Rattlin for bucks!

[scsims]

I'm thinking about rattling opening weekend of gun season. I have a good feild areas overlooking bunch of thickets, riverbottoms and deer sign rubs and paths.

Do you think it will be a good weekend for rattling? Has anyone ever used a rattlin bag?

One more question how do you guys feel about a .243 for deer. I normally use my .270 but I just recently bought a Rem Model 700 VS in 243, i think it work nicely for field huntin.

Your thoughts and ideas please.

[P. Beyer]

As for rattlin' I've been doing it this week. I've always used real antlers until this year (I lost my set) So I'm using the bag, It does an OK job I guess. No response yet, but it will happen!

The .243, the first deer gun I ever used years ago, Man I wouldn't hesitate to use it at all, especially in open areas like you mentioned, Just stay away from the thick stuff. I dropped many a deer in my "Learning stages" of Deer hunting w/ that .243, If I still hunted w/ a gun I'd probally still use it.

"It makes no difference whether I got anything; it has to do with how the day was spent"

Fred Bear

[mgrouse]

A couple of weeks ago, I used a rattling bag to draw in a small buck. I had never done it before, so it was real exciting. He would walk to within fifteen yards of the stand, look around, run a few steps away and I would rattle and he would come back. He did that two or three times over 45 mins. He would stomp and look around, but he never winded me, eventually relaxed and walked off.

[scsims]

I was able to bring a decent 6 pointer in a couple of years ago with a bag. From what I have read the week before the peak of the rut is best for rattlin and that right when gun season starts. I'm going to using a 95 gr nosler blistic tip in my 243, any one use them?

[Multidigits]

I'd rather use the .270 but the .243 will work. i prefer the 100 or 105 gr. bullets. the B.T. will destroy a lot of the shoulder meat.

Now is the time to rattle. Short, light ticking works best for me. The pecking order has alrwady been set. Once a morning you might step it up a bit, but mostly just ticking.

[Turtleky]

By short do you mean 30 seconds? A couple clicks or a few minutes?

[broadside]

If tried it a few times with no sucess

CHEVY'S, PIONEER RADIOS, AND STREN FISHIN LINE

[Multidigits]

No, about 2-3 minutes or so.

[Wildcat]

I agree with Miltidqits, now it the time to rattle. The picking order has been set but there are traveling bucks that cross over into another area. For me the late pre-rut has always been the best time to rattle, now until the rut kicks in. In late pre-rut the bucks are keeping tabs on the doe groups and an eye out for any new bucks that might come into the area, he hears the fighting he's going to check it out. One thing, a old mature buck most times sneeks up down wind of the fight, he's trying to scent check the bucks. The best possible world of rattling is a team of two hunters and a decoy. One hides as best he can and will not shoot but does all the rattling and grunting he will also have the decoy near by, the other set up in a tree stand 75-100 yards DOWNWIND of the rattler watching for a mature buck. DO NOT TRY THIS DURING GUN SEASON. The chance of an accident is high ever on private land, ever heard of tresspassers???

I've had good luck rattling during late per-rut. I rattled up my largest buck in Missouri, a 12 pointer that scored 186 5/8 B&C. Last year I was using a rattle bag and my cousins son-in-law shot a 12 pointer, 162 1/8, that was making a bee line toward my rattling.

[polcat]

i rattle in a 20" 8 pointer last friday evening..but got bust by a doe befor i could get a shot....my luck is always bad and none..

[buckchaser]

Last Friday while hunting at Fort Knox I had a spike walk by my stand at 10 yards. Since he was to small to shoot I thought that I would play with him some and see what his reaction would be. When he got about 30 yards from my stand I gunted at him with my hands free grunt call and he just looked back. I kept changing the setting from buck to doe grunts and he would only look back and just keep slowly walking away. That same day I had bought a Hunters Speciality rattling bag, so I decided to see what his reaction to it would be.By this time he was probably about 60 yards away. I rattled lightly with it and he threw his head up and just stood there looking back toward my stand. I rattled again very lightly and he ran about about 20 yards toward my stand and stopped. I started to rattle again and he ran right up to within 6 yards of my stand,and he stayed within 10 yards of my stand for the next 5 minutes before he finally wandered off. It was a great thing to experience.

early to bed early to rise Gotta get to the woods to claim my prize

[stevemeadows]

STARTED RATTLING DURING THE FIRST WEEK OF OCTOBER. 2 NICE 8'S AND A BASKET 9. ALL 15 YARDS OR CLOSER BY TIME THE SHOT TOOK PLACE.

[harlanhunter]

I USED A RATTLE BAG THE FIRST DAY OFF MUZZLE SEASON THAT SAT.EVENING AND A NICE 9POINTER SHOWED UP.