Tips From MDR Outdoor group
Better Hunting from the makers of 24/7 products
October / Pre Rut - Rattling up a trophy
This is often the period where the rattling of real or imitation
whitetail antlers can work the very best. This is not a technique
for the hunter out to harvest any deer or any buck but is strictly
considered a mature buck tactic.
To be successful in this technique, it is of the utmost to take
care of ones own scent as you are pursuing the wisest members
of the herd who have seen it all once or twice and are not as
incoherent as they will be a in just a few weeks when they begin
chasing does. Using a highly effective clothes wash and scent
destroyer in combination is a great start. If a person is fortunate
enough to be able to afford scent destroying clothing, all the
better. Next, you really want to be in a tree stand if at all
possible, the higher the better to a point. I prefer to hunt at
the 18-25 ft. level, but obviously you want to be comfortable
with the height. This will allow you to better get away with movement
to prepare for a shot or help in keeping trace human odors above
the deer.
One wants to pick days when the winds are reduced as the sounds
they make will travel further and interest bucks from a larger
radius. It is an accepted belief that the larger the antlers the
better the result. Of course there are accessories that imitate
the rattling of antlers that are effective as well, but for me,
it's a set of 100 score antlers or larger for the best results.
Now you want to begin your calling. A 30-60 second series is what
I find works best followed by 30 minute pauses in between. There
is a tendency to rattle too much. Beware of this pitfall. It’s
very hard to pay close enough attention with the movement of the
rattling activity. One needs to pay very close attention to their
surroundings and particularly downwind as oftentimes an approaching
buck will circle downwind to try and scent check the site before
fully committing. If we haven't prepared ourselves properly with
scent control, we may never even know of the buck or bucks that
partially worked their way in... Bang the bases together sometimes
within the series but include a lot of tip to tip contact as well.
Anyone who has observed a few whitetail fights knows how violent
they can be and how the pace goes from furious to subsided and
furious once more until one of the two submits and runs. That
being said, more buck fights than not are of the minor variety,
which lends more to the noises evolved from the tips of antlers.
When not in use, hang the antlers and have your bow ready. Things
can develop slowly, but they can also develop in seconds if a
buck rushes right in. The hunter really needs to have their head
on a swivel for this technique. A good addition to this rattling
strategy is to incorporate mature buck urine into this program.
Using 24Seven Dominant Buck is a perfect choice for this with
its easy application and its mature buck hormones provided by
our in house 5 1/2 year old buck and added buck tarsal gland extracts.
Place your sent in 2-3 spots you'd like to get a standing shot.
Another added strategy is the use of a buck decoy. This can be
a deadly addition, but do it safely! Either enter and exit the
field with the decoy in a bag or with some blaze orange on it.
Do not trust that every hunter is going to know it's just a hunter
carrying a decoy! Some hunters lose a little of their composure
when they see antlers or deer in general and it only takes one
mistake for a serious accident to take place.
Remember, this is a big buck strategy and like other strategies
for these dominant animals, it can take several trips before you
may have a successful reaction. If this were automatic, everyone
would be doing it and all the big bucks would be on a wall somewhere.
If you've only got 1 weekend to hunt this year, you might want
to refrain, but if you've got a bunch of vacation and are about
to put a lot of hours in the stand, this can lend to some of the
best drama in the autumn whitetail woods.
Good luck and be patient,
Ron Boyce
Field Research Scientist
MDR Outdoor Group
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