I thought that I might try one of those rattle bags and see if I could call anything in during this archery season. A couple of weekends ago this fine opportunity presented itself. I have never tried this before and was pretty skeptical about the whole thing. We have all seen the TV shows where they come running right up 10 seconds after the rattling starts. Oh, the wonders of television. I figured that it was either trickery of time on the footage or none of these bucks has any does. After carefully pouring over the instructions that came with the rattling bag, I was sure that I could get that monster buck as I really do believe in "truth in advertising". OK - sarcasm off.
I found a good spot and the wind was right. I rattled hard for about 30 seconds then sat still for 20 minutes. This is repeated a couple more times with the rattling being of less vigor and duration each time. Then it is time to just wait for my trophy to show. He had not gotten there after about an hour so it was time to repeat the process. I am sure that I was doing it right. This is the tail end of the rut (no pun intended) and still should be OK for rattling. Or maybe not.
I have hunted this area a few times over the years. There must have been a storm moving in or something as it has never been this quiet before. There are usually a variety of birds making all kinds of racket in the trees and on the ground. Woodpeckers are normally quite and annoyance. Squirrels travel through the leaves on the ground and sound like something much, much larger is coming. It was really quiet. I think that I have found a way to quiet down the woods when ready to take a nap. Just rattle that bag a few times and when the sound of retreating animals fades away....you are good to nap.
I am glad that there are a couple of weekends left to take the bow for a walk but I am not sure that I will take the rattle bag unless it is warm & I could use a nap.
