Shake, rattle and roll

During the rut, rattling is a handy hunting technique

There are doe deer in the area, the wind is right. You are concealed with rattling antlers in hand, making a clickety-clickety sound that can be so alluring for prowling bucks.

When the rut is under way, rattling becomes an additional tool in the bag of techniques that can lead to hunting success.

And the rut is on in Northwest Montana.

"This next 10 days is when it happens," said Chuck Williams, an experienced Kalispell hunter who has conducted rattling demonstrations for recent hunter gatherings at Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks regional headquarters.

Once looked at skeptically by some, rattling is now a mainstay for many seasoned hunters. But Williams stresses that rattling or other types of calls or scents are not guarantees.

"Rattling and calling, for me, is more about having knowledge of the animal," Williams said.

A hunter has to know habitat, weather, timing and the ability to read signs. They need to know the status of the rut. How do bucks and does move in relation to one another? How are they likely to respond to rattles and calls?

Williams, a retired dentist who started rattling 30 years ago, has amassed a mental library of stories on how deer have responded to his methods and the methods of many friends over the years.

He can reel off one story after another.

"We've learned over the years what works and what doesn't work," he said.

He tells a story about some quick rattling results: Williams was in the brush doing the rattling and calling work with his son positioned about 50 yards downwind. After getting a thumbs-up signal indicating his son was ready, Williams hit his grunt call a couple times, and then a couple of quick rattles.

He heard gun shots within seconds.

"That buck was bedded down really close by, and it was literally jumping over him when he was shooting," Williams said.

But that kind of response is "really rare," he quickly added.

More often, calling in a buck requires patience. Big bucks often will get downwind to approach the sound of rattling, and they will come in carefully. Williams said he and many other hunters have observed responding bucks coming in crouched low, to the point of crawling toward the sound.

"The big bucks don't make mistakes," said Williams, who refutes the widely held view that bucks get "dumb" during the rut. That may be true for younger bucks, he said, but older ones remain cautious and crafty.

The way Williams rattles, it's all about making noise rather than being pensive and worrying about making too much noise.

He starts with a doe bleat from a hand-held call, then a pause, then a couple of grunts on a grunt call. Then there's an initial light clicking between the antlers. He makes the rattling louder and more aggressive with sudden stops.

"You don't need to crack them together, just use some good wrist action," he said.

He'll pound and scrape the ground with the antlers, sometimes stomping his feet. He'll rub the antlers on nearby saplings and continue rattling.

After about two minutes of the routine, he will end it with a couple of grunt calls and wait, preferably concealed in brush on the perimeter of an open area that can be watched closely.

"Rarely, they'll come right in," Williams said, recalling a time when it took about a half hour for a buck to respond to persistent rattling.

Williams advises that during the rut, bucks are on the move, so hunters should be, too. Hunters should be patient, he said, but they should try rattling in several different areas.

"They really do travel," he said. "They will move miles during the rut. To pattern a buck during the rut is nearly impossible."

When it comes down to it, there is nothing scientific about rattling.

Williams stresses that it's much more about knowing the potential for rattling in a particular place and time. Williams cites the story of hunting with his friend Dave James and his son, Marc James, last year in the Swan Valley.

The 6-year-old boy rattled antlers and stomped his feet, getting the attention of a nearby buck.

"He rattled in a nice 4-by-4 for his father that day," Williams recalled with a smile.

Reporter Jim Mann may be reached at 758-4407 or by e-mail at jmann@dailyinterlake.com