early season rattling

[tiur]

Hi, tell me about your experience with early season rattling .
Thx

[Slickhead]

Ive never tried it.
It may work. Ive never had luck rattling anytime though.

[Flingblade]

I've had bucks and does respond to rattling in early season but they move slowly down wind and never seem to come closer than 100 yards or so until they get my wind as opposed to pre-rut where on occasion I have had them charge in.  Your best bet in early season would be to set up 100 yards downwind of someone else that is rattling for you and be prepared for a shot to either side.  Grunts and bleats have always worked more consistently for me.

[Friend]

Slight tickly of the antlers has proven successful on several early season hunts.

[Huntschool]

It seems rattling differs from place to place. Much of this is based on buck to doe ratios.

When you have a low B/D ratio they seem to come on the run... conversly when the ratio is high, i.e. way more does than bucks they seem to not respond as well.  Most of my experience has been during late pre rut and early rut here in IL and Texas.  I have had bucks actually put the breaks on so hard that they threw sand on me in Texas...

I would suggest as Friend said a light "twitch" of your horns and then wait for real early season.  Not like the full out beat your hands, ground tree and ground pounding along with snorting that works later.

[varmint101]

Early has never done anything for me except to get a glimpse of a buck.  They just never seem to come all the way in.  That's just with a very light rattle.  

Roughly 23rd of October to mid-Novemeber I rattle in quite a few.  Usually around 40.  Sometimes more sometimes less.  I love rattling in deer!  I vary intensity and sequences as the season goes along.

[cahaba]

Originally posted by Friend:
Slight tickly of the antlers has proven successful on several early season hunts.

X2 Exactly!

[Greyfox54]

Like Friend says very light rattleing can sometimes bring in early season bucks , just not on the run . Sitting in my treestand one day years ago I had a small forkhorn come in behind me and stood still for about 15 minutes . Then he walked to a leaning tree (3" diameter) and slowly rubbed his horns for a couple seconds . He waited and then got a little more aggressive . In a few more minutes he was jumping back and forth around the tree having a real battle . As quickly as it started it stopped and he walked away . A few minutes later a nice 8 point came nosing around and winded me . Since then I have called bucks in by using one antler rubbing it on a small sapling or bush , doesn't always work but another trick to try when things are slow .

[owlbait]

How early? I've rattled in and killed 2 bucks from the ground on Oct. 17th and 18th. Very aggresive rattling and both bucks came in very fast and aggresive. This was in Michigan in poor buck:Doe ratio areas. Basically, anywhere in the State meets that ratio    Rattled in another nice buck on Oct.21st that a boy hunting with me shot. This happened over a 4 year period.