach with grunts. Then sitting back for a while and seeing what comes in down wind of you and make sure your paying attention to beyond 50 yrds. Have had some come in downwind of me 100 yrds away. I couldn't tell what they were so I would grunt and use the can and that was usually all I would need to get them to come right in. 90% of the time they will circle down wind before getting closer. I have only had bucks come charging in 3 times with a full battle, breaking branches  and kicking leaves to make it sound real. I had a nice ten point come sneaking in down wind one time after rattling and of course I was looking the other direction and grunted a few times and was woken up by a loud snort to my left. I stood as still as possible but the game was up and he left in a hurry.

[NYBowhunter]

I have never had much success with rattling, in order for it to work consistently you need a more balanced deer herd. Our NY bucks have no real need to pick fights with all the does on hand. However I have had great success with grunting, one time a young buck actually came in and grunted back at me. Grunting is a great tool to get a deer closer or to stop them. Like rattling, grunting is only effective certain times of the season.

[sweet old bill]

I have had zero luck and am using the horn bag and I also have a set of horns. I always tried in the rut, but maybe I should start in the early season ?

[Doc]

I once called in a buck by rattling, but he saw me about the same time that I saw him. Other than that one time, I haven't really had any luck. I have to admit though that I really haven't tried it all that much. There's something about sitting out deer hunting making gosh-awful noises that just goes against the grain with me, so I generally just sit there and use more traditional methods of hunting.

I do have to admit that there have been times when my noises (other than rattling) have brought in bucks. On two different occasions, bucks have come in when I was clearing some leaves from my stand. More than likely sounded like another buck making a scrape. On two other occasions, deer have shown up while I was clipping limbs out of my shooting lanes. I'm not sure what they thought they were hearing then, but it got their curiosity going.

So standing out there making a racket can produce, but it still feels like a strange way to hunt, and while I probably will try it again some day, it most likely will not become a common way of hunting for me.

Doc

[Cabin Fever]

I guess I'm not the ONLY one then!

[WNYBuckHunter]

I have also had no luck rattling yet.

[Mr VJP]

I have had luck with rattling on a number of occasions.  I use real horns.  I find if you use them during the rut they will lure a good buck in out of curiosity even if there are too many does in the area.

I also find when I'm rattling with a large rack pair of antlers, it will scare the small bucks off, but not the big ones.

Getting them to come in within bow range is a whole different issue.

[vipertech]

I had it work for me once on a drizzly day.  I rattled using my rattle bag and shortly there-after, a small 6 point appeared.  I let him walk.  Since then, I've not had much luck with it at all.  I even tried it once when a decent sized buck was in earshot and he ignored it. 

[cbx46]

I have never had it work for me unless i just had the deer see me and split before i saw hime but i have witnesses once ina feild and a few times on trail cams bucks locked up so i dont see why it wouldnt work at the right time of the rut.  I think timing and personality of the deer is everything

[Lexingtonlegend]

In my area, the doe-buck ratio isn't effective for rattling. I've used horns and a rattle bag and the only bucks I bring are curious spikes who don't know any better. Grunt calls work like a charm for me during the rut

[SteveMcD]

I have had rattling work for me. And when it works many times a buck will come barreling in looking for a fight. But, like what has been stated, it depends, Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. If you don't know the local deer herd or there are fewer bucks or as typical in New York mostly 1 & 1/2 year olds, all you're doing is scaring them away. 

[wztirem]

I would think that rattling would work on private land where the deer are not pressured. On State Land, all bets are off however, the deer are positively nervous and will  react to (excuse me) to a mouse fart!

[sits in trees]

there's only a short time period during the rut when rattling can be effective. it is kinda funny how on the hunting shows their smashing those antlers together and have deer running right in like it's feeding time, oh did i just say that? ;D

[Karpteach]

Never had the rattle bag work. Grunt tube has brought many a young buck in and early in the season a fawn distress call can bring many things a rushing.

[rock]

not enough mature buck for rattling to be effictive in ny

[CNYlungbuster]

I once called in a buck by rattling, but he saw me about the same time that I saw him. Other than that one time, I haven't really had any luck. I have to admit though that I really haven't tried it all that much. There's something about sitting out deer hunting making gosh-awful noises that just goes against the grain with me, so I generally just sit there and use more traditional methods of hunting.

I do have to admit that there have been times when my noises (other than rattling) have brought in bucks. On two different occasions, bucks have come in when I was clearing some leaves from my stand. More than likely sounded like another buck making a scrape. On two other occasions, deer have shown up while I was clipping limbs out of my shooting lanes. I'm not sure what they thought they were hearing then, but it got their curiosity going.

So standing out there making a racket can produce, but it still feels like a strange way to hunt, and while I probably will try it again some day, it most likely will not become a common way of hunting for me.

Doc

Its funny that you mention making a god awful racket when in the woods.  I had this same converstaion with my Father-inlaw this past season.  My brother-inlaw and I made a run into town to buy a set of rattlers (he didn't have any).  On our return his father started in on us on how making all that noise in the woods completley goes against everything that he was ever taught.  I agreed that making noise in the woods does go against a lot of traditional ways of hunting, but to give it a try none of us had put a tag on anything yet what did he have to lose.  I handed him my horns and told him to try them, while myself and my brother-inlaw went for our evening sit (he was filming me).  I ended up shooting a doe and passing a few small bucks (all rattled in). When we got home with her i asked him for the 411, did he see anything, how many, etc. you guys know the drill.  To my surprise a big smile came over his face and he informed my that I can't have my horns back lol.... He said he tried it out about 30 mins after getting into the stand and had a big mature 8 pter come charging right in to his rattling.  After the buck wondered off he tried again, and he came right back  he rattled  this buck in a total of three times but couldn't close the deal on him... thats hunting tho. 

CNY

[Outdoorcountry]

During peak rut I took my boss hunting and called in 4 bucks in 4 different sits (He missed 4 X!).  I've read studies that show long aggressive rattling (3-5 min) motivates larger bucks.  That being said, I've scared away smaller bucks with aggressive rattling.  The larger bucks I've called in usually try to circle downwind so be ready for that tactic if you try it!

[Nomad]

So a few years back I bought a rattle bag . Next morning I go to a spot behind a friends house, I'm on the ground in bow season behind a big blow down. A first light i hit the bag and in seconds a buck comes running in at just out of my range.....

Best ten bucks i ever spent i think.

never had any luck again with rattling............

[Landowner]

I rattle every year. I found that you will generally rattle in larger bucks. This does scare off smaller deer.

I rattled in one of the largest bucks I have ever seen in the deer woods. He was a 12 pointer. I never got a shot off at him. So now if I do rattle on the ground I make sure I'm in a blind of some type.

It works for me.