Rattling/grunting

[moby1]

Hi

Does anyone have any insight as when to rattle or use grunt calls deer hunting. Also what have you found to be good technique for grunting, loud, soft...etc

Looking for any help to fill the deer tag.

Thanks

[delmuts]

moby. as the rut is really getting heated up here in iowa, the rattling time is now. i prefer quiet mornings or evenings, but it can work at mid day too. i'll rattle for two or three min. then wait. some grunting while rattling can help the cause. i start with just tickling the antlers and progress into the crashing and banging.before,during, and right after the main breeding season is the time to rattle. i use a grunt call most of the year. early i just make the urp sound, but as the bucks get horny and before and after rattling i use the grunt that sounds like a growl that goes into the urp.doing this while rattling is good, but i'm not that swift!( plus i drewl if holding it in my mouth and when cold the reed likes to freeze). a doe bleat is never a bad call either. after calling or rattling be very alert. many times deer will sneak in.as far as calling loud or soft, if it is breezy then louder, if it is quiet then softer easing into a louder call. my $.02 . del

[ducksnbucks]

I don't go into the woods without my grunt call. I have taken my last 4 deer thanks to it. They have been walking in to thick of cover to get a good shot so I call once, and if they respond to it I will only do it one or two more times to get them closer and out of the cover. The calls have worked wonders for me. Both with does and bucks.

[pikerliker]

I've never really seriously tried rattling but have called in a couple with the grunt call. I literally had one run at me one time when I was on the ground and doing my best impression of a "tending grunt". He spotted me through the brush and stopped broad side to me. I could have easily dropped him but could not be sure that he had antlers. We had no doe tags in camp so I couldn't take the chance. I'm sure by how he responded that he was a buck though. Got really PO'd and went back into the willow swamp with lots of blows, stomping and ripping brush around. I couldn't get him back in after that though. I also called in a 6 pointer from a tree stand that I dropped. Other times I have called with no success or had deer ignor it.

~piker

[Dockter]

Start out quiet - if you go to town right away it scares deer that might be close. Also, don't do it for too long. Grunt about 3-5 times every twenty minutes (unless doing a series like tending grunts or partner grunts). Rattle no more than a 30 sec to 2 minutes every 20-30 minutes. And don't rattle for 2-3 minutes straight. Grunt a little bit, rattle some, spot for a few second, rattle some more. A lot of sucessful hunters make a production out of it, scrape trees, kick stuff, but you don't have to go that far. The reason for tthe delay between calling is because deer hone in to sound well, you do it too much they see you and you are toast!!! Good luck out there and be safe!