Hunting & Fishing Anyone here use grunt calls for deer?

[JelloStorm]

Man oh man... I was able to hunt a full day Monday, half Tuesday due to rain, Wed was shot and today was a full day and I haven't seen one damn deer.

I'm out in the woods before sunrise and in my spot, and there is evidence of deer everywhere. Not necessarily droppings or rub, that I can tell, but tons of tracks in the quarter mile surrounding my spot.

I've been using my Primos "Buck Roar" call to no avail. I also use Primos "The Original can" estrus bleat can, and Knight and Hale Pack rattling system. Below are links to each one so you know what I'm using:

Buck Roar:
http://www.cabelas.com/catalog/prod...-74A6-DF11-907B-002219318F67&mr:referralID=NA

Bleat can:
http://www.cabelas.com/product/Prim...primos+bleat+can&x=0&y=0&Ntt=primos+bleat+can

Knight and Hale rack rattle:
http://www.knightandhale.com/productdetail.aspx?id=KH1019

I have used all of these things over the last three days hunting and have not called in a fucking thing.

First I would use the bleat can (3 times), and follow up with a buck roar a few times (about 3), and then the rack rattle to see if I can get the attention of any younger bucks.

I've even tried them separately, waited 20-30 minutes and then tried another. Still nothing.

This is my first year using calls, so if anyone has some useful advice or can point me to some video/audio so I can get down the "deer language" it would be greatly appreciated.

I'm also going to go pick up some deer piss at walmart to see if maybe the lack of scent is doing me in...

Any of you guys familiar with calls offer any help?

 

[larbhills]

Re: Anyone here use grunt calls for deer?

I had a grunt call probably ten years ago. On a snowy last day of deer season, I was walking a closed road in an old clear cut. I saw a forked horn whitetail walking away from me at about three hundred yards. I gave a blow on the grunt call and he never looked or paused or anything. He left for the next county! I took that grunt call and chucked it in the bushes.

 

[JelloStorm]

Re: Anyone here use grunt calls for deer?

That is so helpful. Thank you so very much for that insightful advice...

 

[VJJPunisher]

Re: Anyone here use grunt calls for deer?

every time I've tried one a Arkansas wood troll man beast appeared out of the woods

 

[larbhills]

Re: Anyone here use grunt calls for deer?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: JelloStorm</div><div class="ubbcode-body">That is so helpful. Thank you so very much for that insightful advice... </div></div>

Glad I could help out.

 

[cbosshog79]

Re: Anyone here use grunt calls for deer?

Cold calling on Whitetails can be really productive if done right and at the right time. Generally you will have more luck with rattling and a grunt call during pre-rut and of course when the rut is in full swing. It is also going to depend somewhat on your buck to doe ratio and how much "competition" the bucks have for the hot does in your area. If you are in an area with 4 does to 1 buck then don't expect much, on the other hand if it is 2 bucks to 1 doe then you can expect to have a great deal of success when calling during the "right" times of the year. Around home here there is only about a one week window where the deer respond, down in deep south Texas you might expect a couple to a few weeks, but it greatly differs across the country.

As with anything else your success will depend on how well you know what you are hunting as well as the general area and the deer herd itself. I would expect that if you are up north your "prime time" window of opportunity has already passed...

 

[dcal]

Re: Anyone here use grunt calls for deer?

I liked this story FWIW. Never have had any luck with the grunt calls, but I am fairly confident I am not patient enough with them.

 

[JelloStorm]

Re: Anyone here use grunt calls for deer?

Well, tomorrow I'm going to try some bleet and grunt calls with some buck urine and doe urine to see if that heats up the hunting spot so to speak.

Here in PA the first day of buck is the Monday after Thanksgiving, so it may be later in the rut...

 

[GOOSEKLR]

Re: Anyone here use grunt calls for deer?

The horns work some places and some they dont. The can works good for us here and in KY. Horns not here but in IL and KY they do. Grunt call we use a few grunts every 15-20 min. Both of these things seem to work better when you see him and can watch his action vs. alerting him to be looking for the grunt or sounds. Just my little .02. If you are hunting open area like a sage field or simular use a doe decoy or a buck with one horn, away from you but to where it can be seen and not make them feel like it snuck up on them. Gives them a little bit of confidence to get out of the thicker stuff. Sorry typed to much. I love hunting them big bucks.

