Rattle(fake or real)?

ClayBOW

ClayBOW

New Member
As a first time bowhunter, I wanted to get everyones opinion on what they use to rattle. Real antlers or a rattle bag? I am going to try H.S. rattle bag. And for those of you who use real antlers, have you ever heard of soaking them in water for about 2 weeks prior to using them. I guess they sound more realistic. By the way this is a wonder site, lots of info. Thank for the replies, and good luck.
 
Its like eating fat free chocolate, nothing takes the place of the real thing. Besides you can rake brush and add charactor to your sequences. I've called in a younger buck out in the middle of a field clanging my aluminum arrows several years ago. But nothing takes the place of beam and tines. Don't kid yourself...
 
I do soak my rattling antlers for 24 hours, I'v4e been to seminars that so called champion callers say to soak them but soak or not its not no where close to the bag. I own a rattle bag and used it once and it just doesn't get the sound to travel. You want somthing to get there attention like a breaking a good sized log at the beginning of a sequence, not some chirper bag. You want somthing that will make them stand up outta there bed and want to investigate. I prefer to rattle on the3 ground behind a dead fall. I will pile up a bunch of sticks and logs veriing from size and have a brush pile along with good amount of leaves and twigs, rattle thrash break branches and just make it sound like a heavy wieght bout up for grabs. Good luck in whatever you choose.
 
Well up until I found that urban road kill I used a rattle bag. Never had any good luck with it. Now that I have a set of real horns I can't wait to try them.
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I use a 150 class et of sheds, good mass, they make lots of noise. Last night I watched 2 dandy bucks spar from about 700 yards, they weren't fooling around, they were really pushing and shoving and I could here them, I have to doubt a rattle bag will travel that far.
 
call me sentimental but i just love the nostalgia of using real horns. i don't know how big the 2 sides is use are but i think a buck in the 125-135 sounds great. i use two right sides and ground off the browtines (much to OneCams surprise) and give 'em hell. right now i'm doind small sparring routines but within a week or two i'll start pumping up the volume. if it doesnt smell like burning bone when i rattle i don't think i'm doing it right. i doubt it really matters on using fake or real but i do think that real ones make a sound that carries farther and has many sound tones where the rattle bags seem to be higher pitchedd and sound like smaller bucks fighting.
 
Probable use 120 class set, really anything with points and good solid tine lenth with a fair amount of mass.

Hey Kaare what are you trying to call in a elk or moose with those bigguns...
 
I use real antlers and wont use anything else. Unlike others I preffer two sheds of the same side. I use two 5pt right sided antlers that would score in the 125 range. They pack eisier than a set would and they are easy to smack togther and get that good opening wack. Ive never soaked them but have heard of it. Ive called in quite a few bucks with this pair, I hope they continue to produce this season. Also, I havent cut the brow tines off them, cant seem to do that with any of my sheds.
Corey
 
I think there’s a consensus – real are better. I have a rattle bag, but like others I don’t think it sounds that realistic. As far as size, around 120 is about right. That’s not too small to get good volume, and not too big to put every deer on alert or cause them to hang up at 50 yards. Also that size fits in the hands well and makes raking bark and brush (which I believe is as important as clashing the antlers) much easier. Good luck.
 
I have used rattle bags, rattle boxes, sythetic horns and real antlers.

I have had about the same sucess with the synthetic horns as natural, but bags and boxes dont seem to work AT ALL.

Not sure if its sound not getting out or what, normally when I beat horns together I smack them hard enough you can smell them heating up with the friction. The louder the better. The more natural the better. I have called bucks in for guys, while they stood in a stand above me looking at me the whole time like I was crazy for making so much noise. I think the more natural, the louder (pre rut) the better.
 
Real bone from a upper 130's road kill, brow tines removed and the tips trimmed off and rasped nice and round for easy packing. Removing the G1's make gripping the beams easier and reduce finger smashes. I used little horns that packed real nice for a few years and found that since I went with bigger bones bigger deer have showed up.
 
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