What's the best for rattling in Whitetail bucks?

[Dunezilla]

I rattled for the first time last year. I was rattling for mule bucks, but was not successful as far as mulies go. I believe I did get the whites stired up though as a couple of them were coming my way. Except they spooked...thanks mainly to the smell of some sardine juice I poured on the ground about 100 yards from my spot. The fact I ate sardines more than likely didn't help much niether. I used medium real antlers.

Anyhow I am sorry for the poll but this one works poll style best I would think.

[catnthehat]

I've been rattling off and on for as long as I've been hunting (over 40 years)
Watch a pile of vidio ( some were actuallly rediculous), 16mm film, readf books from every "master with the secret" amd some who were just good, and rattled with some very good and not so good hunters.
The biggest thing is the same as fishing.
"The best caller in the World will not rattle in a buck if he is in the wrong arera."
If the deer aren'5t there, you won't call ny in!
Although mule deer will respond, they generally tend to come to grunting only a tad better.
I'm not saying they won't, justy that they don't respond as well as the white tails.

I like to use real antlers, I've broken a few sets of artificials over the years, although the artificial antlers seem to be louder.

I've called deer by tapping a cedar arrow on my bow and busting twigs, so I am not sure if size matters as much as technique.
One thing I always do is use a grunt tube at the same time as rattling.

Cat

[Snap Shot]

I used to use realy ones but found them just to awkward and clumsy after your done rattling and hurt my fingers rattling with them in the minus-20s to many times.. For the last 4 years i have been using a rattle bag.. Works exactly the same and fits in my pack without stabbing holes.. IMO

[lazy ike]

I started a couple of years ago. I try and use fresh Antlers(not too hard to come by on the highways around here) I've rattled in a couple of small Mulies but nothing huge and in both cases they came in and then they just hung around bugging the hell out of me. In my limitted experience, some smaller deer will respond regardless of the rut but the hogs are another story altogether. I've pulled a very big Whitetail within 50 yds at least 3 times that i know of over 2 seasons and everytime he has come from behind and from downwind. He always announced his presence by grunting and tearing up the brush once he was very close. I'll tell you it's damn exciting but incredibly frustrating, to the point that i'm probably going to put a tree stand in this year.

[Dark Wing]

I think a guy would be alot more successful using a 2 man system for rattling . To many times i've heard deer come in circle down wind and get out of Dodge. Or if I gave myself a good view down wind they would hold up at 400yrds. As far as rattling antlers I use a bag for convenience, surveyors have called in deer shaking spray paint cans.

artificial Primos Rattlin' Antlers, or a Primos Rattle Bag Primos Primos Primos Primos...............



...........PRIMOS


The areas i hunt dont really require to rattle anything in, just work the treelines to get in range once game is spotted

[RandyBoBandy]

Originally Posted by -NDN-

artificial Primos Rattlin' Antlers, or a Primos Rattle Bag Primos Primos Primos Primos...............



...........PRIMOS


The areas i hunt dont really require to rattle anything in, just work the treelines to get in range once game is spotted

Gotta agree with you (BigBore)!!..these work like crazy!!
I had a whitetail Buck run at me from 500yds full bore only to his realization that the end was near!..signed Bagdad Bob

[roger]

i use the size that i am trying to attract
usually around the 160" mark, whitetail sheds are just plain hard to carry, my current pair are mulie and couple nicely together. personally i prefer the long thin tines

[Rugersingle]

I agree you with ya Rog.
I've used the smaller ones and the bigger ones and the larger sets are the way to go. The sounds are totally differant. The larger set carries farther and has more "tone" The reproductions are also a differant tone... to me they sound like "plastic". What they sound like to a deer? the only ones I have rattled have come to the real sets.
The bags are easy to carry but "I" have more fun doing the real thing.
I use a set of those little velcro lock strips from CT to hold them together so they dont "rattle" when I dont want them too and I keep them stored in a snap lid plastic pail with a damp cloth to keep them "wet".