Calling Deer

Good evening friends.
I'm interested in hearing from you concerning calling deer. I remember when the guy with a grunt call was the oddball. Times have sure changed. I never go out without several calls in my pack. My personal experiences with calling have been very rewarding and have resulted in several of the deer I've harvested. I use a variety of sounds and adapt with the changing of the approaching rut. All said, I find this type of hunting to be very exciting. What say you....

I've tried a grunt before. I think I scared everything in the county.
Do you use it to bring in deer you can see? Or bring in deer you haven't seen yet?

I have blind called a few with grunt and can call even a rattle bag. But for sure the odds increase when you see a buck up and moving and you can call to him they will come in(not all). Makes it nice to be able to see him react to the call

Sometimes calling to deer is worth it, you never know til you try. It's a high risk, high reward type of deal. I've had better luck rattling in pre rut than any other type of calling. Blowing grunt tubes and bleat calls at pressured deer can be iffy in my opinion. Especially if too close. I have seen the snort wheeze really get a buck going, but it may run one away from you too.

I like calling and being able to communicate with the animal, especially turkeys I always carry a buck grunt call with a snort wheeze barrel when the time of the season comes in when that call will be most effective. I always carry rattling antlers too, and again when that time of the season comes in when they will be most effective. I also carry a fawn call incase I am on a doe hunt. In fact this year I killed my buck by calling it in with a buck grunt and snort wheeze and rattling antlers. I've seen fawn calls work before for a successful doe hunt.

Ive called in quite a few deer, the 190lb 8pt I killed this year was called in.... I use an older TruTalker, primarily for Doe Bleats and then a Drury Hyper Growl for Grunts...I use to use and still have the Primos "Roar" and called in some nice bucks with it doing the "Roar's" and bawls, but it takes a lot of air and you cant get soft with it, so I went to the Drury call which I can go soft or loud with and it really makes some great sounding grunts, "roars" and bawls...... as for rattling, I dont even try it any longer... unless the buck doe population is good, I have never had much luck with it...sure it works in some locations, esp. where there isnt much pressure, but I leave the antlers at home now adays.... I do both blind calling and call to bucks when I see 'em... the buck this year I didnt even know he was around until he came it looking for the source of the calls.... I did some soft bleats, then followed up with some grunts and tending grunts.....deer calls can be used softly or very agrressively....when the bucks are fired up, I'll go aggressive and do snort wheezes, "Roars" and bawls along with tending grunts and bleats....you want to simulate a horny buck chasing that Doe, he's frustrated 'cause she isnt ready to stand yet and he can make all types of sounds....years back I watched and heard a buck do and make about every sound a buck can chasing this big Doe around, he grunted, he did long drawn out tending grunts, he "roared" he bawled, then then finally ran off him in hot pursiut..... you can over do it and do grunts wrong also, it aint a dying rabbit call nor is it a duck call..... once while hunting JP, I was set up along the down side of a ridge, and right before light, I watched a guy come in and set up about 150 yds away on the other side of the ridge from me, I couldnt see him, but boy I could sure hear him...he sounded awful...he started "grunting" like the call was a coyote call, 5-10 minutes straight, then shut up and do it again, finally afer 30 or so minutes of the crap, I couldnt take it anylonger... I yelled at the top of my lungs "SHUT UP will ya", with a few expelitives tossed in !!...he finally shut up, never did see him again... you can get aggressive, just dont over do it, sometimes less is better, a few grunts, a few bleats, then SHUT UP...lol..

I have the most luck with the snort wheeze. I simply do it with my mouth. No call needed. I have had bucks respond to it more than anything. I do use a True Talker grunt tube and a Primos The Can call. I've had pretty good luck with The Can. I like to call to deer that I can see.

I've used both grunts and bleats, but never really seen any evidence that they're working. Actually, I once had a bleat make a buck take off full sprint without a second thought. Best luck I've had is just making a "ehhehhehh" noise myself that I can only describe as like a kid goat to get a walking buck to stop, that's worked for me several times.

I've grunted one buck in 30 years of hunting. Still have a grunt call around my neck just in case.

I won't enter the deer woods without my grunt tube. I don't do much blind grunting, but if I see a buck I generally don't think twice about whether or not to get on the grunt tube. If it is the last week of October through the gun opener, when I get on that grunt tube I get on it aggressive. I have found over the years I get a lot of positive reactions out of aggressive grunts. Long loud grunts (like a breeding grunt). Short aggressive pops work well too. I get bucks to come in and most of the time come in grunting back.

My thoughts on loud vocalizations changed several years back when I watched a very frustrated mature buck dog a doe hard one morning. He was all over her and she just would not quite give it up yet. He grunted so loud, long, and hard that it sounded like a semi truck jake braking. I watched him with that doe for a couple hours that morning and every time he would let loose with a grunt like that other bucks came in running to him. That sealed it for me and it changed the way that I call to deer.

I'm never scared to let it rip on a grunt tube.

Doe calls, I gave up on though. I don't even do it anymore.

I've rattled in a few bucks (killed one nice one years ago), but anymore I don't even take the rattling horns into the woods.

Thank you for your thoughts guys. I find many of you mimic my personal thoughts concerning calling. I can positively state I've killed many deer due to the calling. I like to use blind calling and do this often. I will use calling all season and adjust to align with the stages of the rut. I use doe bleats and grunts every 20 minutes or so. I do this softly and often will use such calling during the entire season. As many of you have stated I get aggressive as the season progresses. My best buck to date is the result of mixing doe and buck vocalizations while sitting mid day. I'd watched the buck and another very large guy chasing a doe for a good half hour. There were also 5 or 6 small guys hanging around the edges. Eventually all of this activity disappeared down the way but I made sure to call every 15 or 20 minutes. About an hour later the buck came over the rise behind me; searching. I'm certain he was searching for what was making the noise. He ended up walking in behind me and then started to angle past me continuing down the ridge. As he entered an opening at 30 yards I sent an arrow angling back to front through his chest. Dropped him within seconds and 35 or so yards. He grosses 172 or so and weighed 235 pounds dressed...3 days after I killed him.

Leave your rattling antlers at home...... Use your grunt tube with the appropriate "cadence" in your calling, and he will be in your lap most often. Golden Eagle Twin Tube made by Coleman Industries back in the 80's is still to this day the best tube to ever hit the market. Just a friggin' lethal grunt tube.

I used to a lot. The Original Can called back a few when they were leaving the area or just playing about.

I've grunted at bucks but they ignored it. I've rattled more than 20 times in likely 3 season without a single positive effect. So I stopped. I think it works better in other places not NW Indiana with a very high doe to buck count.

I'm sure I'll get back to it... just a phase thing.

I guess there is no place to get one of these calls since they quit making them in the 80's. I checked on e-bay and nothing.

I use Rod Benson calls. Best sounding call I've found. Sometimes they're hard to find.

grunted in a couple over the years. Most times they don't work. Sometimes they do, which is why we keep trying.... =)

Extinguisher works great on TV!

JW I was just talking box calls with a buddy and the Rod Benson double tone box call came up. Haven't seen one in a long time but good stuff.

I found one in a Michigan "variety box" in an old bait store a few years ago, and bought one on Ebay years ago....... haven't seen one since.