redhead68

I' m new here so bear with me. I haven' t tried rattling in my short years of deer hunting, but would like to give it a try. I do have 3 or 4 sets of natural antlers that I could use. An 8, 9, and 6 point set is what I would be willing to use from my collection. But, do natural antlers sound better than the plastic, wood, etc. rattling bags that they sell?

I don' t know where I saw this, but a show on TV said to soak the natural antlers in water before using them...that it gave them a more realistic sound. I' m all for sounding more natural...but I' m also for ease of transportation and would like to be able to use a rattling bag if there isn' t much difference in the sounds of these bags vs. natural.

What do you all use and why?

hvyhitter19

I have only called one buck back with rattling, and he didn' t come all the way back... But I have used a rattling bag, just because it' s alot easier to get in and out of the woods... But alot of people say to do it on the ground, while rustling in the leaves and thrashing trees, in which case you may be better off with the horns... I have never tried this, as I don' t think my Buck to Doe Ratio is all that great around here.... But I have heard some awsome storys about it working so who knows... I still try when the time is right, but from my stand using the bag and a grunt call... I have never scared a deer with it, at least not one I have seen...

hdsanders

I have used the Lohmans Dynamite Rattling thingy. Does not sound as natural as real horns or the synthetic horns.

98Redline

I have never personally used antlers, but I have heard that rattling from the ground is a sure fire way to get busted. The buck will already be on alert when he comes in, he knows where the sound came from so if you move even a muscle, you are busted.

Some advise I heard was that if you are trying to rattle a buck in, have somebody on the ground do the rattling, behind your stand 30 or so yards, while you get ready to shoot. I suppose it would also work if you were on the ground and to the side of the buck' s track.

Budbowhunter

I use a rattle bag myself (H.S. Strut) but I hear the same thing. That natural antlers have a lower pitch and thus sound more realistic. And yes, they say to soak them in water before you use them to keep them from sounding hollow. As far as rattling from the ground by yourself, that' s what I do and I' ve rattled in 3 bucks in 3 years. If your ground blind is good, they won' t see you. The problem is that they WILL circle downwind of you, so set up for it. Use a buck-in-rut scent and have a shooting lane set up downwind. Pre-rut is the best time to rattle them big boys in. Good luck.