Conference vmsnet::hunting$note:hunting

    I've tried to read and watch every book and video possible on rattling
    and each one of them had their "own" secret.  The major difference
    between each of the sources has been the amount of time of actual
    rattling.
    
    Here's what I do;
    
    	o Position myself so I am facing downwind.  Nine out of ten
          times, that buck will make his way around you to get downwind.
          Once they smell you...they're gone!
    
    	o I try to find a little cover where I can see but still not
          be totally detected. ie. behind a mountain laurel bush or
          stump
    
    	o The big secret to rattling is not to crush one of your fingers!
          I keep one of the antlers still (left hand) and use the antler
          in my right to do the hitting.
    
    	o I start out with a few tinglings of the antlers followed by
          beating or stamping the ground with my feet or the antlers.
          This goes on for about 30 seconds and then I really slam the
          antlers together for about 90 seconds and then I go back to
          tingling/stomping for another 30 seconds.
    
    	o I usually repeat this process every 10-15 minutes depending
          on the time of day and available signs or until I crush one
          of my fingers.
    
    
    Hope this helps... I'm by no means the expert on rattling, but this
    method has helped me.
    
    
    Ray
      

    Sounds good, I plan on giving it a try this sat. Are there any
    particular times of day that are more productive than others?
    
    Rick

    Hey Ray,
      Have you ever called anything in with this method? 
    
    Jeff

    like Ray said everyone has their own secret. I have only been rattling
    for about 5 years and it does work. Two years ago I added the "grunt"
    call and this was even better.
    
    My suggestion for learning is get a video. You can read all you
    want about rattling but nothing is better then seeing it done. I
    recommend a video titled "Whitetail Country". it is one of the best
    I have seen and it has the grunt call demonstrated also.
    
    I disagree with Ray about looking downwind. It is true that the
    buck will circle sometimes but I position myself, if possible, with
    some natural obstacle at my back and look upwind, ie. river, cliff,
    or rock overhang. More often then not the buck will come in so fast,
    if the rut is in full swing, that he does not care about circling.
    
    I hope you enjoy this new sport it is great fun.
    
    harvey

      I've been rattling for 8 years now and have had a great deal of
    sucess. Here's some of the techniques I use. I agree with the other
    fellows on getting an obstacle behind you to block your outline
    and your movements. sneak into the area you plan to rattle very
    quietly and undetected, Near scrapes and rubs, I've shot two big
    bucks rattling over scrapes like this out of a tree stand, I start
    off by blowing my grunt call low and easy, no more than 3 times,
    wait about 10 seconds and then I start to thrash brush and pound
    the antler bases into the ground, believe me the more noise you
    make the better your chances are, Then I start to rattle violently
    for approximately 45 seconds to a minute, no more because when a
    buck heres you he'll move in fast and if your still rattling he'll
    detect you before you detect him, after your first sequence drop
    your antlers gently and grab your rifle and be ready, 90% of the
    time you won't see the whole deer, only antler tips or legs, also
    don't expect a big buck to run right in the first time you rattle.
    sometimes I rattle ten to twelve times a day without seeing a deer.
    repeat your seqence about every twenty minutes for and hour.
       If nothing comes in after an hour I usually move to the next
    spot in mind and rattle again, the grunt call is a must in my book.
    Usually when a buck hangs up a low grunt will bring him in. 
    
      If you have any more questions I'll be glad to answer them for
    you, I would definitely get a good rattling video by Dick Idol or
    Gene Wensel.
                                                          Rick

    I had an idea that might work well.
    I was thinking about the idea of using a pre-recorded "rattling, grunt
    sound, and ground stomping" sequence. You would have to pre-set the
    volume of the tape player before going in the woods. 
    (so not too loud)
    
    Then when you go to your spot in the woods, set the speaker away
    from you so the deer would not be looking directly at you as he
    approaches.
    
