You have seen it on TV. You read about it in the hunting magazines. And you have even tried it once or twice. But the question still remains, “will it work for me?” Can I really expect to bang these antlers together and blow on this deer grunt call and have a buck come running? Yes!

I too was very sceptical about rattling at first. But pay attention, because I am not going to give you a story about the herds of white-tailed bucks that are now running my way. Why? Because I have not had that problem. Bucks don’t always come to rattling antlers, but sometimes they will.

Rattling has both advantages and limitations. Hopefully, after reading this article you will be able to see the tool of rattling for what it truely is, a tool.

Rattling in bucks works on the principle that upon hearing two fighting bucks, any buck hearing the fight will assume the deer are fighting over a doe that is ready to breed. What buck wouldn’t come running to that situation?

Different bucks may come to rattling for different reasons, but antler rattling has something to offer bucks of all ages. Mature bucks are most likely to approach with the mindset to whip the bucks that are in his territory trying to breed “his” does. An inmature buck may come to try and sneak away with the doe while the two fighting bucks are too distracted to notice.

During the rut, as seasoned hunters have learned, white-tailed bucks loose a good bit of caution. In fact, they just do stupid things that they would not normally do. Whatever the reason, and there are more than a couple, there are good reasons to believe that rattling in a deer should be a good method to use to harvest your next buck.

Now, keep two things in mind: 1) rattling has something to offer all age classes of bucks, and 2)the rut is one of the urges that bucks have a hard time controlling. These two factors are what make rattling so effective. It is also very exciting when it works!

So we have talked about why rattling will work, but anyone that has rattled knows that failure is much more common that success. Why? There is a flip-side to antler rattling that you rarely hear more than a comment or two about on the outdoor shows. Just like there are reasons that it will work, there are numerous reasons as to why rattling will not. In fact there are man more reasons that it won’t work.

Let’s start with the obvious. It’s not the rut. Rattling for bucks should only be done during and around the rut. It will not be very productive to rattle if the bucks aren’t interested in the does. Pay attention in the field and learn when the rut usually occurs in your area. Because if its not the right time of year, deer will likely move away from the sound instead of towards it. They know something is wrong.

Next, a buck that is already with a doe will not leave her to come to your mock fight. What incentive would a buck have to go fight over a doe when he’s already won one. When a bull elk hears another bull elk bugle, he will often take his herd and move them in the other direction, further from rival bulls. I am not sure on whether or not deer do this, but I can imagine a whitetail buck moving himself and his doe away from the fighting bucks.

Also, when the buck to doe ratio is near even, say 1:1, rattling is much more effective.This has the effect of raising the competition for the does to a much higher level. If there are 10 does for every buck, there just will not be many fights between bucks. However, fewer does per buck means a lower chance that any particular buck will get to breed any particular doe. This will make bucks more desperate to find a doe to breed. Apon hearing a fight (that’s you and your antlers) they will be many times more likely to come running.

Now, let’s discuss education. Not yours, but the buck’s that you are hunting. I believe bucks get rattled in more times than we even think, but live through the experience. Most people I know have tried rattling at some time, yet few have ever had it work. Since I know that the method does work, I believe that most of these hunters are either set up wrong (get busted without even knowing it) or quit hunting early, never giving the buck a chance to work within range. Either way, the buck learns that not all rattling is necessarily other bucks fighting.

Remember, bucks are not likely to come straight to the sound of rattling on a dead run. They will most likely sneak in to the location. Often, bucks will circle down wind. If they catch the hunter’s scent before the hunter sees the buck, or if they see the hunter get up and leave, then the buck will be even more cautious in the future.

Another very important reason that a buck may avoid your antler rattling is the fear of getting whipped by bigger bucks. Although the buck in the distance listening to your rattling may be a good-sized deer, he may have recently got his butt kicked and is not be looking for more.

Ok, so we discussed why rattling will and will not work. No, antler rattling is not a cure-all for getting your buck this season. And it’s not something that only works in Texas. The reality of rattling is found somewhere in the middle. Now that you know this information, if you find yourself in the right place at the right time, and you’ve got a handle on the deer herd, it’s time to put rattling to work for you.

Scouting and finding the scrape or scrape line of a white-tailed buck is a definite plus when gearing up for the hunting season. And truth be known, it’s better to find a scrape or two than a rub-line. Many times it seems that a rub-line is the result of pent up aggression due to growing testosterone in the buck while the scrapes are a definite sign that a buck likes what he has seen in the area.

Scrapes are normally found on higher ground that is dry enough to hold scent and wont be washed out, even if it rains heavily. Areas that repeatedly encounter boggy or swamp-like conditions tend to hold less scrapes than the edges of that same area where the ground is slightly elevated.

