Soaking rattling antlers
Wisconsin
Someone mentioned this. How long would one soak them and then how long until they needed to be resoaked? (assuming you don't leave them out to bake in the sun)
Would something like snoseal do the trick?
I tried that many years ago. Once they dried out (next day), I didn't notice any difference.
Old wives tale. If a buck is going to respond, he'll respond to pretty much anything.
I have never intentionally soaked mine, and they have rattled in a lot of bucks.
If I'm not mistaken, Pete pec may have mentioned this. Try a pm to him.
I lost mine in Iowa a few weeks ago. They weren't special but I had history with them and searched everywhere I thought I might have left them. Did a lot of walking and nothing. Then two days ago another guy that hunts that woods called and asked if I had used his ladder stand. I was busted and had to say yes, on my way out one afternoon I sat there for an hour or so. He said well, I found your rattling antlers.
So never heard of soaking them but they do work better if you don't forget them in someone else's stand.
Yeah, I soak them. Not sure it's a wives tale or not. I'm sure I read it somewhere, or saw it somewhere, but yep, I do it. Does it help? Does it hurt? I don't know? I rattle in deer, and that's all that matters. I soak them for two weeks in a five gallon bucket, once a year.
Interesting topic. I could probably mention ten things people swear by, that I might find odd, but would never discredit their attempt at trying something lol.
I've heard decoying with a one horned buck. Seen it on TV, never done it myself? I use a set of horns from a smallish buck instead. Having confidence in something is your drive, and if that keeps you on stand longer, than that's the real answer.
Peeing in a bottle or peeing out of your stand.
Using scent or nothing.
Expandables or fixed.
Calls or nothing.
Hunting the moon, the wind, midday, evenings, mornings etc.
My point is, try stuff and learn from your mistakes. Explore your mind, and don't accept the status quo. I'm of the mind that I'll continue to learn, create, develop, fail, and conquer. What works for me, may be silly to you, but I don't care if you don't like it. I'll tell you this though. I'm all ears when someone shares an idea. I may just try it. I may embrace it, and I may not.
By the way, I use well water when I soak my antlers. I believe the hardness adds more sound to the horns lol.
I would treat a antlers with Linseed oil...I wouldn`t soak them. There is a brighter sound to them if you do it. IMO.
My point is, try stuff and learn from your mistakes. Explore your mind, and don't accept the status quo. I'm of the mind that I'll continue to learn, create, develop, fail, and conquer. What works for me, may be silly to you, but I don't care if you don't like it. I'll tell you this though. I'm all ears when someone shares an idea. I may just try it. I may embrace it, and I may not.
Amen to that. I'm of the opinion that a lot of guys really do not experiment and learn on their own. If you believe that you need to have your hunting gear blessed by a priest-have at it. Believe in your technique til you need to do otherwise....LC
X2 Pete and lame crowndip
I soak mine too. Not as much to change the tone but to keep them from getting brittle. I'm pretty aggressive when I rattle and more than once I've had chips and chunks of tines fly off and I would hate to take one in the eye. Also, I'm trying to rattle in mature bucks and if you've ever heard and/or witnessed a pair of mature bucks really going at it, it sounds nothing like the clicky-clacky little rattle bags or 1 1/2 or 2 1/2 old antlers clicking together. The mature bucks that I've heard fighting sound more like 2 x 4's banging together. So if soaking makes my antlers sound a little more solid and less clicky I'm all for it and it costs me nothing... Just my 2 cents worth...
Thanks everyone. I use skull mounted racks so I'd need a 55 gallon barrel to soak em. I find that if you s mash the main beams from behind you get the loudest noise.
