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Calling

Mike R

*Supporting Member*
336
55
I've had some luck with rattling, but never from a tree stand. It worked today on a 1 1/2 old buck, which my son missed. I've never had it work on what I would call mature deer most of the time it's young ones. Don't expect instant results 1 out of every 10 times I give it a try do I get results. Grunt calls I never use unless a deer is in sight and I does work to bring them closer.
 

Outdoorsfellar

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
I don't always rattle, but when I do..... I do it very methodically. I like to mimic two bucks sizing one another up, kinda pushing each other around sort of thing. I believe a buck will be more inquisitive in that manner to come around. The thrashing / all hell loose type of rattling does more harm than good I also believe.
 

Joel

Senior Member
3,050
113
Centerburg, Ohio
I have the can, grunt tube and rattling antlers. Never had anything come in and always feel like a jackass when I try and nothing happens lol.
 

doublej

Junior Member
85
0
Blind called with just about every call known to man and never had anything work...
Only time I had a call work was a Flextone grunt call, a doe ran across and was heading away so In desperation I blew three short grunts she was probably 80 yards away at this time and moving quickly. She stopped, turned around, and then came back and offered me a shot at 20 yards.
Never had success with rattling but was always told real antlers are the only way to do it. I'd agree with the light rattling, more of deer pushing each other around then going at it full speed ahead..Mature bucks are going to try to come in to rattling upwind of you and full alert trying to pick out the source so if possible use terrain and your setup to try to keep that from happening.
 

hickslawns

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
40,167
288
Ohio
I also try to mimic the sounds of actual deer fighting. Many say not to use in the early season. I have watched bachelor groups the first week play sparring. They knocked the antlers together much much much more than I ever would have thought. Not knock down drag out fighting. Just pushing and not getting fired up at each other. For this reason, I have tried very light rattling early season. During the rut, I have used it and it has worked. I rattled in the buck I killed this year. I was using 2 antlers I found on that farm. They were not small antlers. I started out light and finished with serious clashing of the antlers. Head on a swivel the whole time. I was rattling every hour during the heaviest rut. In fact, the night I killed my buck, I was hitting them every half hour. I would start each sequence with a can call, then tending grunts, then a longer grunt. Rattled the antlers and then finished with a long deep grunt.

Two nights prior I did similar. Once every hour in a different stand. I think this is one of the keys. You sit in the same stand and bang the antlers all day long, I think they are going to wise up quick. Two nights prior though, I called in my number one target. He came in to investigate. Hung up at 70-80yds. When he didn't see anything, he changed his mind. I highly doubt I could have called him back into the same stand. He was a very mature buck. That was the second time in the last 4 years I have had these results. Ironically, the bucks were eerily similar in antler configuration. Both hung up 70-80yds out. Two different properties.
 

motorbreaker

*Supporting Member I*
1,542
63
North of Toledo
I've killed 3 bucks in the last few years because of my grunt tube. It worked to get them in close enough for a shot. I've had more turn and go the other way tho. Seems to work best for bucks up to age 3.5 for me anyway. Called my sons 5.5 year old 8 pt. in a couple years ago on a string. I consider my grunt tube to be one of my top 3 tools for deer hunting. Not counting my weapon. Gotta have binos and range finder to.