 

[jayd4wg]

Re: Anyone here use grunt calls for deer?

i use a small grunt call to stop a moving deer. works well on trotters...most does that are just trotting thru will stand at attention the second you bark with a single grunt.

Bucks on the other hand are a different story. Bucks in rut will come to a grunt call IF they think they can kick the grunting bucks ass. if you have one of them really deep dominant buck roars or grunts, you are telling every smaller buck in the county that Lou Ferrigno-deer just stepped in the woods and they will want NOTHING to do with it. I try to focus on smaller sounding grunts, it makes the larger 8pts and similar come in looking to see who the little bastard thinks he is huffing and puffing in his territory.

 

[Glen Seekins]

Re: Anyone here use grunt calls for deer?

I have had a grunt call make bucks peek out, but never come in. Also have rattled in more hunters than deer. When we did rattle in a buck it was always a small one, maybe 2 years old and just curious.

 

[TF160 Guy]

Re: Anyone here use grunt calls for deer?

I've tried calls over the past years with limited success.

It has only worked during the peak of the rut and after I saw a deer. I grunted at a passing doe and 5 minutes later a buck showed up. His mistake.

When several deer come by and I shoot one (archery and BP), some don't run off. To see what happens, I have grunted at the remaining deer. They don't spook and will look in my direction but have never come to the grunt.

Cold grunting has produced nothing for me.

I still carry a grunt tube, but not convinced it will always work. It's nice to try, but I don't expect much. Sometimes surprise is a good thing

 

[leagle2]

Re: Anyone here use grunt calls for deer?

I've hunted northern Pa for 30 years and my experience is that the rut is all but over by opening day of rifle season.The calling methods you describe can be effective in the pre-rut and actual rut but have never produced for me during rifle season. Sometimes, especially in thick cover, it is hard to know whether "cold" calling has worked. When the buck shows up 20 min after your last call did he come to the call or did he just wander by. Once in awhile you can tell the buck is looking for the source of the call but, for me usually not. That being said, I have used grunts here in Delaware during late October and November. Knight and Hale's EZ Grunter Plus and one called "True Talker" have both attracted bucks (nothing ever very big though) Last year while bow hunting I caught sight of small six point. Being bored I started "playing " with him. I had that buck under my stand 3 different times over about 30 minutes. Every time he wandered off and was almost out of sight in the woods, I started up and brought him back. I've only had the "can" apparently have any effect once but it was pretty effective. It was at a time when the young bucks were starting to worry the does. I had two does come trotting past and 3 min later a small buck with his nose to the ground came right after (all this about 150 yds from me) I used the can and he broke off his chase and made a wide circle trying to get down wind of the "hot doe" that he heard. So do they work? Yes, but not routinely and I've never had any luck with them at all post-rut.
BTW, hunting in Bradford County absolutely sucked Mon&Tues. (wed was washed out there too)There is a ton of gas exploration and drilling going on now (we watched a helicopter, with a long line) picking up equipment for seismic testing, on Sunday, 250 yds from one of our stands. Don't know where you are but that might be part of the explanation for seeing no deer. (That and the Pa Game Commission, but that is another rant.)

 

[patriotoutlaw]

Re: Anyone here use grunt calls for deer?

I've called in alot of deer with different types of calls over the last 25 yrs. It is important to remember that the call will not make a nonexsistant deer suddenly appear, much to the dismay of the advertisers. Blind calling like you have been doing is tough. MOST deer, bucks esp. will circle in downwind of you to search out the source of the call. You may never even see them. IF you are going to blind call, make sure that you have a virtually impenetrable barrier on the downwind side of you. The best time to get results is the PRE-rut while bucks are in the search phase. Most bucks will be with does during the rut. If you do encounter a buck with a doe during the rut. The buck more than likely will not leave the doe for a buck grunt, rattle or whatever. The doe will likely lead the buck away from her "competition" if you use a bleat call. However, there is still a call that MAY get a responce. If it works the responce will be quick, so be prepared. The call to use in that case is a fawn distress call. This call causes the maternal instincts of the doe to kick in, searching out the source of distress in the fawn. Most grunt calls today sound too deep and are designed to attract hunters, not deer. I recommend calling sparingly and only when you are trying to get the attention of a deer that you have already spotted. Blow the call only as loud as it takes for the deer to hear it. The deer are very accute at locating sound, so watch for ear movement or subtle changes with the deer before calling again. Do not call while the deer is looking your way, you will be spotted. Most people call way too much because they are anxious piddlers on stand. When grunt calls 1st became popular, it was not much of a problem to get a buck to react to the call. Bleat calls were very effective when 1st becoming popular, now it is rare that I will get a responce from anything other than a young buck with a estrous bleat. The older bucks have already smelled every member of the "orchestra" by the time they are shootin age and simply ignore excessive, unrealistic, calling. Nothing is 100% with deer and what works in one place MAT NOT work in another. Example, the rattling success in TX and SOME other places. Here in Missouri it is defintiely hit and miss. Alot of this depends on hunter #'s and buck to doe ratio or hunting methods. DO NOT think that all that tootin on grunt tubes sounding like Grizzly Bears, on hunting videos will work in most real life scenarios. I am shocked to see deer respond the way they do to some of the stuff I see on TV. If you tried that where I hunt, you may as well be blowing a train whistle. Calling does work very effectively under the right circumstances. I hope this helps.

