THE KING OF RATTLING

WHY RATTLE

EDITOR'S NOTE: You can use the rattling tactic to draw big bucks out of thick cover anywhere in the nation. But just like any other deer-hunting tactic, rattling won't always make a monster buck appear. Although many hunters believe rattling works only on Texas ranches with their 1:1 buck/doe ratio, you won't find this assumption true. But rattling appears to pay more buck dividends in Texas and in other western states than it does in the East. Generally you can see bucks coming to antlers from a greater distance in the wide-open spaces of Texas than you can in the thick-cover areas where most Easterners hunt. But I know you can bring bucks in to horns anytime, anywhere you locate deer, whether early season, during the rut or after the rut.

"I like calling anything -- turkeys, varmints or deer," Morvan comments. "Hunting's more fun for me when I can make something come to me and not depend on a deer's just happening by. Some days I'll rattle all day long. I may start rattling at first light, rattle all morning until lunch time and see quite a few deer come to me. Then I may eat lunch and go right back and rattle until dark. Rattling's fun to watch because most of the time deer will come charging in, very excited, and they'll get you excited too. But you don't always rattle in trophy bucks. Oftentimes little bucks will come running in, as will does. You just never know what will happen when you start crashing those horns together.

"Even though I've been rattling for many years, I still get excited when I see deer running through the brush straight at me. Often the animal will stop only 2 or 3 feet from me. I believe rattling is most effective just prior to and during the rut. However, you can bring in deer at any time of the year using this tactic."

To learn more about hunting big bucks, check out these books from the Night Hawk Publication Library
"The Masters' Secrets of Deer Hunting" and "How to Take Monster Bucks."

TOMORROW: WHERE TO SET UP