    
    
    something like this:
    
    (you here)  TAPE PLAYER
                -----------                                     SPEAKER
                |         |--------------------------------------------<
                ___________       approx 20' speaker wire
                                                         
                                               
    If you get into cover and play the tape, it might be harder for
    the dear to spot you because you would not have to be waving you
    arms and stomping you feet for sound effects.
    
    I thought that this might be a good idea to try.
    
    BUT CHECK IF THIS IS LEGAL IN THE STATE YOU WILL BE HUNTING IN.
    
    ____________good luck_______________
    
    
    Frank G.
    
    
    

    I have considered this myself. Last year it was illegal to use
    electronic calling devices in CT, but I looks like they got rid
    of that for 88. I've seen alot of devices on the market. one of
    which is real similar to what you just descibed. it comes with
    an external speaker and a player. If you can get the tapes i say
    go with the homemade version.
    
    Rick Egan

    i have one question; how do you stamp the ground and rattle the bushes
    when your up in a treestand...??   i suspect that a treestand would
    be the best place as there would be no scent detected, or movement...
    but you then lose the ground thrashing sounds... 
    
    i'm ready to give it a try.
    
    Fra
     

    I find that I get the best results rattling early in the morning
    or right before dusk.  That seems to be the time when the bucks
    are moving more.  My biggest frustration in rattling is having the
    buck come in to the sound but stay out of sight, snorting and stamping
    the ground.  But as mentioned in another note, sometimes all you
    get to see is an antler or ears.
    
    re. .8 It's very hard to stomp the ground when you are twelve feet
    about it!  But you can still rattle and bring them in.  Just don't
    fall out of the tree!
    
    Ray
     

      A good method from rattling in a tree stand is this: i tie some
    nylon string onto a rock at the base of my stand, i don't know where
    i got the idea, i think it slipped into my head one of those below
    zero mornings when I forgot I even had a body left. but the first
    time i tried it an 8 pointer around 220 lbs came right to the stand.
    and I had a new bolt action rifle which I never used before and
    needless to say when he spotted me he bolted and I picked him in
    the scope and kept on thinking I was going to get a better shot
    as I followed him through a mess of blow downs and swale he finally
    disappeared and I never got him. after that I never saw him again.
     also after rattling a deer in like that and your detected he knows
    it was a trap so don't bother wasting your time rattling that stand
    again because he'll never show his face. move a couple hundred yards
    the next time and try it and you may bring him in, but most likely
    he will have learned his lesson and be very cautious thais time.
     
                                                     Rick
    

    OK, all of you NH afficianados, what do you recommed for hunting
    strategy this soon in the year for whitetails with a bow???
    
    too early to try a little horn tickling?
    too early for doe in heat scent?
    
    all ideas welcome...
    
    Fra

    When we scouted Vt. last year there was LOTS of activity under
    the apple trees - find a productive tree and set up nearby.
    I like plain doe urine on my feet when walking to a stand.
    Doe-in-heat might get a buck curious, but being so early
    it might alarm other (real) does.  Good luck.
    
    Dana Charbonneau

    
    
    When I was in the local K-Mart store this weekend, I noticed a
    pair of artificial rattling antlers.  They were green colored and
    felt like that were made of plastic.  They certainly didn't feel
    real.
    
    I was just wondering if anyone had tried the fake antlers, and
    if they were any good.
    
    Jerry

>>    I was just wondering if anyone had tried the fake antlers, and
>>    if they were any good.

I haven't ever tried them, but the talk I hear is that they are 
different from the sound of bone-on-bone and can spook the bucks.  Has 
anyone seen an article comparing different brands (comparison test).  
That would seem to be the best way to get an independent opinion - I'm 
sure if you ask the makers of this specific brand you'll get "Noooo, 
they're just as good as bone...."  ;^)


Scott

    last year I rattled in a 5 pointer in mass during the Archery season
    using synthetic antlers, and have seen a couple of videos where
    they use them also.  Reason for using them being availibility/price
    and they don't lose their tone after a couple of years like real
    ones do.  The one's I bought are identicle to real antlers is every
    aspect, even down to the burrs around the scull area.
    
