SPORTING ANSWERS
Using antlers to ‘rattle’ deer
Q Can you use old cast antlers to ‘rattle’ up stags during the rut?
A Like all animals, red deer stags live in an environment primarily governed by sight, smell and noise so any stimulus can provoke a reaction. You can, for instance, call up roe with a roe call. To attract fallow bucks, you can mimic certain noises to attract their attention, bellowing and rubbing trees to mimic the thrashing of antlers.
Rattling two cast antlers together is often more associated with white-tailed deer in the US, but I have used the technique here in the UK.
What you are trying to achieve is the sound of clashing antlers when two stags are fighting. Try using smaller antlers that you can twist and bash and grind together easily, because you may need to drop them quickly if a stag suddenly emerges.
I have found that this technique works best in the evening when the deer are already in the woods or on distant hilltops. Starting quietly and varying the noise and longevity of the rattle can provoke a red stag to come to find out what is going on. Try it and see what happens. BP
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