Any edge of a field, especially those that contain row crops or food plots are high-percentage areas to find scrapes. Main trails entering swamps, low-lands, creeks, rivers, and draws are also likely places for a scrape or scrape-line. But is finding a scrape reason enough to set up a deer stand and start hunting? Not exactly.

The percentage of scrapes that actually get re-worked is low in most places, but there are a few tactics for increasing the odds and finding out just what scrapes are still active. Trail cameras are great for monitoring scrapes, but be careful not to leave any scent in the area. In addition, you can freshen scrapes with doe or buck urine and see if that causes deer, hopefully the dominant buck in the area, to return. If you detect signs of activity, it may well be time to spend a little time in the stand.

You know the big boy is out there. You have seen the signs that a mature white-tailed buck leaves behind: large tracks, rubs on trees the size of your leg, scrapes the size of a bath tub. Yet the buck has repeatedly managed to give you the slip despite hours on stand. Frustration and doubt are creeping in and you need an advantage.

In the past, you might have resorted to placing string across a trail as a way of monitoring that area. Or maybe you raked the dirt in an attempt to monitor animals walking through the area. But we’ve come a long way and improved, affordable technology is at your disposal. The tools of deer scouting have changed the game.

Enter the trail camera, game camera, or whatever you want to call them. I call them very helpful. Trail cameras are equipped with infrared motion sensors that trigger the camera to take pictures any time an animal crosses the sensor’s beam.

The use of trail cams by deer hunters has grown exponentially during the last few years. Game cameras are no longer reserved for very wealthy or whitetail addicts. Today, the use of game cameras has become almost the norm rather than the exception. I visit a lot of hunting forums and hunters share trail camera photos as easy as they trade opinions. As technology becomes more user-friendly and even less expensive, expect trail camera usage and sales to increase. That’s good news for the manufacturers. Deer hunters love them, too, so it works out.

Through the use of trail cameras, hunters often received a boost in confidence and a surge of determination after discovering that there are more bucks roaming the woods than they had even realized.

Any one that has used a game camera will tell you that they invariably see more bucks in their area thanks to the camera. They will also tell you that bucks, especially big mature bucks, do most of their feeding and moving around at night. Despite the nocturnal nature of whitetail deer, hunters know those deer are out go into hyperdrive in an attempt to lure those bucks out.

Now, if you are considering taking the plunge and purchasing a trail camera, I will let you know that the choices available are numerous so you need to narrow down your options. Your first decision is to choose between film and digital cameras. However, I will save you the choice. Go digital. You will save money on film processing and get your images much faster. If you have a laptop computer, you can download the images instantly in the field and place the blank data storage card right back in the camera. Also, for those pictures that need “tweaking” to see deer in the background, digital images and computers allow you to enhance photos easily.

Hunters will be lured into buying traditional film cameras because the cost of such cameras is less expensive than the digital equivalents, but don’t do it! The short-term gain will soon be lost through the cost of processing film (time+gas+film developing). If you know a game camera is what you need to take your deer hunting to the next level, get all the options concerning digital game cameras before you buy.

So you’ve found an active buck scrape, but hunting the area has still left you empty handed. Chances are good that the buck is checking the scrape after hours — at dark-thirty. So how do you bring the white-tailed buck out without alerting him? There are many ways to tackle this situation, but here’s one of them.

First, you really want to make the buck believe that another buck has taken over his area. You can do this by working his active scrape or either creating a mock scrape. Both can be perceived as the same technique, but when creating a mock scrape you start from scratch.

When creating a mock scrape your primary concern should be not leaving any human scent at the scrape or even in the area for that matter. Rubber boots and gloves are not an option — they are a necessity.

Begin by choosing an area similar to the scrapes you’ve found. Make sure there is a “licking” branch located about 38 to 40-inches above the area to be worked. Start out by working the ground with the heel of your boot to reveal some fresh dirt. Typically this would be done in a circular or oval pattern. Keep in mind that this “worked area” does not have to be a hole in the ground! Simply removing the top layer of grasses or moss will work fine.

Because a buck always urinates in his scrape, you are going to need scent. Several different companies provide whitetail buck urine as both liquids and a gels, so pick one that you are confident in using. I suggest sticking with the liquid formula for this application. Otherwise, try the scrape switch method.

Liberally cover the fresh, exposed dirt with buck urine. There is no need to mix it in the dirt. Let it soak naturally as the buck urine would.

