The Technique of Antler Rattling – Do You Really Need It? This Will Help You Decide!

There are quite a few hunting magazines and television programs out there in the media that will try to sell you something, and one of those techniques seen in deer hunting articles has been this concept known as Antler Rattling. Along with the different other deer hunting gimmicks, such as bottles that gave you a scent to perfectly imitate does in heat, it becomes harder to decide what exactly is a worthwhile purchase and what is only just another trend.

This article is meant to help those of you who have perused the multitude of deer hunting tips out there only to find that antler rattling seems like a great plan, yet you’re still unsure as to whether or not you’ll find it useful. Think of antler rattling as any type of game calls.

The first thing to automatically take note of is the fact that, like other deer hunting tips, there is an acceptable risk that antler rattling won’t work for you the first time, or maybe it will, but not the next. The fact is that this is a technique that isn’t foolproof, and it certainly doesn’t make the entire population of bucks in your area come towards your tree stand as breakneck speed. Yet, if you are seriously interested in deer hunting and are looking for more information on antler rattling, keep reading, because this article will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of this tool.

Want To Be A Really Successful Deer Caller Than Read This Article About Deer Calling: Deer Calling 101

Understanding the Mindset of Antler Rattling

Before you decide to pick up this technique, it’s important that you are able to understand exactly what you will be doing to the buck if you do this properly.

The theory behind antler rattling is that when you rattle them properly, a buck will automatically assume that there are two bucks fighting and most likely fighting over a doe. This buck will want in on that action, for obvious reasons, and come running – if you can realistically imitate the antler rattling that a buck will believe.

Even if the buck isn’t going because it believes that there is a doe being fought over, there are a multitude of reasons that bucks will be fighting. That means that while deer hunting, you can expect a variety of ages with bucks.

If you’re looking for deer hunting tips about what you’ll find, if you do this right, it is highly likely that you’ll find a curious buck that will slip right into your view. As long as the buck is ready for the rut, then you’ll see bucks do incredibly stupid things because their brains are obviously not in the same place.

In the end, the important things you need to understand is that the rut is an incredibly difficult urge for any buck to control. That makes this one of the most valuable deer hunting tips out there if done correctly, as it can be incredibly effective.

Looking at Limitations

Rattling sounds absolutely amazing, doesn’t it? Seems foolproof, like you will have bucks just traipsing right up to your tree stand all year and that you can just chill out up there for the entire year. Except this is not the case. While rattling can be effective, there are also different reasons that this technique simply will not suffice. You may not hear about them that often, as they are hardly mentioned during outdoor shows, but that doesn’t mean they don’t exist.

Let’s take a look at some of those reasons as to why antler rattling may not be the most effective tool while deer hunting.

Issues with Antler Rattling

1.The biggest issue is that the actual rut itself is what will determine the effectiveness. You really can’t depend on the rattling to make the bucks come towards you unless you are aware of the rut itself. Rattling works if it is done around or during the rut because if the actual buck isn’t interested in any of the does, you won’t have a chance. As a hunter it’s up to you to learn the timing of the rut in the area that you normally hunt at, otherwise, you’ll actually scare the deer away from you.

2.Another problem is that you’re relying on the idea that a buck needs to find a doe. Except, if he already has his doe, he’s probably not going to just up and leave to go check out a fight, which means he’ll probably move himself and his doe away from the rivals he may think are in the area.

3.Take a look at where these major demonstrations as to the effectiveness of antler rattling are normally from: these places are deer hunting game ranches and the actual ratio of buck to doe is much more even than anything you will find on land that most common hunter will have. More often than not, the ages of the deer that personal hunters will face are not nearly as good as those of game ranches. That means that if you use antler rattling on a game ranch, there is close to an equal number of does for each buck, which means that the amount of competition on the ranch is going to be exponentially higher, something that is hardly realistic in private or public lands. Because of this, when these bucks hear a fight, no wonder they come running towards the sound, as there are far less does for them to breed with.

4.And then there is the fact that these tips are not brand new, have been used, and will continue to be used by other hunters, which means you will eventually run into bucks who possibly fell for the rattling one time, but if they escaped, will not be fooled again. Most of the time, it is because an everyday hunter somehow messes up, because of their impatience or lack of faith in the actual tool of rattling. As a result, when they decide to abandon the hunt, there is probably a buck that they spook which the hunter never saw.

5.Bucks aren’t about to just come charging into the middle of a fight, they’d probably wind up sneaking up and around, which means many times coming downwind. That means that they can smell the hunter long before the hunter can see them and then they will run. The actual sound itself is also not as clear as you may think, because bucks can easily hear something like a squirrel and still zip away.

6. Another concern for many bucks is that if they know that there has already been a fight between a 6 point and an 8 point buck over a doe. If you have a 6 point that hears your antlers rattling right after this fight and saw that the 8 points kicked the 6 point’s butt pretty badly in that earlier fight, the other 6 points may just run away, thinking that the 8 points are kicking butts and taking names later.

Final Verdict –

Okay, so, after looking at the different advantages and disadvantages to antler rattling, the answer is still unclear not only to the average person but also to the expert deer hunter himself.

The fact, though, is that the decision is up to you as to whether or not you would like to use rattling. You know when it works and when it won’t work, but there are reasons that people use it.

For example, it isn’t an incredibly huge advantage while hunting, but it can give you enough of an edge to nudge that buck just a little more into your sight, making for a clearer and easier shot. Why do think of these deer hunting tips regarding antler rattling? It can shake things up a little, and it certainly does give you a feeling of a little more power since the buck is actually chasing after you instead of the other way around.