as several have said - it definitely works!

of course, don't expect to clash the antlers, and have a buck just run in every time

it sometimes happens that way - but more often not

stay camo'd and still - watch the wind - keep your eyes peeled for any little movement as one might just sneak in on you

and, be ready to draw - just in case one does come crashing in!

good luck - if I hadn't filled my bow tag in the early season, I'd be out there doing the same thing this late season

bcherry and orduckhunter thanks very much for your time and input. all is very good, It will be me and my old man hunting together so I think I'll rattle and stage the fake fight and have my dad be on look out or maybe the other way around, i have th e better eyes out of the two of us, I'm excited to try this as i havent had the oppertunity before. I'll keep you all posted to our sucess or lack there of, good luck to all.

Well it sounds like bcherry and orduckhunter have had some success on black tails by rattling the horns so I say give it a go. If nothing else is working than it is worth a shot anyways but it sounds like these guys have had some serious success with the technique and it is pretty hard to argue against past success. You said that you preferred the rattle bag right? What one did you end up getting? I hope that come Nov. 20th you can call one of the bigger bucks into you with the horns. Sounds like it will be a really cool hunt with your father. I can not figure a better way of trying a new hunting technique. Get out there and take it to them. Good luck and keep us posted. You might have to write an article on calling for black tails if you end up getting one.

Interesting how different species of deer act and don't act.  You'd think that all deer would react to rattling, but I guess it depends on the species.  Interesting to say the least.

I always wait for a little while to let the woods settle down before calling and rattling. I will wait 20 minutes or longer during the rut before rattling. I choose to hardly ever rattle from in a tree stand but have on occasions. Bucks can come in before a person even stops rattling. I would assume a buck would then look up at the hunter and put 2 and 2 together; and never be seen again during daylight hours in that location. I prefer calling from a tree stand and have had success in calling in my second largest buck to date, which was a heavy 4 by 3 that was hanging out with a small group of does. I used the Primos Original Can, Primos Buck Roar, and Deer Talk.

Pre-rut rattling on the ground:

Bucks will tend to cover more ground during the pre-rut. I prefer covering plenty of ground; rattling in several locations. If a buck does not come in within 15-20 minutes then I leave and travel to a new location. I also don't rattle as hard during the pre-rut. The bucks testosterone levels have not reach their peaks yet and will probably not have those hard battle as of yet. Buck covering more ground during the pre-rut and testosterone levels that have not reach their peaks yet are why I choose to rattle a little softer and cover more ground; while rattling during the pre-rut.

During the Rut:

This time of year I will only hit one or two spots to call and rattle from. This is not the time to cover ground, since the bucks are not traveling as much. Does will be ready to breed and the bucks will stay with them until the time comes to find the next doe. I will wait for everything to settle down and then will start calling. I usually give 2 or 3 different calling sequences before rattling to not sound threatening and give the impression deer are around. This may make a buck think there is another potential doe to breed or a new buck moving into his territory. I will then start my rattling sequence harder and louder compared to my rattling during the pre-rut. This is the time bucks testosterone levels are their highest; which can mean some battles in the woods. Letting the woods settle down, several sequences of calling and calling/rattling with 10-30 minute breaks in-between can burn up a lot of time. That is why I only hit one or two spots to call and rattle from during the rut.

Post-rut:

I will go back into rattling like during the pre-rut. Bucks testosterone is coming down and rattling should not be as hard and aggressive.