THE KING OF RATTLING

HOW TO USE WESTERN TACTICS IN THE EAST

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.

"When hunting in the West, you can see for long distances. You may spot a buck breaking out of thick cover 50 to 200 yards from you. But in the East, you may not be able to see for more than 30 to 50 yards at a time. That's why double-hunting with rattling for eastern whitetails will pay more buck dividends than hunting alone will.

Western hunters often rattle from the ground. Most eastern hunters who rattle generally will climb in tree stands 15- to 20-feet high and 30 to 50 yards from the thick cover where a big buck possibly has bedded-down. This tactic usually produces best after 9:00 a.m. when the largest bucks bed in their thick-cover sanctuaries. When two hunters rattle, the second hunter climbs in a tree stand 100 yards downwind of the first hunter and directly behind him for the best results. Since the hunters know that most bucks will circle and come in downwind of rattling, oftentimes the second hunter will see a buck the first hunter never spots. The buck either will circle behind the first hunter and in front of the second hunter or begin to close the distance from the left- or right-hand side of the second hunter. Even though the first hunter has done all the work of the rattling and probably even the grunting, the second hunter usually will collect the prize.

When you become tired of sitting in tree stands and ground blinds and not seeing any deer, why not try to make a deer appear? Crash rattling antlers together, and blow a grunt call. You may see more deer and possibly draw the biggest buck of your lifetime out of thick cover.

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."