buck grunt call/rattle bags

I have had very little luck with rattling where I live. In 40+ years of deer hunting I have never personally seen or heard a buck fight here. In Texas yes but not in Alabama. I know they fight but not when I am around.
A grunt call is always with me. It is used to stop a deer that is walking through the woods and I have called up several deer using it. This year i was grunting at a 2 yr old 8 point that I saw in a hardwood bottom and called him to within 15 yards of my tree stand. He was wandering off to my right and I hit the grunt a couple more times to see if he would come back. 10 seconds later a 3 yr old 8 point came barreling in from the left. That one currently resides on my wall. I hit the grunt every few minutes during every early season hunt and have often had bucks come looking. I have grunted and had bucks and does take off running. In thick woods you need to be careful as a deer can easily be within 25 yards and already looking at you without your knowing it.

I have had success with the bleat calls in October and early November but, like you, I called up only does and small bucks. I have had big does come storming to me if I made a distressed fawn call but they are pretty agitated and leave The area quickly.

Any call you make will put the deer on alert. If they don't see what they expect to see then they will not hang around. Mature bucks will nearly always try to get downwind of where they think the sound originated so keep that in mind. It is best to observe their behavior for as long s possible. As mentioned above I was able to watch the 8 pointer react to my calls for 10-15 minutes before he eventually sauntered away. You will learn a lot more about deer behavior by watching than by shooting.

I have had great success rattling and grunting deer in and on public land here in Tennessee and in Ohio. I use the rattle bag and grunter from late October thru Mid November. I use the bleats in early season and also some low key grunting. The best time for rattling I believe is during the prerut and up to the rut. And thats a timing thing as it only goes on for a few days and then the big boys are tending does and that can be pretty frustrating. My best advice is to be in the woods during the the prerut times in your area. In my case it's ususally around the last week of October thru the first week or two into November. It varies from year to year, you just need to be out there when it happens. When on stand I do a calling series every 20 to 30 minutes and when still hunting I move and call every 3 or 4 hundred yards or so depending on the terrain. Rattling on the ground can be very productive, don't be afraid to make some noise, just be on your toes.

i have rattled in a deer once in my life. it was actually pretty sweet. 2yr old 8pt came RIGHT in and was looking all over for this buck. i have friends who swear by it, but they also say you need some big sheds for it to work right. i usually carry a can and a grunt tube just for the occasion that a buck won't fill the distance i need, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

whether it was coincidence or not, i used the can beginning of november 2 years ago when it was "that magic hour" and some does were in the field off to my right. a monster buck then appeard off to my left but would never fill the distance i needed.

I've seen many shows with larry weishun(sp?) aka mr whitetail, doing nothing but rattling, no matter what state or area he is in. he seems to swear by it, but i go by what i have seen and thats that it just doesn't work in my area. i just try to be as quiet and still as possible. i would rather err on the side of not spooking anything and not seeing anything, then to smarten up "ole mister big". thats just my .02 though.

I've done it before at my father in laws cabin to pass the time and have a buck show up. Out in the woods so far just a doe. I like to mix it in while hunting and do it from time to time.

I have a Primos grunt tube that was recommended to me. I've used it with success to bring in curious deer to lethal archery distance.

I use real antlers for rattlin'.

TR

I use a distressed rabbit call from R.R. Calls. I don't know what they think it is, but bucks and does respond if used sparingly.

Wyo, i have had that happen, too. though i was yote hunting, the deer came right out of the woods at me. i thought maybe a yote was pushing them my way but i never saw one. Then i saw this hunting show on TV and they were hunting mule deer. They had a fawn distress call and when they started blowing it the deer came running. they tagged two nice bucks that way. maybe the deer thought we were a fawn in distress??

I have not had any success with rattle bags or anything fake. I have had a fair amount of success with real antlers.

I usually carry a grunt tube but haven't found them all that effective. I might hit one to stop a buck when I am at full draw. A simple Mappp does the same or a soft whistle.

THe best toy I have found is a rabbit in distress or a fawn bleat. No luck with deer but I did arrow 4 coyotes in one season using them.

I agree with jbkebert, don`t waste your time & money on a rattle bag, you will have better success with real antlers & it has to be the right time of the year, other wise just sit there & wait for one to come around, and grunts & bleats are kind of hit & miss...............

To begin with I think this a GREAT topic! I see alot of guys go out and buy some new fangled product guaranteed to bring in the "big" buck only to just be parted with their money with limited success. Whether its calls, scents, scent blockers, etc.

Keep in mind I live in a state with a 4 month gun season, and I get an additional 16 days on that because I bow hunt, so from Aug 15. to Jan. 1 I am pursuing deer.

My experience is that grunt tubes,bleat cans and rattle bags work best in the rut, with rattle bags especially in late rut. Its not so much do these products work or dont work, its more what time of the season you employ them.

Outside of rut, I have had some success with grunt tubes but these have only worked well at making a walking buck stop, and I have been able to get bucks to grunt back at me who were within a close distance and responded to a throaty buck grunt.

I dont think they work at "calling" a deer to you, like a duck or turkey, I think its more grabbing their attention and making them curious to come check out where you are, if they are in the area. Specifically when the bucks are moving more and are less cautious during the rut.

I think this again emphasizes the need for scouting and setting up in areas with high traffic where the deer are moving, no can, tube or rattle will attract a buck that just isnt in the area.

I know many folks like to use real antlers, but for space and ease of carry, the rattle bag is pretty good. I have found that my rattle bag works well for me in the pre-rut. and not so much after that. I have a buddy that swears by his bleat call, but so far I have never had any luck with it. The grunt has been pretty good for me to. Sometimes luck is what really helps.

the thing to remember about rattling is that you have to match the sound with the size of your deer. here in the south we tend to have less success with rattling because most rattle bags/antler sets are geared to sound like 2 monsters going at it. deer know the sound well! even the biggest southern deer (maybe outside of TX) is NOT going to jump in a fight where he could get pinned to a tree within seconds!

that being said...i have had pretty good success with rattle bags by removing the larger sticks and replacing them with thinner dowels from the local hardware store. sounds wimpy to me but the deer started coming in..

same with grunt calls...i had to tune my HS True talker to a middle setting. i literally had (for me) nice bucks RUUUUUN when i hit the big buck grunt...im in alabama not illinois. once i set it to younger buck grunt i got responses

In Illinois and Iowa I've had good success rattling in bucks. I use a small, mismatched set of sheds for rattling.

As far as technique, I use them during the pre-rut and rut. I rattle for about a minute then wait 5-10 minutes before doing so again. It is greating for "reeling in" a buck once you see them in the distance too. Although once they are within sight I rattle in much shorter stints, as little as a few seconds, but more frequently. Enough to peak there interest. Trying to make them think there's something just over there that they can't quite see. (Normally pretty dense in the area I hunt) I'm no expert, but that's what has worked for me so far.

I've never had a rattle bag work for me, but maybe that's because i suck at it. :banghead:

As for a grunt tube, i use that to cover my steps(i read that bucks often softly grunt while moving) and have had GREAT success with it. I've had does walk right up to me with their heads down, as well as cross behind me. The technique has cut many a hunt short for me.

I have a Primos buck roar. It's worked great and I've had tremendous succes - both in attracting deer (does and bucks) and people (trespassing poachers).