 

[marduk185]

Re: Anyone here use grunt calls for deer?

perhaps the op shuld try sitting quietly, if just to mix things up a bit. i mean ive had more deer aproach me when i was silent then when i was attempting to make animal sounds...but i have seen more than one deer startled all to hell by horrible calling or rattling techniques. if you watch them hunting shows it makes it look like all one has to do is blow on one of them fancy grunt calls and the monster bucks line themselves up to your bore. pretty sure they use those calls as a dinner bell all year on their 20' fenced "habitat."

 

[marduk185]

Re: Anyone here use grunt calls for deer?

update,
research recently revealed that if yer 14 and deerhunting until you have to urinate, and you are midstream with yer pants down when the deer aproach...shuffling leaves and grunting doesnt stop them...they run faster in fear of being mounted,

 

[knifenix]

Re: Anyone here use grunt calls for deer?

I have never seen a specific pattern with whitetails responding to a grunt call. A couple of times I have called bucks into bow stand shooting range with a grunt call from a sighting range of 100 yard or more.Then again have used grunt call on bucks with no sign of interest at all even in the rut. A few times even alarmed the buck and he left the country. The volume of calling and method used is most important.My friends sometime use the bleat in heat and the grunt call in pursuit(grunting pig sounds, short and soft) with great success. Good Luck!

 

[NRF]

Re: Anyone here use grunt calls for deer?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: 10xround</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I have never seen a specific pattern with whitetails responding to a grunt call. A couple of times I have called bucks into bow stand shooting range with a grunt call from a sighting range of 100 yard or more.Then again have used grunt call on bucks with no sign of interest at all even in the rut. A few times even alarmed the buck and he left the country. The volume of calling and method used is most important.My friends sometime use the bleat in heat and the grunt call in pursuit(grunting pig sounds, short and soft) with great success. Good Luck! </div></div>

There is alot more to it than buying a 20 dollar call blowing in the back of it and wham bucks crawling all over you! First location is key, if your not in a great buck to doe location as previously stated rattling will not work as well, yes young bucks will respond at times out of curiousity but if there are so many does that a GIANT buck doesn't need to fight for, he will not come in, he would rather run the other way to avoid a fight and get some ass. Also Calling depends on the time of year as stated above, pre rut is essential for calling, once the does come into heat I don't care what you do you will not pull them off. Also only call loud enough the deer hears you, start low, if the buck doesn't raise his head he didn't hear you, try a little louder until he picks his head up and looks your direction, then stop calling, let him commit. If he does commit don't call unless he stops, then give very very subtle grunts, or an aggressive snort wheeze, only 1 out of 5 bucks will ignore this but only the seeking period, not the breeding period. Cold calling works great, but only in great areas, but don't over call. Be aware of your surroundings and what the deer are acting like, When the little ones start bird dogging start rattling, the scent is in the air, work around high pressure systems that come through, the big bucks will always move more then, but be in the right location, scouting plays the major role in this.

If all else fails and you believe you have a set up where there is a decent buck to doe ratio, try and try again, it will happen, nothing comes easy, pracice makes perfect.

 

[aaronraby1]

Re: Anyone here use grunt calls for deer?

earlier this season, i had a heavy 9 dart past my stand about 4 yards. i grunted at him. he stopped dead in his tracks and looked. then went back on his merry way. ha.