Grunting & Rattling

["J"]

I've grunted and rattled some over the years and have had really no luck at it, I've used the bleat can call and harvested a small 6 point when they first came out. But other then messing around with a few button bucks I've had no success.... I don't do it a lot and was wondering if I should concentrate more on doing it or stay the course and let the terrain funnel them too me....

I've done it blind, and I've done it when I've seen bucks.... They just never seem interested on coming in too investigate..... I don't have a set of antlers I've always just had a rattle bag with me for ease and being quiet going in and out....

Opinion???

 

[MK111]

Only had couple small spikes come in cold rattling. Now I have grunted in couple nice bucks and have turned around couple really nice bucks that lost interest. The nice buck I took in 2000 came to my grunt call walking stiff legged and neck hair standing up. He keep looking for the grunting buck and I believe could see my cattle through the brush. He kept turning to leave and when he turned I gave a low grunt and he came back about 4 times. On the last time he turned at 35 yds. I single hand took a shot with my S&W Classic Deluxe 44 Mag with a red dot. That's the buck I won the Handgun International contest with.
Now 2 years ago I seen a real big buck at 200 to 400 yds. and when I grunted he would stop and look and keep walking. But he was following the cold trail of 3 does.
If you want to hear it's like in the TV shows I don't think so.

 

[brock ratcliff]

There are seven bucks hanging in a room at my house. Five of them were rattled in. I rattle very little. Im not often in a set up that will work, but its one of my favorite and effective tactics. At the right time, in tbe right place, it works very well.

 

["J"]

That's the thing, I hear a lot of good things about it and I wonder if I should call more? Maybe I'm just not using them enough?

 

[Carpn]

In specific situations it works well . I've rattled and/or grunted in a few good deer . Be aware of whats on your downwind side when blind calling . Only blind call when you have something on your downwind side to keep deer from slipping downwind and scent checking you like a terrain break or a open field or body of water .
If I don't have that o only call at visible deer that are gonna miss passing in shooting range .

 

[ajupsman]

You guys in Ohio can speak to this better than I can but I'll tell you my few experiences with it. Here in NH blind calling has never worked for me. I think that's because the buck to doe ratio is way out of whack. There are more does and less mature bucks because everyone here shoots the first buck they see regardless of size or age. So I think when a buck here hears rattling he basically doesn't believe it because he knows he's the only guy in the area. Plus he's already got 2 or 3 does he's following. My experience in Ohio has been different. My first year I was hunting around Halloween and blind rattled in an 8 point. Not huge but big enough I would have shot him. He came in on a run and was looking to fight. Actually surprised the shit out of me. The next 3 years we hunted the first 2 weeks of November and blind rattling never worked again. I was able to get the attention of bucks in sight by grunting and rattling at them but blind calling did not work. My thoughts are blind calling will work where there is a good buck to doe ratio and it will work best in the pre-rut when the bucks are ready to breed but the does aren't. Anybody agree or disagree with my theory?

 

[Carpn]

Also , I wait to call till peak times such as the last quarter of Oct and November

 

[CritterGitterToo]

Grunting, I am unsure about it. I don't honestly, know of any buck that I saw or harvested because I grunted.

Rattling is a completely different story. I know for a fact that I have seen no less than 10 bucks because I rattled, most of these are in the last 8-9 years and most on public land. I always use a rattle bag. Timing and location is critical. I don't ever rattle prior to my birthday (10/23). As a general rule, I keep my rattling to dawn and dusk. My favorite times are the first 20 minutes of light or the last 30 minutes of light.

When I rattle, I am trying to emulate 2 bucks fighting. The early season may be time for that tickling stuff, but I don't know about that. I make a racket! I try to keep my sequences relatively short. I theorize most buck fights are about 30 - 45 seconds and a surrender. The epic battles are the exception. Make a crap load of noise and then shut up, pay attention and be ready (seriously!).

 

[nathan.luthman]

I have had mixed results with both... last year on our hunting trip one of the trucks had a dead battery in it so i had to run everyone around to their spots... well long story short as i was walking in to my spot i saw a nice buck and decided to grunt at him. The stupid thing RAN over within 40yds of me...

 

[Diablo54]

Ric is the rattle master

 

[hickslawns]

I use real antlers. Occasionally try early season but generally the lightest of light tickles of the tines. Why? Because I have watched bachelor groups the first week of the season which hadn't broken up yet. They were sparring and flexing some muscle although still running together. Nothing crazy. They were simply working on the pecking order I suspect.

In 2010 I "called in" the buck I killed. It was late November. He came out of a bedding thicket. Truth be told, I think he was curious more than anything. I had tried blind rattling once and called in a button buck. He moved through and I blind rattled again. The big buck showed up. He was not bristled up or looking for a fight although he had already broken off one brow tine. He was simply curious. From this point I grunted. He looked. Looked away. I grunted. . . We played this game of cat and mouse for awhile. He would take a couple steps and stop. When I thought he was going to go a different direction, I got desperate. I snort wheezed with my mouth. He reluctantly came my way and began rubbing a tree at sub 10yds. I drew when his head was down and let 'er rip. First archery buck down.

2011 I saw the biggest buck I had ever seen on the hoof come out of a different property bedding thicket. I had been blind rattling once an hour as I was in a prime time location. He came out at 75yds to my east, did a semi circle arcing away from me and hit a scrape 75yds to my north. I tried grunting but he was having nothing of it. He made the same arc back to where he came from. Next time I saw him was in a picture where someone else had killed him. That was first week in November.

2012 I had minimal success but was trying to rattle less thinking maybe I had alerted the buck the previous year by over rattling.