Next, you need to work the licking branch to complete the 1-2 combination. Go ahead and twist the end of the branch by turning the limb in all directions until you can remove a small portion.

I like to create the scrape just as described and walk away, but some hunters prefer to use a drip bag to ensure the scrape remains fresh. Also, if desired a preorbital gland scent can also be applied to the end of the branch to complete the scenario.

Check the scrape every few days for activity or place a game camera near the scrape if you want to keep a really close eye on it. Make sure it is scent-free, too! It’s a good idea to freshen up the scrape each time you visit until you see signs of deer activity. If you find that a buck has come by and worked the mock scrape, freshen it again and hang your stand. There is a good chance you might get a look at the buck if he’s working the area. And hopefully he’s a big mature buck!

A white-tailed buck fortunate enough to have survived multiple brushes with death over the course of several hunting seasons understands that it can avoid danger by simply avoiding daylight altogether. Severe hunting pressure promotes nocturnal behavior in whitetail bucks – plain and simple. So how can savvy hunters with the desire to pursue whitetail bucks late in the season cope with this seemingly impenetrable nighttime armor?

For just a moment, put yourself in the position of a mature buck. Over the course of the last three, four, maybe even 5 years, he’s likely covered every square-inch of his home range. At one time or another, the buck has encountered humans during daylight hours, or at least detected human scent.

It is quite possible that a mature whitetail can recall areas where he previously encountered humans or their scent. Afterward, it will purposely avoid those areas during daylight. However, I’m willing to bet that mature bucks simply find comfort in thick cover and undisturbed areas where human scent is rarely encountered, if ever. Also, thick bedding areas are where bucks can easily hear an intruder approaching. Any area with good vantage points further intensifies their desire to bed and lay low.

Contrary to what some might think, even mature whitetails displaying the most extreme nocturnal behavior don’t simply find a nice place to lay up and sleep the day away. Even at the very least, a deer must take periodic breaks throughout the day to answer nature’s call.

One study conducted during the winter found white-tailed deer will take as many as 22 such breaks a day! This means that during daylight hours, you can expect a buck to get up and move around approximately 10 times. Whitetails typically stand at these times and generally travel at least a few feet from their previous bed before lying down again.

In addition, though mature bucks’ major foraging activity often occurs under the cover of darkness, they’ll take advantage of these two-minute daytime bathroom breaks to stretch their legs, browse on available vegetation or mast and, depending on the time of year, rub their antlers on a small tree or two before bedding down once more.

Over the course of a day, and after 10 or so repeated episodes, a buck may move 100-yards or more, depending on the size and shape of the cover available.

Late in the season, mature white-tailed bucks may not move much during daylight hours, but they do move. So remaining vigilant and hunting hard is the ticket.

To really set a white-tailed buck into a frenzy you have a number of options, but here’s something you probably never thought about. If you’ve done any scouting throughout the year, chances are you have a few places to set up and hunt from for various weather conditions. Hopefully, those places also contain a good amount of deer sign – including some scrapes.

If so, heres a trick to really throw a dominant buck into a raging frenzy during the rut. Take two different scrapes from different areas, preferably a minimum of 1-mile apart or more to avoid the possibility of using the same bucks scent from his home-range.

With your scent-free gear and a small shovel, dig up the dirt from the first scrape down to a depth of at least 6-inches and put it directly into a plastic bag. A small trash bag works well in most cases. Return to your other hunting area with the dirt you’ve just dug up and do the same.

Pour the dirt from the first scrape into the second scrape and pat down to a fairly firm consistency. Now re-visit the first scrape and fill in the hole with the dirt from the other scrape in the same manner. Because you should be well out of any overlapping home-range of either buck, they will perceive this as an intrusion.

This should bring at least one of the bucks back to actively begin working that scrape again. Keep in mind that unless the 2 bucks are evenly matched, you will probably chase the smaller one away, so it will be to your advantage to know which is the dominant buck to begin with. But if you don’t know, just keep an eye on the scrapes.

Now in most cases this technique will work to some degree – but not all. I have seen smaller bucks work a scrape that was made by a larger bucks, but I’ve also seen much larger bucks approach the new scrape very tentatively. With that in mind, its hard to say whether the buck picked up traces of the human scent in the new scrape or if he was just cautious for the fact that he was not the dominant buck in the area.

In any event, realizing what scrapes are and how they provide a means of communication in the world of deer will only boost your knowledge to a higher level. Experimenting and taking notes will increase not only your knowledge level but also your confidence. The next time you’re out scouting and come across a scrape take advantage of the situation by first examining what you’ve found, then put this information to work.

You could very well find yourself face to face with a huge whitetail buck!