Buck Calling

[Singing Bridge]

What's going on out there for Calling in a Beast buck? Has there been any grunting/bleating/growling/wheezing or rattling/etc. going on out there? Was it a positive, neutral or negative response?

Beast callers that only use the method as a last resort, or feel the timing isn't right yet- don't be afraid to update this post as the season wears on.

[Wrinkleneck]

Myself I have never had good luck calling. With that said, I don't really know much about it. The little I have called could have been at the wrong time or it could have just been that I don't know what I'm doing when it comes to calling.

[3dog]

I don't call very much but did arrow my heaviest bow buck (191 dressed) with use of grunt call the 3rd week of September a few years ago. Joe Runde gave me a great tip on grunting last year, he said never grunt at a buck that's looking your way. Wait until he's distracted or there's an obstruction between you and him then only grunt enough to get his attention then shut up. If the buck starts to wander off, repeat the process until he either leaves or comes in. I tried it on a small buck last year and it worked like a charm. It took about 10 minutes and 3 grunts but he finally came in. Havn't yet had the opportunity to try it on a mature buck but will if given the chance.

[headgear]

I stay quiet unless I see a buck not coming my way. Good tip 3dog, those deer can often pinpoint sounds so if you blow when they are focused on you they might quickly figure something is up.

If it it last light, and by last light I mean you maybe have a few minutes to shoot and I don't hear or see anything in the area I might give a grunt or two just to see if I can pull anything into range. I would only do this in spots where I just burnt a bridge.

[Treejunkie]

It all depends on the time of year, buck to doe ratio and the buck himself. Some bucks like to fight and others seem to avoid it no matter what.

I have had better luck with the snort wheeze than I have the grunt call. Im with 3Dog on his points though.

[Black Squirrel]

I like to call, but only as a last resort. If the deer is comming my way, I'm not going to draw any unneseccary attention by calling. If he passes by out of range I will try to get him to come closer with a grunt or 2. That being said I rattled and grunted my biggest buck in, to a buck decoy 3 years ago. He came out of a corn field and was feeding in some beans. After I decided to rattle he looked my way and came over 100 yards, right below my stand. He was staring at the deke when my arrow hit home. This was on Oct. 14th.

[Dewey]

I called my largest buck away from a doe he was chasing a few years ago. He was headed the opposite direction and turned back towards me to investigate my grunt call. This buck was a 4 1/2 year old 10 pt and scored 141" gross and dressed out at 215lbs.
As far as calling goes I don't do much blind calling anymore but will try calling a deer I see in the distance or if he doesn't look like he is coming in my direction.

[Goober]

I've had mixed results. I shot my biggest buck when calling. I grunted 3 times, he showed up looking around 10 minutes later, worked a scrape and a rub, then started heading away. Using the above mentioned "3dog" technique, I grunted at him 5 or 6 times, every time he headed away. Finally, at about 65 yards away, with him looking the other direction, about to move, I grunted as loud as the call allowed, but with a higher-pitched "young buck" grunt, and he turned and came in like he was on a string. No joke, his hackles were standing up and he was stiff-legged stomping the whole way. That dude was PISSED! I have also grunted at a few younger bucks that turned tail and ran (maybe this is an expected result, as these young guys want no part of the 'Beast' buck in the area)

[Singing Bridge]

I sometimes use a grunt call to cover up a noise I made by mistake. Last year I set up my Lone Wolf hang on about seventy yards outside a buck bedding area on opening day of Michigan's gun season. When stepping onto the platform I slipped a bit, and bounced the stand against a limb which made a fair amount of noise. I paused a minute, before getting out my Quaker Boy Brawler. I issued three soft grunts in three different directions- in less than 120 seconds I heard a large stick break in the bedding area. A 2 1/2 year old 8 point slowly circled downwind around me. The accidental noise I made had definitely gotten his attention, and he bought the calling. This was on heavy pressure public land.

[muddy]

I love to call deer, and not just bucks though most of the time that's what responds. If it's not rut where I"m generally blind calling/rattling then I only call when I feel the deer will respond. Soft grunts this time of year will bring an inquisitive buck in quite a bit of the time. Come rut I lean towards lots of rattling, but only in some stand locations where I can get away with it. Other places where I share ground and I know some retard is out there rattling sunup to sundown I tend to stick to grunting/wheezing/bleating.

[Arrowbender]

I love manipulating bucks through calling. I finally had some positive results with rattling last year so I imagine that will accompany my calling now.
I call all season long with what I consider great success. I call a lot. Not necessarily frequently but on most outings.
I find it confusing while reading these posts that many have had success but say they don't call much?
I guess that leaves more for me!

[Singing Bridge]

Arrowbender, congrats again on your bull elk.

I always enjoy hearing of your whitetail calling / interaction.

[dan]

I find it confusing while reading these posts that many have had success but say they don't call much?

I have had some fairly decent success calling... But the success I have had has been mainly on 2 or 3 year old bucks, and the rare 4 year old... My success on mature animals has been better if I don't call...
I think in most areas I hunt, mature bucks have had a few bad experiences by running into calling set ups when they were young and therefore are pretty leery about coming in.
Also, on the big bucks I have called in, most were not shootable. They would circle downwind, avoid openings, and come in like a wound up rubber band on high alert...
For me, its been a lot easier to trick the truly mature bucks by catching them totally off guard and by surprise.
I also feel that if I called in the areas I hunt constantly throughout the season deer would get wise to it and be more leery thus ruining my chance when I need to pull out the ol desperation grunt to bring that buck within range when he heads past out of reach .
In my opinion, calling scares more deer than it attracts, but can still be successful if you catch the right buck in the right mood, have good timing and if your good at calling, and setting up to call...
I consider blind calling a desperation move... If I know where the bucks move in daylight and can get close enough to set up, why would I want to call and risk spooking them?
Like every method, it has its place, and does work enough to keep it in your bag of tricks.
For me personally, the chess game we play with big bucks is funner, and more personally rewarding when I outsmart or make the right move on the target animal.

[hotterthantiffany]

I just don't know enough about it, although practice makes perfect, usually they scare off thus afraid to try more often. I have smashed some horns together, and have had positive results

[Singing Bridge]

I have smashed some horns together, and have had positive results

htt, the first buck I ever called in was with antlers. When I was a teenager, I read an article about rattling in Texas or the like. I immediately went out to the garage and pulled down my brother's 6 point rack from the year before. I got a bone saw and sawed the skull plate in half (this resulted in an Ali vs. Fraser type scuffle with my brother the next day). In the woods I banged the antlers together a few times... amazingly, a testosterone crazed spikehorn came running across the river I set up next to and circled my tree a couple of times. He trotted at a canter with his head slightly tipped to the side while trying to show off his spikes... it was really difficult not to laugh, and I remember it to this day.