Get rattled. By Babe Winkelman As the booming, click-clack music of clashing antlers echoed through the quiet timber, I heard the telltale sound of crunching hoofs from across a brushy draw. My pulse immediately became palpable, and I reached for my bow. Still unseen, I could hear the deer getting closer and I could only assume it was a buck. In my mind’s eye, he was a B&C giant. Then I spotted movement as he snuck through a thick tangle of sumac, circling wide around my location where he’d heard my mock sparring match. His route would take him through an opening that I had ranged earlier at 31 yards. Perfect. When he stepped into that opening, he’d be mine. He continued, as if on a string. I drew. He stepped into the opening, stopped, and stood statue-like. He couldn’t have been more broadside. And his antlers couldn’t have been smaller. “Button Buck” for this guy was an overstatement, and I eased down the bowstring. Even though that animal wasn’t what I was after, the entire event thrilled me in wonderful ways. There’s nothing more exciting than rattling in a buck. It gets the adrenaline going, big time. October marks the beginning of a buck’s yearly cycle when he starts to really respond to rattling. He will react to the sounds of sparring as soon as the velvet sheds and bucks begin tickling antlers in late summer/early autumn. During this period, when bucks are still mingling a bit in bachelor groups, their sparring is more playful and seems to just establish an unofficial pecking order. They’re not out to kill one another – YET. That will happen as the breeding season gets nearer. As October advances, bucks get more solitary and testosterone levels steadily increase. Each day that goes by makes them more preoccupied by the upcoming rut, and boosts their thirst for aggression and dominance. Hunters should realize this and vary their rattling style to match the seasonal disposition of the area buck herd. So during early October in the northern states, rattling should be fairly gentle and non-threatening. Tickling the antler tips with occasional heavier grinding works best during the “pecking order” phase of the pre-rut. Don’t expect too many deer to come crashing in to watch the fight or get involved themselves. They’re more likely to wander in with varied interest. By mid-October, the fights you mimic with your rattling antlers can get a little more intense. Then in late-October, you can begin to emulate knock-down-drag-out battles to fire up nearby bucks and hopefully get them charging in. Think of it like the temperature of a rising fever. In early October it’s 99.1 degrees. Mild. Nothing to get worked up about. By Halloween, it’s a 104° fever. It’s not fright-night, it’s fight-night and bucks will be hungry for battle. This is particularly true in areas where the buck-to-doe ratio is pretty even. In that scenario, there’s a lot of competition for available does that are coming into estrus. If your hunting region has far more does than bucks, then bucks are less prone to spend their time fighting when there are plenty of girls to go around. Regardless of the October period or the bucks’ general rutting mood at the time, it’s important to rattle antlers in the proper way. This includes setting up with consideration for wind direction. Bucks like to get downwind of a fight and then come in following their noses. This gives them security and allows them to smell “who” is fighting. Believe me, they come to know one another by scent – the same way you can often identify friends, siblings, etc. by their unique smells. With wind direction in mind, it’s a good idea to set up with shot openings flanking your downwind direction – so if bucks try and circle downwind of your location you can intercept them with a shot. When possible with available cover and ambush opportunities, rattling is most effective when done from the ground – because very few bucks ever fight in a treetop. A dynamite technique is to hunt with a partner and position the primary shooter in a treestand while the rattler (who is also the secondary shooter) takes a position in good ground cover and does the rattling from there. The elevated hunter can get away with a lot more movement when the buck’s attention is directed to a position away from the treestand location. Begin rattling sequences softly, to avoid immediately spooking a buck that might be located nearby. Following the first short, soft sequence and a few minutes of silence, the volume and intensity of the rattling can increase. And don’t forget, when bucks fight they just don’t stand there bashing antlers. They’re moving on their feet like a couple of cage fighters, crashing into brush and breaking branches. It’s a brawl! So make it sound like one by raking brush and thumping trees. Just be careful not to get spotted making all that visual commotion. When everything comes together just right, that buck will come marching in and give you the thrill of your life. And hopefully he’ll be a giant monarch instead of my miniature button buck. Good Hunting! Babe Winkelman