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rarndt16

rarndt16

New Member
Some of the property I hunt isn't populated with lots of big bucks over 130 inches, mainly because other people slug hunt a small strip of it and don't care about size. My question is does rattling, grunting, and Weezing work for deer around a 120-130 class buck? It seems dumb but I sometimes wonder if that aggressive of calling is TOO aggressive for their comfort level?
 
rarndt16 said:
Some of the property I hunt isn't populated with lots of big bucks over 130 inches, mainly because other people slug hunt a small strip of it and don't care about size. My question is does rattling, grunting, and Weezing work for deer around a 120-130 class buck? It seems dumb but I sometimes wonder if that aggressive of calling is TOO aggressive for their comfort level?
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Has nothing to do with the size of their racks, but rather time of year, age, attitude, and pressure. I assume when you say 120-130 you are talking about less mature whitetails (3.5 and younger)? If so, yes, they tend to respond to calling better than mature whitetails in pressured areas.
 
sureshot said:
Has nothing to do with the size of their racks, but rather time of year, age, attitude, and pressure. I assume when you say 120-130 you are talking about less mature whitetails (3.5 and younger)? If so, yes, they tend to respond to calling better than mature whitetails in pressured areas.
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Yes younger than 3.5 and maybe I was just rattling to aggressive but it seemed that the younger bucks got timid when I cracked the horns. Might have just been off timing too
 
rarndt16 said:
Yes younger than 3.5 and maybe I was just rattling to aggressive but it seemed that the younger bucks got timid when I cracked the horns. Might have just been off timing too
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Just like the others, I have always had the opposite effect. Yes, I have seen a few high-tail it out of there when I rattle, but for every mature deer that might come in (many won't close the distance even after responding) I have called tons of young deer within bow range. Usually, if I call I will have probably 2-4 young bucks per a sit come by.
 
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At least 67% of the bucks I've shot with my bow have not been called in. The other 33% (out of 3 bucks) passed thru and went out of sight, then I rattled, and he reappeared and came by me at 15 yards. However, since he was out of sight and it was really windy, I can't say for sure it was the rattling that turned him or if he was just running thru checking for does.

I have called in more young deer than mature with rattling and probably none with blind grunting. Mature deer in the area before I call have responded to grunts by looking in my direction, maybe taking a step toward me, but then usually don't commit. Last year I grunted too much to what would have been my biggest buck to date, and he quickly wised up and walked out of sight. Younger deer respond better, but probably because they aren't as experienced.

I would say go for it if you feel you don't have anything to loose, but if you're afraid of scaring them off, start out with tickling the horns and see how they react (if already in the area).
 
rarndt16 said:
Yes younger than 3.5 and maybe I was just rattling to aggressive but it seemed that the younger bucks got timid when I cracked the horns. Might have just been off timing too
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Maybe too aggressive or it could possibly be the antlers. How big are they? If you are using a huge 160"+ set of rattling antlers, the deep sound they make might be enough to scare some youngsters off.

But it's really varies from deer to deer. Some will come flying in to fight/investigate and others will want nothing to do with it. Best way to learn when and how is to try and not worry too much about messing up. Keep working on it and you'll get it figured out.
 
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