rattling/grunting

Hi all

I am hunting in central mississippi around simpson co. i have been deer hunting for 30 years but never been very serious about it. this year i am trying to see if i can improve my chances and kill some decent bucks. i normally kill ok bucks and a doe every once and awhile. i am a serious turkey hunter and have great success with calling turkeys every year. but i have never had any success grunting or rattling for deer. i have only tried last year and this year. any suggestions? certain times only? i have never had a buck come to either. i have had does come into my location when grunting and/or rattling but seem to pay it no mind?
 
I've had limited success myself. I do think herd structure and age have an effect on it. It just makes sense to me that if there are three does to every buck, unless you're the stud muffin in your part of the woods, why fight over a little loving ? I have had some success with a doe bleat, but not much with grunting or rattling.

Then again, I might not be doing it right ! :)
 
I think timing is very important. I shot a buck late Oct with a bow that came in to rattling. Setup is very important. There was all kinds of chasing going on behind me in a wet glade, every time they would stop I would grunt, roll a can call etc. None of it was working. At some point the doe sounded like she had escaped and he was looking for her again. When it got quiet, I hit two shed antlers together. I barely had time to get them hung back up on the hook before the buck was at my feet looking for said fight. It's rare but it does happen, in my neck of the woods, things have to line up pretty well for it to work but I had nothing to lose so I went for it.

I have much better success with just a doe bleat can call than any other call but there's a reason I carry them all. Pretty sure I would have never shot the above buck had I not rattled.
 
here in central wi. i have had limites success with grunting, need absolutely perfect timing and a sex starved buck to make it work, I have much more success with the bleat can and doe in heat scent combined, example this November 10th I had a fresh scrape line of about 100 yards running east and west, I chose to use a quick ground blind 30 yards north of the largest scrape, i had a north wind, --i placed hunters specialties doe in heat scent 30 yards east of me and 30 yards west of me, and doused the scrape , after about a hal;f hour i started using the bleat can , intermittent 3 to 8 bleats, after 2 or 3 sessions of bleats i saw the 18 inch 8 point coming in like a beagle, with held high sniffing scent, ears twitching to hear each bleat, i saw him for about 80 to 100 yards coming, put his lights out at 25 yards, when seaking is strong, i begin bleating, when the chase is on i blat a lot, a day or so after mating begins i bleat again as bucks immediately look for another hot date
 
here in central wi. i have had limites success with grunting, need absolutely perfect timing and a sex starved buck to make it work, I have much more success with the bleat can and doe in heat scent combined, example this November 10th I had a fresh scrape line of about 100 yards running east and west, I chose to use a quick ground blind 30 yards north of the largest scrape, i had a north wind, --i placed hunters specialties doe in heat scent 30 yards east of me and 30 yards west of me, and doused the scrape , after about a hal;f hour i started using the bleat can , intermittent 3 to 8 bleats, after 2 or 3 sessions of bleats i saw the 18 inch 8 point coming in like a beagle, with held high sniffing scent, ears twitching to hear each bleat, i saw him for about 80 to 100 yards coming, put his lights out at 25 yards, when seaking is strong, i begin bleating, when the chase is on i blat a lot, a day or so after mating begins i bleat again as bucks immediately look for another hot date

I got this answer from someone else and tried bleating with a sent bomb this morning . Had a small 8 point come in to check it out. He’s on the wait til next year list but it worked well


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Grunting and rattling are like extra tools in the tool box that are used for a specific purpose only. Rule of thumb, they tend to work the best when deer are moving already, as in time of season and time of day. Once I took a nice 9pt by grunting midmorning after the deer were chasing hard in early morning, but I've never had much response when things were generally not happening otherwise. Don't overdo it, they heard you the first time and repetition will only give you away. "Tickle the Tines" is the best technique, preferably one minute before first shooting light.
 
The last buck I called to was for experimental purposes only, as I had already passed on him. As he was about to leave the plot I gave a soft grunt. He stopped and looked, but then contimued on. I grunted again with the same results. I barely tickled my rattle bag and he took off into the woods. Evidently, he didn't want his butt kicked. o_O
 
Doe bleat most effective for me. Doe may come in, but watch for that buck. But I've certainly shot good bucks from a buck grunt. Make sure it sounds like one and not the tuba section of the band. Doe bleated this past season and didn't know guy had set up across property line from me 100 yds out. He heard my bleat and started grunting some ugly stuff nonstop. I gave up and lmao.
Rattling. Cold quite mornings best. Set up in funnel with some kind of blockage such as field down wind of you. This protects your from most bucks scent checking. One of my fav spots is a funnel that is a thick brushed saddle with steep ravine on one side and field 50 yds to my back. Now forget that quite crap. If you ever heard 2 big bucks fightning you know it aint pleasant. Grunt softly couple times, Bang your rattlers together hard, then work them for 3- 5 minutes, that takes care of any small bucks bothering. They don't come charging in, arent' lookin for a fight, they are lookin to steal some bucks woman for sex. Keep eyes open downwind. I rattle at 9 and 10 then maybe hour before dark.
Final note on rattling, IF they are going to come, and that is maybe 3 out of 10 attempts, they come in at 30 minutes after the rattle almost to the minute.
 
