Pre Rut strategy

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Pile18york
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Joined: Tue Oct 23, 2018 1:12 pm
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Pre Rut strategy

Unread postby Pile18york » Tue Oct 23, 2018 1:40 pm

First post new to the forum and love the Beast channel on YouTube. PA public land hunter and was curious to the opinion of the group related to calling and rattling starting mid week (24th). Reading a lot of different opinions but trying to get a reality check. Looking for general recommendations like do you sit in the AM until a specific time before firing off a call this time of year? Read some stuff on starting with a rattle with a grunt or two at the end. Also read a decent amount on contact, tending, or blind grunts. Any strategy or opinion is appreciated thanks guys


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westbound
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Joined: Wed Sep 26, 2018 10:35 am
Location: Central Texas
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Re: Pre Rut strategy

Unread postby westbound » Wed Oct 24, 2018 1:20 pm

I think of any kind of calling as a last resort strategy. These days about the only way I'll use my grunt call is to call at a buck that is out of range and is clearly not going to come within range on his own. This has worked for me before, but it usually doesn't. I do not use my grunt call to try to call in a deer that I don't already know is there, and I don't call to deer that I don't want to kill. I see no point in possibly educating a young buck that this sound can be associated with hunters.

I have had success rattling on only one property - a 7,000 acre private west Texas ranch that has very little pressure, high population density and a tight buck to doe ratio. On the public tracts that I hunt the hunting pressure is much higher and the buck to doe ratio is a lot lower (1 buck to 3 does or worse).

I'm sure others have had more success calling in deer with grunt tubes or rattling horns, but I have not experienced anything to make me think it increases my odds on public land. I prefer to focus on getting in the right tree at the right time (reading sign, previous years experience, pre-/in- season scouting, weather) with the wind in my favor and a safe entry route. I then sit back and wait for something to happen.


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