2013 I rattled a bit. Brought in some small to medium sized bucks. Ended up killing my buck post rut on the first day of gun season. I will say I had some extremely exciting encounters because of it. One encounter included seeing the buck I ended up killing at roughly 60-80yds away chasing does through the trees like a downhill skier doing the slalom. NOT a result of my rattling.

2014 I rattled in the largest buck I may have ever seen on the hoof. No kidding. I killed a 155-160" buck last year and the buck I rattled in was BIGGER! He came in to roughly 60-80yds as well. Stopped. Stared straight through me. Moved back the way he came from when he saw nothing. The next night I had a different wind. I was back in the stand on the other end of the property. I had recent trail camera pictures of two bucks I would have killed without hesitation. I setup on the other end of the bedding area and rattled about once an hour. Okay. The last hour I rattled twice, 30min apart. I was praying I would pull one of these bucks out. They didn't. BUT. . . I did call in the buck I ended up killing from the opposite direction.

This is solely my opinion. I believe as our does have been thinned, the calling has been much more effective. Prior to this the bucks didn't have to seek as hard. I believe I will see a few more good years at the most, then it will become tough to see any deer. My only hope is the herd in my area gets a bit of a rebound before long. My other opinion on blind rattling is late October to first half of November is the time to do so. I would not try it other times unless it was a desperation attempt to turn a buck not heading my direction. First week in November when I rattle. . . I rattle like I am fighting bucks. One hard clash as hard as I can. Interlocking the antlers and do some grinding of them together with the occasional pulling apart of the antlers with some tine smashing as they separate. Back together with grinding and some hard smacks in there on occasion. Set them down, grab bow, BE READY! If it happens, it will happen fast and not always from the direction you expect. Your head needs to be on a swivel.

Disclaimer: I do not claim to be good at it. I do not claim to be an expert. I do not claim it will work everywhere or even every year. I just know I have had some success with it.

 

["J"]

Good info Phil, thanks for posting....
Thanks for the input so far....

 

[Bigslam51]

Good info here

 

[PSE13]

Thanks for the info!

 

[Spencie]

I have grunted in hundreds....that's an honest number...since the late 80s and have killed some good ones. Most have been grunted in after I have seen them. Not as many blind grunting. I have been able to figure out when to grunt at a buck to keep his interest and lure him in. I think since the mid 90s all have been called in with the same Rod Benson Game Calls grunt tube and the Primos Can as a back up.

As far as rattling: someone PLEASE teach me how! I suck, suck, suck at it.

 

[motorbreaker]

No luck rattling for me either. I have had some good luck grunting in some nice bucks though.

 

[Big_Holla]

I've had a few times now where rattling has worked. Last year before I was even done with my sequence I had a big one heading my way. Never got a shot at him but saw several bucks I could have shot. Ended killing my buck later after noon that same day after a coughing spell that I tried to cover with grunts at the end. I think timing is the most important part. There were times in late October where I tried it and nothing would come in. Other times a week or two into November where they are on their way. Only a couple of the big boys have ever gotten within archery close distance though for me.

 

[ChasinTheTrophy]

Two of the last three bucks I've killed here in western PA I rattled in . Some of my spots ratling works good . Other spots not so well . 4 yrs ago I was hunting a ridge top , this is the first yr I started rattling . first week of November , about 1 or 2 in the afternoon . Was kinda up a little from a point I thought they would be coming up from in the evening . I rattled and sat down cause there was a squirrel behind me making a ruckus . waited like 20 minutes and rattled again , heard leaves and kinda paid no attn. cause was exact same spot I heard the squirrel in before . As the sound got closer and slowed down I knew I messed up cause I could tell now from the cadence of the crunching it was a deer . I peeked over my shoulder and there was a nice 12 I had pictures of . Before I could move he was standing literally 2 yrds from the base of my tree . There I was sitting down , bow hanging up lol . By the time I could stand up and get my bow he was about 40 yrds out and walking through a clump of trees . I would grunt he would turn around and look for a minute , then keep walking away . at about 70 yrds he walked past a big blowdown and as he passed it out walked the biggest buck Ive ever seen . He stayed back behind cover watching what the other buck was doing ! Smart old boy ! I tried everything I could to get them in close . Actually had the smaller 12 get as close as about 60 with grunts and can but would never commit . The next day I got to the same stand about 11am . Climbed up to about 20 ft hung my stuff up . rattled , grunted and used the can all at the same time . stood up grabbed my bow and within seconds I heard leaves behind me coming from the exact same spot from the day before . but this time I was ready , I was hoping it was one of the 2 bucks from the day before but it was a smaller 8 but respectable . he walked behind me and out the other side giving me perfect 15 yrd quartering away shot . I was hooked after that man ! Its a regular part of my season . But as with anything theres certain times , volumes , situations and even depending on the spot im in . I always use the grunt , can and rattle together . Your trying to make it seem like theres 2 buck there fighting over a hot doe . I even throw in a snort wheeze or 2 .

 

["J"]

I think, too an extent the deer numbers just aren't good in the areas I hunt and maybe that has a lot too do with it as well.... Although on a few occasions I've seen bucks and they just look up and ignore it....
Seems too work for some of you though....

 

[brancher147]

I have had luck rattling in SE Ohio especially in late oct and early nov. I used to carry real antlers, but I walk a lot and they were a pain to carry. I switched to the black rack (which I guess is still on the market) and it is a lot easier to strap on your pack and carry, sounds good also. Rattled in this buck last year a couple days before Halloween on public ground (I thought he was a little bigger than he turned out to be). The thing about rattling is you have to be in a spot where you are hidden up high and above deer's noses because they will come in on alert. If you are not having success when rattling it may be that your setup is wrong. Try getting in a tall stand on top of a ridge or in a high saddle where bucks cross. Grunting is the same concept.