rattling for blacktail?

batman · 10-14-2002, 07:02 AM

Ever done it? had success? I would think that one could do it late in the season the same as the easterners do for whitetail deer. Any tips on techniques if you have tried rattling w/antlers blacktails would be appreciated. I have a good potential spot for this (good visibility for quite a ways and lots of deer) and a buddy w/out a deer this year. batman

Rip'N'Lips · 10-14-2002, 07:40 AM

Batman-

I have given this a try, no succes yet... Those darn Blacktail just don't come running like those Whitetail/Muleys...

I have tried scent with a little luck. I was in a clearcut rattling, and had scent on and I could hear something moving through the thick brush above, I think it was a bear!!!!!

Great question though, I will be watching the responses as well.

So, did you get your deer??? I was fishing during the rain/wind should of been hunting...

This has been a tough season so far, next year I am going to hunt the eastside of the state. Everyone I have spoken too who hunted the eastide got their deer.

As for the questionin an earlier post, "do you shoot forks", hell yes.. I will shoot anything with horns because I usually only see 1-2 each season....

batman · 10-14-2002, 07:52 AM

Rip-n-lips,
I am now living back down in the Rogue Valley where I grew up. I went out to my old stand that I have been hunting for 20 odd years, it did not fail me again - read my post of last week "great morning". Nice 3-point, not huge but good enuff -
There are big antlered deer down here, Jackson Co. has 7 of the top 10 blacktail bucks in the record books - or at one time at least, not sure about now - I have killed a few 140- 150 class bucks down here myself.
I will also be interested in what folks have to say about rattlin' for blacktail. cheers, batman

RichH · 10-14-2002, 08:21 AM

I've never done it personally but I know of people down Jackson county way that have had success. Only downside is it was during bow season when they're rutting pretty hard. I also have a friend that lives out in Scio that went out one day just goofing off and rattled in what he claims is the biggest buck he'd ever seen. He was on his property about 200 yard from his house, no weapon of course.

tailchaser · 10-14-2002, 12:03 PM

There's a late season archery in certain southern oregon units that go from Mid-November until the first part of December. It's a general season archery tag, but certain units open and close at different times so check the regs closely. This hunt has been going on for some time and isn't anything new really.

tc

6wapiti6 · 10-14-2002, 12:19 PM

Thanks for your help....sounds like a good opp. at a trophy down there!

Yoter · 10-14-2002, 12:30 PM

I've never had any luck rattlin for blacktails, but I have witnessed two bucks (3 pt. and a forky) goin at it late in october in the washougal unit. I was suprised because the deer were showing no sign of being in the rut and usually don't until mid-november. I didn't see any other deer come to investigate, but the sound of my 30-30 dropping the three point might have something to do with that!
I can tell you that the bucks didn't seem to mad at each other, it was more like they were playing around or something. Pretty neat sight to see though! I will continue to give rattling a try once in a while, I don't see any reason why it wouldn't work!
I didn't get anything opening weekend except for 4 silvers on the Cowlitz!
Good luck to you all!

Yoter

Snapset · 10-14-2002, 12:50 PM

About 25 years ago I was hunting near Gordon Lakes, and I had stopped to eat my lunch on a log. I noticed a pair of sheds laying at the other end of the log, so I took my sandwich and walked to the other end of the log and started rattling these sheds. I was just making noise with no confidence at all, because I thought there was some special technique to it. I think "I better go get my gun", and look to the other end of the log.

There stands a nice 3-point buck, not 5 feet from my rifle. All I could do was laugh, because he was looking straight at me.

So, in my opinion, rattling works, but I don't bother with it very often for these reasons:

1.) I am mostly a still hunter and I don't like packing those awkward pointy things with me.

2.) I prefer to hunt in the rain, after Halloween, and I have found that the bucks at that time will almost always come in to any sound, especially a doe call.

Gus Orviston · 10-14-2002, 02:35 PM

I knew that "Rattlin for Black Tail" VHS tape I bought was full of BS

I have tried it on and off for several years, love to elk talk and I have heard lots of black tails ball, but can get them to come to rattling or a bleet. I have only tried in those last few days of the hunt or also known as "Krazy Buck Days"

I put it down to not having the right conditions, like an over popluated deer ranch and hunting forts [img]graemlins/berry.gif[/img] like on the hunting shows.

