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Have you ever rattled in a buck? (Poll)

Have you ever rattled in a buck?

  • Yes, but it almost never works

  • Yes, and it works occasionally

  • Yes, and it works fairly often

  • No, I've tried and tried with ZERO success

  • I've never tried

Results are only viewable after voting.
Back in the late 80's-early 90's, and during the last week of October through the first week of November, I could take a rattle bag and bring a lot of bucks in if I saw em first. I'd have bet money on it.

These days, I don't even carry a grunt call. Most bucks I see now will either move away quickly or avoid the area if they hear horns or grunts.

Just my personal observations.
 
I'm torn on it. Rattled a week ago in a hardwood bottom and had two bucks cruise by at a distance. Nothing came running in on a string right to me. Hard to know if those bucks would have shown up anyway. I'm also hesitant to do anything that is going to alert deer more than they already are. I try to use geography and wind and don't really want bucks circling downwind if I can help it.
 
I had tried off and on for several years with no success. One year I guess I hit the timing just right, and it was like majic. I could hit the horns and a buck would show up. I've never had that degree of success again, but it occasionally works.
 
Ooooh I'm very surprised with this poll!!

We are 50/50 pro vs con?!?!

I have tried and tried rattling every couple of years. Lately, Ive been under the conclusion that I do not help my chances rattling and have never heard of anyone that has recent success using them in our area.

I call a lot! Doe bleats all season and start using buck grunts intermixed halloween- the end of December. unless a deer is inside 100 yards I will call a lot throughout my hunts.

Only time I've spooked bucks with a buck grunt is if they are small and non dominant and likely a buck I don't want to shoot anyway. They usually drop their head and slink away.
 
I've had success doing it and have come to the conclusion that it draws so much attention to me I haven't seen most of the bucks coming to it. All mine have been young bucks. IF, and that is a big IF, any mature bucks came in they probably did it from down wind and busted me.

I believe the quieter you are in the woods the better. And STAY STILL.
 
Great discussion. The reason I asked is that I used to carry a rattle bag and never had any success. Then I read all the raving about the Black Rack and bought that. I haven't had any success with it either. Plus, it's a PITA to carry in a backpack and it hooks everything in there.
 
I don't rattle that much anymore. But that very last week of October it does work. But I don't rattle like on TV and hit them as hard and as fast as I can. I try to mimick an aggressive sparing. But thats pretty much the time and about the only time I do it now. It takes the right time and the right deer for it to work in tennessee I am convenienced on that. The success rate is very low in tn.
 
First buck I ever killed my dad rattled in. It was a little 6 pt.

Rattled in and killed an 11 pt some years back.

I don't rattle much and those 2 instances were the only times I've seen it work. If I do decide to rattle I don't go all out. Just tickle the horns together a little.
 
Spurhunter said:
Great discussion. The reason I asked is that I used to carry a rattle bag and never had any success. Then I read all the raving about the Black Rack and bought that. I haven't had any success with it either. Plus, it's a PITA to carry in a backpack and it hooks everything in there.
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I've killed one with a rattle bag. It's ok but I use the black rack now. I find that tickling and grinding it together works best for where I'm at. Usually hit a sequence soon as I can see about 20 yards. Usually once per hour unless I'm seeing quite a few.
 
Yes. I marked "fairly often" because it works very well for me in terms of bringing deer to me stand. Problem is it could be bucks or does and any age. Deer are curious and social so they come to the commotion. The deer least interested often times are the bucks that have already been whooped, and older bucks with no interest in fighting. But sometimes they are interested and that's when rattling is fun.
 
Yes but I do it rarely.

Couple instances:

1)Rattled one day sitting high about a really grown up field. 12-15 min later I spot a buck sneaking through it. He was wide. Shot at him with muzzy roughly 150 yds and missed. Waited maybe 30 min and rattled again. 12-15 min later I killed the second biggest buck I've ver killed.

2) watched a young 8 point walk right under me but I had no interest in shooting. Watching him walk straight away from me and disappear through the woods. After he was gone for several minutes I decided to rattle to see if he reacted (although I could no longer see him). He came back in on a string.

I prob rattle 1-3 times per year. This was 20 years ago and it's never worked again to my knowledge unless they circled and never showed.
 
Personally I think I've ran more off rattling than anything…🤷‍♂️

Grunt calls have been the death call of a couple over the years.
The BIG Can , I've called in several young bucks with, but the time has to be right or it seems nothing works.

One call I found works better than any of the above..
Falling bark as you're climbing your tree…
I can't tell y'all how many deer I've had come too the sound.. bucks included.

Of course the trick to it is too be able to pull up your gun or bow without being noticed!🤣
 
Unfortunately I've only been able to rattle in spikes. I rattled one in early November and it caught the zoomies and started running laps around my stand. I got a good laugh out of it.
 
Rattling rarely works for me but I have had some nice ones come into the sound of a deer getting shot and crashing, and also by peeing off the stand.
 

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