    The ones the you mentioned seeing at Kmart are definately the ugliest
    things I have seen, and don't even resemble an antler. I can't vouch
    for their effectiveness but i would tend to stay away from them...
    but then again someone is selling rattling bags, and i've seen an
    article in Sports Afield where you can make your own using hardwood
    dowels in a bag.
    
    If you have the availibility to real ones, i'd say go for it, but
    for the most part, anything large enough to rattle with should probably
    be hanging over the mantle, unless you buy them through a dealer
    or something.                
    
    Good Luck,  Fra

    Fra,
    As far as strategy this early in the NH season, I'd say you'd be best
    to find good feed ie, beechnuts or white oak acorns and set up there.
    If being invisible doesn't work (or if you get bored silly) you
    might try a fawn distress call.  I'd leave the sex scent and the
    rattling horns home for another 5 to 6 weeks.  I still hunted for
    4 hours yesterday afternoon in a nice light rain.  It was just
    beautiful (my first chance out) with only about 4,000 minor
    problems.... mosquitoes!!!! I forgot to bring the Bens 100.
    
    Dave

    I was just wondering if anyone had tried the fake antlers, and
    if they were any good.
    
    Jerry



	Yes, Ive tried these exact synthetic antlers this year.  I too like
like many deer hunters are always willing to try to out smart the 
deer.  So I bought these antlers and tried them during the last week 
of muzzle loading season.  I wasn't expecting anything at all but I am 
totally convinced that these work.  I had my back against a tree and I 
was sitting on top of a little hill with scrapes all around on the 
bottom of the hill.  It was very dense cover at the bottom.  It was a 
little windy that day so hearing was tough. (I'm probably deaf).  But 
I would rattle for about 30 seconds, starting with low tinkling of the 
tines right up to very loud clashes.  (Or until I crunched my fingers 
off).  Little did I know that right below me was a very nice buck.  
The reason I know this is I saw him get up and run away. (#*!)  So 
yes,  these synthetic antlers do work but take note that the smart 
deer really do sneak in and hide so look hard.


					-Marc

    re: -1
    
    >really smart deer sneak in and hide so look really hard.
    
    This past year in Montana I was out hunting with one of the guys in our
    party who is a Boeing Engineer.  He's about 50, curious, and is
    always looking to try something.  We hiked into this open area about
    100 yards across.  It was covered with snow and it was hilly.  It looked
    like the kind of place where you'd want to see deer.
    
    We had just emerged from the the woods which was edged with
    small cedars.  We scanned the area pretty good and decided to take a
    rest.  My friend, Karl, picked up two branches about 2-3 feet long and 
    maybe 2 inches in diameter.  I could see what he had on his mind as he
    carefully selected them from the snow.  He started clacking them
    together like you see in the rattling videos.  "Whack!  Whack!....grind
    ...rub...grind..rub"
    
    He went on doing this for about 5 minutes as I carefully scanned the edge 
    of the clearing for any deer that had moved in.  Karl then coughed loudly
    and broke the morning stillness.  I turned toward him just in time to see 
    4 deer bolt back into the woods right where we had come from.  They had
    been standing among the small cedars right behind us.  We both ran to get 
    a shot because we knew we'd be able to see them as they ran down into the 
    ravine where they were headed.  We saw each of them darting along between 
    the trees but we never confirmed a buck let alone get a clear shot.
    
    After they were gone, I went and traced their tracks in the snow to see 
    where they had come from.  They had come along the clearing from our left 
    hand side and had been standing no more than 25 yards from where Karl was
    rattling.  I have to admit that I was truely amazed that 1) they came
    right up to us and 2) that I didn't even hear them walk up.  Go figure.
    
    /brett

    p.s. If anybody wants to buy a pair of genuine Montana rattling sticks 
    specially made to attract the trophy bucks send......