Rattle bag v. rattling antlers

[FredBear]

I use real antlers. I rattle them on the ground from a tree stand. I tie them together with a shoe string, tying a loop in the middle of the string. When I want to rattle I hook my pull up rope in the loop and throw them right out of the tree! This makes a loud crack at first. Like to bucks do when locking up. Then I just jiggle the rope to make them rattle. Makes the leafs move, and it sends the noise from the ground. Where it would be coming from if it where real. Early season you want to rattle very soft. This is the time of year bucks gentle rub there antlers together. It's called tine tickeling. As Crazy said the biggest factor in rattling is buck to doe ratio. If there are a ton of does, and only a few bucks. There is no need to fight over a doe when there ten others for the taking.

[bigbucktom]

I like horns. I hunt on the ground and like to use the horns to make a ruckus in the bushes , scratch the ground and tree bark. It works good for me. Natural or synthetic. It just depends on how they sound . The more authentic the better.
Also when rattling blind, the sound of horns carries over more area. More area covered ;more bucks attracted.

[ninepointer]

Great replies so far!

Fred Bear's tie-the-antlers-on-a-string method is one of best tips I've heard in while. Particularly for those of use who use climbing stands and where space for hanging our gadgets is at a premium.

Last month's Ontario Out-of-Doors article on rattling described Ontario as good rattling country because of an even buck/doe ratio. Any thoughts on this?

[FredBear]

I like horns.

What type of horn you use? French horn?

Last month's Ontario Out-of-Doors article on rattling described Ontario as good rattling country because of an even buck/doe ratio. Any thoughts on this?

1;1 is pretty good for the wild. 2;1 is where it would be in a perfect world, but your in Canada If you have 2 bucks for ever 1 doe then they have to fight to win her love.... This makes scents, rattling, and grunting all more effective.

[bigbucktom]

Here in Texas we call them rattlin horns. Sorry to confuse you. I did notice that the language used here is The King's English. Hope you will bear with me.

[FredBear]

Here in Texas we call them rattlin horns. Sorry to confuse you. I did notice that the language used here is The King's English. Hope you will bear with me.

I was just giving you a hard time Tex. Sorry if I upset you.

[bigbucktom]

No problem. Rattle on!

[Brenjen]

I've used real antlers a few times with no luck, not even any birds would come around. I've read the books, seen the lessons but I came to the conclusion rattlin' is an art form of which I am not a student......I mean I REALLY suck at it.

I did have an opportunity to watch the rare mixed whitetail herd during some flooding that had them pushed up outta' the bottoms & concentrated on high ground; I was laying in some dead fall with my scoped squirrel rifle & saw several bucks from spikes up to a monster that had so many points I couldn't count them all. The big 'un was laying up in some dead fall like I was & he was surrounded by 10+ does...he was observing his "court" like a king while the other bucks sparred.

I've never seen that before or since but the two 10 points were sparring with each other, the few 8's were also paired up as were the 6's & 4's. The spikes were just standing in a line near the field of battle watching; every once in a while one of them would get excited & buck a bit or rear up. I wish I had a video camera with me as I've never seen anything like it even on ranches that host canned hunt shows.

I tried to imitate the sounds I heard from that day during subsequent hunts without any success; to my ear it sounded the same but not to theirs apparently.

[Cossack]

When bucks are hot and there is a lot of competition for does they will come to anything (like a nail being pounded while making a stand!) when the buck to doe ratio is low, not so much. Rattling is iffy situation for me, not enough bucks.

[RichJ]

I feel rattle bags(well most of them) are to muffled from the bag. In most cases the volume is very low, even to low for my liking. Some syntetic antlers sound to "tinny" sounding depending on the brand. I would still take a real set to rattle with. I have found after a couple seasons you will start breaking off points and knuckles. Now all depending on time of Rut on volume. I personaly won't rattle until about 1 week before the bucks are going full swing.

[Limbs and Sticks]

I know some people who have use everything, bag, real sheds, artifical racks even a recorder with a actual fight, when you got a 3 or 4 to 1 like we have here in my part of Va. it ain't going to work no matter what you use, just what I've seen here.

Wes

[crazyfarmer]

I've used real antlers a few times with no luck, not even any birds would come around. I've read the books, seen the lessons but I came to the conclusion rattlin' is an art form of which I am not a student......I mean I REALLY suck at it.

I did have an opportunity to watch the rare mixed whitetail herd during some flooding that had them pushed up outta' the bottoms & concentrated on high ground; I was laying in some dead fall with my scoped squirrel rifle & saw several bucks from spikes up to a monster that had so many points I couldn't count them all. The big 'un was laying up in some dead fall like I was & he was surrounded by 10+ does...he was observing his "court" like a king while the other bucks sparred.

I've never seen that before or since but the two 10 points were sparring with each other, the few 8's were also paired up as were the 6's & 4's. The spikes were just standing in a line near the field of battle watching; every once in a while one of them would get excited & buck a bit or rear up. I wish I had a video camera with me as I've never seen anything like it even on ranches that host canned hunt shows.

I tried to imitate the sounds I heard from that day during subsequent hunts without any success; to my ear it sounded the same but not to theirs apparently.

its no right way to do it;) Its going to depend on what mood the buck is in. Your doing right though. If you have heard a fight in the woods between 2 bucks it sounds unreal. But usually its only a quick 10second or even less tickle of the tines. Thats the best method for me since deer are curious animals.

watch and listen in the woods.. let the deer show you what they are interested in. Ill usually rattle around 9am if i need to get something going before leaving. Before that i dont call. I usually only rattle if i want to try and make it happen. But again, ive only had luck rattling maybe 15% of the time if that!

[Mr. Dynamite]

When bucks are hot and there is a lot of competition for does they will come to anything (like a nail being pounded while making a stand!)

I did have that happen once. It was on an afternoon with a bit of bad weather in november and I was trying to nail a couple of steps up a tree on the edge of a harvested overgrown bean field. Well, I glanced up and happened to see a 8 pt coming clear across the field. He came in really quick, and was looking for something, but I just watched him. I had been trying to be quiet, but the only thing I could figure was that my noise had called him in. He was dead down wind of me, but did not even show any sign of knowing it, and entered the bush not far from me. I guess that sound could have drawn him in.

I know all of the buck fights I have seen were more moderate, ticking of the tines types with the occasional solid hit.

[Brenjen]

....
I know all of the buck fights I have seen were more moderate, ticking of the tines types with the occasional solid hit.

I have only seen the one instance I related above but there must have been ten fights going on all at once & I left before they did after about four hours so I probably saw 30 - 40 separate fights & that quote pretty well summed it up for all of them....light ticking with the occasional solid hit

On the hammering of the nails; lets not forget whitetails are just aggressive in the rut! My dad told me of a news story he read a few years ago where a buck in Texas killed a guy who was picking up cans on the road & stood guard over the corpse until rescue personnel arrived & then he challenged them & the cops had to shoot the crazy thing.

They are individuals to some extent.

[Pinpoint]

I've got a small rattle bag that I will be trying this fall. It doesn't have wooden rods but I think it sounds pretty good, I guess time will tell.

I didn't want to use antlers for all the reasons posted above.