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The last buck I called to was for experimental purposes only, as I had already passed on him. As he was about to leave the plot I gave a soft grunt. He stopped and looked, but then contimued on. I grunted again with the same results. I barely tickled my rattle bag and he took off into the woods. Evidently, he didn't want his butt kicked. o_O

I've seen that very thing a number of times as well. I think in order to rattle in a big buck, he also has to be a nasty fighting type, not just mature. Depending on ratios, sometimes a mature buck doesn't have to fight at all, just merely posture up and younger bucks get out of his way.

I've also witnessed actual buck fights occurring and no other bucks came running in to see what was going on. This alone should make a grand statement about it's possible success when we try to mimic a buck fight.
 
Doe bleat most effective for me. Doe may come in, but watch for that buck. But I've certainly shot good bucks from a buck grunt. Make sure it sounds like one and not the tuba section of the band. Doe bleated this past season and didn't know guy had set up across property line from me 100 yds out. He heard my bleat and started grunting some ugly stuff nonstop. I gave up and lmao.
Rattling. Cold quite mornings best. Set up in funnel with some kind of blockage such as field down wind of you. This protects your from most bucks scent checking. One of my fav spots is a funnel that is a thick brushed saddle with steep ravine on one side and field 50 yds to my back. Now forget that quite crap. If you ever heard 2 big bucks fightning you know it aint pleasant. Grunt softly couple times, Bang your rattlers together hard, then work them for 3- 5 minutes, that takes care of any small bucks bothering. They don't come charging in, arent' lookin for a fight, they are lookin to steal some bucks woman for sex. Keep eyes open downwind. I rattle at 9 and 10 then maybe hour before dark.
Final note on rattling, IF they are going to come, and that is maybe 3 out of 10 attempts, they come in at 30 minutes after the rattle almost to the minute.
Did you ever shoot a 160-180" buck while doing that hard slam rattling?
 
I always believed in the Light Tickling of the horns, until I heard a Real Buck Fight one night while staying in a tent out in the woods. Holy Crap them boys was getting at it and you could hear them easily smashing there racks like Rams and busting brush and palmettos as they pushed each other all around for 30 minutes, took a 5 minute break then went back at it for 15 more.

I watched a video years ago where the guy doing the rattling was on the ground kicking up the leaves, busting into small trees and such, while the guy hunting was up in the tree stand. They called in several Good Bucks and each took a nice one doing that.

I'd seen lots of Bucks doing what I'd call Light Sparing, but I never heard or saw anything like that in 40+ years of hunting.
 
I'm definitely not an expert, I've been hunting nearly 30 years and have only rattled twice. But this year on Nov 27th while shotgun hunting our place in Ohio I had the best hunt of my life. On opening day I sat daylight til dark and only saw a small buck. That night I told my dad if I hadn't saw anything the next day by 4 that I was going to try some rattling, I was sat up 200 yds from a bedding area and around 4:15 I hit the horns together for a minute then threw in a couple loud grunts, hung the horns up and settled back into my stand. A few minutes later I look up and the biggest buck I've ever saw was standing 40 yds heading my direction. I was lucky enough to get him, and he was a 190"+ 10pt. I believe he was bedded within earshot and it got him on his feet an hour before dark. I may never have this happen again but it was definitely the coolest thing I've ever had happen while hunting. I will definitely give it another try
 
I get much more consistent positive responses to using a decoy than rattling. Shot most of my better bucks while decoying.


I used to have several 3D targets that I put in the woods beside my house. Some of us would get together and shoot them from one side, then walking back we shot them from the other side. It made for a nice little course that took an hour or two to complete. A couple times we found a buck target was pushed over and once one had his head lifted off ! :) I pulled the antlers off of them and never had any more molested. :D
 
.....Set up in funnel with some kind of blockage such as field down wind of you. This protects your from most bucks scent checking. One of my fav spots is a funnel that is a thick brushed saddle with steep ravine on one side and field 50 yds to my back.....
This^^
Bucks will attempt to scent check the "bucks" that are fighting so the set-up is important.
And bucks need to be in the proper "mood" to respond. I've had a specific buck ignore rattling on one day and then have him respond the very next day.
 
My Last Buck shot in Pa came though my area just at Dark was setting in. I was actually packing up to climb down after an all day sit, when I saw a Deer slip through a lane I had cut through the Brush.

I set up that direction and gave a Soft Grunt twice and waited. He slipped back around the top of the Brush to take a Look at teh Buck that had grunted and I could see that he was Legal for that area and all I needed. I shot and watched him run about 30 yards and drop.

He was an old Buck for that area (brother's farm) and probably was on his way down. A Broke Up 10-point from fighting, big bodied Deer an a average width rack.

Right Place n Right Time.

Other days I have sat a Grunted off and on all day and never seen a Deer respond to it. Seems to work the best for me when I have SEEN a Deer and am trying to get them to come my way.
 
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