Rattle Bag Tips

For years, rattle bags were just too darn small. The dowels inside of the bag were too few and too small. What you got out of them was the sound of two immature bucks doing a little sparring. It is impossible to imitate the racket two big bucks makes when really duking it out with the old, undersized rattle bag.

Fortunately, most call companies got the word that hunters all over the country were tired of trying to make their wimpy bags sound like big antlers crashing. Just for the heck of it, I took measurement of the rattle bag, which resides in my turkey vest right now. And yes, you read right, I use a turkey vest instead of a fanny pack or backpack for carrying all of those extras. Anyway, the rattle bag I am currently using has only five dowels of various shape and size. The bag is 10 inches long and 9 inches around.

Be gentle with this bag, just rolling it between your palms and it will give you a darn good imitation of two bucks sparring. Go to aggressive rolling of the rattle bag in your hands and you get a very acceptable rendition of our favorite tune Two Big Bucks Fighting. And if you really want to reach out there, slam and roll that bag vigorously against the trunk of the tree your stand is hanging in. Just be sure to keep your bow in the other hand or very close by. When a buck decides to come to the sound of two bucks fighting he comes in a hurry. This is no time to be fumbling around looking and feeling for your bow. Nor is it a good time to be looking for a place to hang that rattle bag.

Solution No. 1 is to tie about three feet of rope (parachute cord is ideal) to the cord on the rattle bag and the other end to your belt. When a buck is approaching fast, you can either take that half-second to stuff the bag in the side pocket of your pants, or you can just let it dangle. Either way, it is out of the way. The other option is to tie the rattle bag to your pull up rope and when a buck is coming in a hurry, just pitch the rattle bag out of the tree. I prefer this method, because on several occasions over the years I have had a buck come tearing in only to hang up just out of range. With the bag now hanging down at the base of the tree, I can give the rope a jerk or two and encourage the buck to continue his journey. I have never had one not take those last few steps when the bag has been hanging just off of the ground or right on the ground.

Is a rattle bag as effective as a real set of antlers? I doubt it. Nothing sounds as much like real bone, as real bone. And no matter how hard you work a rattle bag, you cannot get the same volume out of a bag that you can from horns. There are certain days each season, when I know I am going to do a lot of rattling, that I carry and use my big, heavy set of rattling horns. But the rest of the year, should you and I ever meet in the woods, you can bet that I am carrying my rattle bag.