Calling Deer: Fact or Fiction?
There are many methods, tips and tactics available to hunt trophy deer. There is still hunting, spot and stalk, driving, tree stand hunting, ground blind hunting and so on and so on. Each hunter has his/her preference; they know what works best for them and what works best in the area that they hunt. The techniques will often change depending upon the area of the country that you hunt, that only makes sense. Deer are effected by their surroundings. The tactics used in the deep woods of Maine may vary in the plains of Nebraska. However, one thing always seems to be part of a hunters bag of tricks. You guessed it, calling deer.
Any hunter who has spent time in the woods during hunting season has learned that the more realistic you are when you mimic the sound of a deer the better your chances are of bagging that trophy buck. That’s right, the better you are at sounding like a deer the more likely you are to bring a trophy into your location. Bring the buck to your location instead of going to his. This technique has been used by hunters for decades.
The popularity of calling deer has increased in recent years mostly due to all the mass media received by various hunting show on television channels like the Outdoor Channel and the Sportsmans Channel. Not to mention that manufacturers of the various deer calls understand this as well, thus they have spent and continue to spend, untold dollars to bring the latest and greatest in deer calling technology to the hunter.
There are many sounds a hunter can master to help bag a buck. There are grunts, rattling, doe calling and fawn bleating just to name a few. With all these choices in a hunters arsenal, the question becomes, why not call? Breaking down some of the calling will help you to understand when to use it for maximum results.
Rattling is supposed to imitate the sound of a knock down drag out fight between two bucks vying for the affection of a doe in estrus. So why would this sound attract a big ol buck? Most likely because he is looking to defend his home turf, if you would. He believes that there are two other bucks moving in to find some action with his doe.
Rattling is pretty specific to the rut. Most mature bucks would not even waste the energy to engage in any mid-summer activity with the younger bucks, but get his hormones raging like they are during the rut and the sound of clashing antlers gets him running in your direction.
Grunting can be a very effective deer call. Deer will vocalize throughout the year. So, using a grunt call will often entice a buck to check things out if he thinks there is a stranger in the area. Most humans are incapable of correctly reproducing the sound of deer grunt, so manufacturers are more than happy to produce many items for the hunters use. Most grunt tubes are developed through research between scientist and the manufacturers. The science and technology is combined to develop grunt calls that are very realistic and easy for the hunter to use. The key to using a grunt call properly is controlling the amount of air you send through the tube. Send to much air and you will vibrate the reed too quickly, blow lightly and get a deep throaty tone; that’s the one which will do the trick. It should be noted that, using a combination of grunting and rattling during the rut is an extremely effective means for bringing in a mature buck.
As a buck gets closer to the rut he will surely keep a close eye on his harem of does. What does this have to do with deer calling you ask? Because, using a fawn bleat can be an effective call to bring a doe. Still not sure how this works? Well, a fawn bleat plays on the maternal aspect of the doe. So when you use this call you will be pulling at the primal heartstrings of a doe looking to come to the aid of a fawn. When the doe comes in to check out the noise, no doubt the buck isn’t far behind. The key with the fawn bleat is to make it sound as natural as possible. Start by calling for about 10 seconds or so. Stop for about 20 seconds, then start again for 10 seconds. Continue this pattern for about 1 minute. When you’re done, wait for about 15 minutes or so to start again.
Some final tips for calling deer. Remember, when you are in the woods calling deer, you do not know where the deer are going to come from. So be sure that you are well camouflaged, in a tree stand, ground blind or against a large tree with ground cover. Wearing hunting camo will help to ensure that you are not seen. When deer come to investigate the sound, if they are bedding, they will look in the direction of the sound first, then they will get to their feet to investigate further.
When it comes to calling deer the answer to the question is; why not call. You have nothing to lose. You aren’t going to scare them and you will get them to come in and investigate, so why not call? Be prepared and keep your eyes and ears open, this will give you the advantage on your next trophy deer hunt.