[ 10-14-2002, 04:43 PM: Message edited by: Gus Orviston ]

batman · 10-14-2002, 04:14 PM

Thanks for the thread guys and read the "monster blacktail" thread to see what your missing down here - I have seen bucks that put this one to shame in Jackson Co. - not that I could ever hit one, but I could tell you stories..... I will try some rattlin' and maybe some grunt calls late season this year I think. batman

sliverpicker · 10-14-2002, 04:26 PM

I've been rattling blacktails since about 1985. If you're in a good spot with a high percentage of bucks, the results can be outstanding. Having the confidence in what you're doing and sticking with it is extremely important. I've killed several good bucks during the late bowhunt. In 1996 I rattled in my largest blacktail on Oct 28th during rifle season, he scored 140. I spend alot of time in November rattling up bucks and photographing them. I've rattled bucks as early as Oct 28th to as late as Jan 6th. Having confidence and being patient is worth the trouble of packing a set of sheds around when you're hunting blacktails. I've had bucks run in within the first 45 seconds, and other times I've stayed in one spot for as long as 30 minutes before a buck showed up.

Good luck! Sliverpicker

Rip'N'Lips · 10-14-2002, 05:18 PM

Sliverpicker-

Teach me....

Rip'N'Lips

batman · 10-14-2002, 05:41 PM

Yes Me too Sliverpicker - if you want come down to my neck of the woods I will take you out to some big buck country and you can show me how to do it.- you neee to like to climb mtns tho - anyway, i am excited to give it a try. batman

Dan Christopher · 10-14-2002, 06:49 PM

i use to rattle and grunt in the late bow sason with a good number of deer coming in..losts of does and some smaller bucks too.never got a big buck in but boy was it fun.i did this in the woods (on mt. hood) not the cuts and they never came running but you would just turn around and they would just appear out of no where.i got an albino doe one year rattling.try it and stay put for 30 to 40 min. before you move......good luck

6wapiti6 · 10-14-2002, 11:52 PM

I may be missing something, but sice when are blacktails in the rutt during archery season? Is there a late season down south? I know about the great muzzleloader season, but never heard of blacktails in the rut in September?

tailchaser · 10-14-2002, 11:57 PM

One of my hunting buddies has rattled in bucks two years in a row on the last week of rifle season. We also hunt the late deer season down your way with a bow on years we don't draw rifle, and have had limited success with it. It seems the most interested are the younger bucks.

I do agree s.oregon has some monster bucks. We uaually see 15-20 bucks a day where we are and 1-2 of those would make the books. I have one that I killed in college during the late hunt that's a typical 4x4 w/eyeguards and a 23" spread. Probably would score real high (I personally haven't done it yet) but he broke off one of his tines in a fight. People have estimated him at 130-140 with that broken tine even. Man I can't wait till November.

tc

Firedog · 10-14-2002, 11:59 PM

6Wapati6, In oregon the Archery Guys get back in the woods on the west side for a while after rifle season. Sometime mid Nov. for a few weeks. Rifle season closes on Nov 6 and a week and a half after that the archery season opens back up.

In response to the rattling question, I know a few guys who do a little of it but have had more sucess with grunt calls than rattling. Ther are huge bucks all through the cascades, I love the last couple weeks of rifle season. Keep hoping fr the rains to start and maybe a little snow and things will be perfect.

[ 10-14-2002, 01:03 PM: Message edited by: firedog ]

montster303 · 10-15-2002, 06:22 AM

My Bro and I have had very good success rattling for blacktails the last 2-3 seasons. Seems to us you have to be pretty close to their bedding areas, and also happen to find a hot buck. Grunting seems to help too. Don't overdo either.

Our first successful hunt, He shot the buck at 10 yards (because the stuff we hunted in was so thick that was the first time we could see him). Last year we rattled in three...one snuck in behind us...another little fork didn't live to be a 3-point....and the third came in like a locomotive, and due to my brother's scream of surprise, lived to see another winter.

I'm a believer

sliverpicker · 10-15-2002, 04:57 PM

Over the years I've noticed that when I see a buck running in to rattling, he will stop when I stop rattling. He'll stand and look around for a little bit and begin walking on in. They usually know exactly where the noise was coming from, so there's no reason to start rattling again. The times when I've been really close to unseen bucks is when they've come running up and caught me still "banging the bones".

I prefer to rattle loud and aggressively to simulate a knockdown dragout fight, as opposed to just the light sparring rattling many of whitetail TV shows recommend. Several years ago I was trying to photograph a small 3pt with a couple doe's when two unseen big bucks started fighting. They made a tremendous racket with crashing brush and breaking limbs. The little 3pt turned and sprinted directly toward the fight, along with a 4pt that came running past me from across a road. There was apparently a hot doe in the area, because I eventually saw 9 different bucks and photographed four of them.

Batman, I'd love to come and look at some southern Blacktails, maybe next year. My dance card is filled for this fall. I'm trying to get my 13 year old son into his first buck. Then in November I have some film just dying to be exposed with Blacktail profiles! :smile: I work in the woods cutting timber, so steep mountainsides don't frighten me too much

sliverpicker

Capin' Dan · 10-15-2002, 10:08 PM

Yes rattling and calling does work for the black tails. Best bet is last week of Oct or Nov for doing this in oregon and Wa.