I've had little success rattling in illinois. I blame it on the poor buck to doe ration; truth may be that I'm just not good at it. I'll try these tips once the rut starts.

It certainly works here ... a lot!
Word of caution!
When you are in the midst of rattling, have your weapon ready at all times,as they sometimes come in as though they are on a rope!

Before leaving be sure to glass in all directions,as one may have come in,but was being cautious just out of sight.

I rattled two does in this week using the 2 minute method, but I rattled every 15 minutes thereafter. I think that may have been overkill. Plus they never got close enough take a shot, so I think I made them cautious doing it so often.

Ross
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I would think you are right, salmonquest. I've just never bothered to lug a deer decoy around with me.

Can you start rattling in early bow season? will it scare off deer if you try to rattle in a buck right now?

Good Article. This is the first season i'm going to be rattling. Do fake antlers or something like the Knight & Hale "Pack Rack" work well or is it best to use real antlers?

It's worked for me. I didn't wait as long between rattles but it makes sence to be a little more cautious

I have rattled in many bucks in Massachusetts the ratio is low around here. Be patient and keep your eyes peeled and be ready I have had them come running in on the first tickle and also had them hang up until dark and then ghost the stand. Keep trying it does work.

i never really had any luck with it is there something im missing

During early season, doing what i call tine tingling, in which i very gently touch the antlers together can draw some buck attention. Before they start rutting and bucks are still in groups together they practice fight. These practice sessions are very short and very non violent. So early season agressive rattling will often scare bucks. The best time to rattle is the few days before does start becoming receptive to bucks. This is when the bucks are ultra agressive and any buck in his area is subject to a "beat down" by any dominate buck. I use my grunt call as well. I use primos buck roar and H.S. true talker because they are adjustable. I set the tone the grunt call makes to a immature or young buck. I do this because if you sound immature to a dominate buck in the area he surely will come running in to chase you away. I grunt 3 or 4 times, look around and listen, then start my rattling sequence. When i rattle, i bang the horns for ten seconds, then pause for 2 to 3 seconds then back to rattling continuing this process for up to five minutes. The reason i pause is to listen. Some bucks will immediately come running, some will come walking, either way you want to hear these deer before they are on top of you then have to time to grab the bow. After i finish a rattling sequence i again grunt a couple more times, sometimes adding a "put put put". This immitates a deer grunting while trotting after a deer. So the "put" is three short puffs of air through the grunt. I also use natural antlers ONLY. Mature bucks are smart, they know the difference between "fake" antlers. I think its common sense too that we should know rattle bags full of wood pieces or synthetic antlers made of plastic DO NOT sound the same as real antlers. Grunt calls can be so effective, do not be affraid to use them. I have had deer walk by me where i couldnt get a shot, get 60 yards past my stand, i hit the grunt call and they turn around and come back!! My current rattling antlers are curtousy of the buck that did come back to the grunt!! I learned my techniques from material written by guys like Larry Wieshun and Stan Potts. These guys are icons to our sport and have many trophys to prove what they do works so i would suggest looking these guys up and reading what they have to say. I did and it works!!

I have rattled for years and my success rate is not as good as I would Like. I prefer real Antlers to bag sticks or snythectic Antlers but I currently use a bag. I will use these tips on my next hunt. I think the time sequence will help me greatly....

My best/worst rattling experience was a couple seasons back. I had been rattling, grunting, using a can bleat and had sent out. In other words trying every thing but the kitchen sink.
About thirty minutes later a big eight point came crashing throught the forest like a ceyote was on his heels. He ran up so close to the ladder on my stand that if he had raised his head his rack would have surly hung on the rungs.
All of this 3 or 4 seconds I am trying to decide if I can shoot my bow straight down from a 20 foot high stand when the big fellow has seen or smelled enough. Two bounds and he was over the feeder creek behind my stand and out of sight.
Oh well, maybe next time.
Rattling and all other lures work sometimes!