5 Keys to Rattling

by
posted on June 10, 2009
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
2009610-hanbackelkhorn_fs.jpg

A lot of hunters crash the horns a few times, pull in zero bucks, go home, throw the horns in a spider-webbed corner of the garage and holler, "That's it, rattling doesn't work!" Well, it sure won't if you give up that easily. Hang in there, keep cracking and remember these five keys. I believe your rattling luck will soon change.

1.) Best Time to Rattle- "The peak of the rut is far and away the best time to rattle in the most bucks, large and small," says Mickey Hellickson, chief biologist for the King Ranch in Texas. The man has the numbers to prove it: During one of his studies he and his team rattled 60 times on peak-rut days and pulled in 65 testosterone-addled bucks. That's a response rate of 108 percent.

Granted, that was South Texas, where the buck-to-doe ratio is one-to-one and where rattling has always worked best. You certainly won't rattle up 60 bucks in your woods, but you might pull in an 8-pointer or 10-pointer if you crack the horns most every day from November 5 to 20. Bust one of those rut-crazed bucks with your bow or gun and you'll have the season of your life.

2.) Don't Be Shy-
When you sit down to rattle with no deer in sight, go for it. In one research project, Hellickson and his crew made 85 sets, rattled hard as they could for one to three minutes at a time and pulled in 81 bucks. They tried 86 quieter sequences and attracted only 30 bucks. Crashing the horns heavy and beating the ground from time to time with an antler was nearly three times as effective.

3.) Best Time of Day- In Hellickson's studies over the years, nearly 70 percent of bucks have responded best to the horns between 7:30 and 10:30 a.m. "Cool mornings with cloud cover and little or low wind speed are best," he says. It's a no-brainer; rattle early.

4.) Don't Rattle Blind-
"Rattling blind can work, but we've found that your odds shoot way up when you see a buck and rattle at him," says Mark Drury, who hunts and films giant whitetails across the Midwest. Say you see an 8-pointer trolling head down on a ridge 100 yards away, or ducking into a ditch after a doe; rattle at him with short, hard horn bursts. If you see a shooter follow one hot doe into a thicket or patch of woods, sneak downwind of those deer if you can, set up 100 to 150 yards away and rattle hard, again in short bursts. "Lay down the horns and get ready," says Drury. "Chances are better than you think that the buck will pop out of the cover, look and give you a shot, especially if you're gun hunting."

5.) Play the Wind- "I cannot emphasize this enough: Little guys might charge in and look, but older bucks will either sneak in to your rattles from somewhere downwind or they will come in upwind, circle to a downwind side and try to smell the fighting deer," says Gary Roberson, outfitter and rattling pro from Menard, Texas. Set up in a blind or stand with good background cover and be sure you can see well to either side downwind (some elevation really helps you spot bucks). "You've got to shoot a big deer before he slips in behind you and smells you," adds Roberson.

Latest

SPD Ptototype
SPD Ptototype

#SundayGunday: Henry Special Products Division HUSH

This week on #SundayGunday, we’re checking out the HUSH Series, from Henry’s new Special Products Division, SPD for short.

New for 2025: Federal’s Personal Defense HST .44 Rem. Mag.

Federal Ammunition has recently added a new HST .44 Remington Magnum “Light Magnum” load featuring a specially designed hollow-point bullet, ideal for those seeking HST performance for self-defense with magnum revolvers.

Utah Wildlife Board Updates

The Utah Wildlife Board approved a few new and updated rules, some of which are necessary after recent legislative changes—including the wildlife management area license requirement for certain counties and the new process for regulating hunting guides and outfitters—along with a few other proposals during a public meeting Thursday.

Member's Hunt: A Tale of Two Moose

This month's Member's Hunt comes from John R. Bean of Tucson, Ariz.

Breeding Duck Numbers Decline Again in ND

The North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s 78th-annual spring breeding duck survey conducted in May showed an index of about 2.66-million birds, down from 2.9 million in 2024 and 3.4 million in 2023.

2025-26 Pennsylvania Migratory Game Bird Seasons Set

Pennsylvania’s 2025-26 migratory game bird seasons have been set. There are two significant changes to waterfowl seasons. The regular season daily bag limit for Canada geese in the Atlantic Population Zone has decreased from three to one, and for northern pintail, there will be a flat daily bag limit of three.

Interests



Get the best of American Hunter delivered to your inbox.