Let’s talk buck grunts

[Lockdown]

I’ve very rarely had a bad reaction from a buck (that I saw) when I grunted at him.

x2

The only few I can think of that white flagged me were called to in desperation. Either they were already on to me or they were called in and hung up. Usually if they do that (if they can see) they won’t come closer without a visual. That’s why I love hunting thick cover.

IMO the thicker the cover the better your odds of pulling one in without a decoy.

[rempse2]

I've hear bucks grunting in the woods twice that i can recall. On both occasions it was still dark before daylight, from the sound of it it sounded like he was trailing a doe. I found the grunts that I heard to be higher pitched than a grunt tube and kind of lick a clicking sound - probably was younger bucks. I've also have heard fawn bleats on a few occasions too.

As far as using a grunt tube, I've never grunted in a buck, have had luck grunting up does that I've called too.

[hambone]

My first experience with a grunt tube was with an old Woods Wise call. The only clue I had to what I was doing, was what I had learned from the back of the package. The first time I tooted on that thing, a 1.5 yr old basket rack 8 pt. came in, on a string. I drew back, took careful aim, and almost had my teeth ripped out, when the string snatched the call from my mouth, hurdling it and my arrow harmlessly in the general direction of the little buck... I stopped blind calling years ago. But I have had quite a few deer (3.5 and up) respond positively to soft grunts, as a last ditch effort, when they had been headed in the opposite direction. So I keep a grunt tube with me, just in case.

[Chuck B]

The deer society on YouTube has some really great videos on this subject. I would check them out for anyone interested. Here is a link to there page.

https://www.youtube.com/user/dukarthunter33

Those deer society videos are cool. Only problem is that the grunt tube didn't last more than half a season, it froze up, and then just quit working. Watch the videos, just don't buy their grunt tube.

As for me, I have not had success with blind calling a mature buck. Young bucks, yes, mature ones, no.

As for the black racks they sell, that is a nice product. However, I hate carrying them around. After this thread runs it's course, I would like to see a thread regarding the use of fake (or real) racks during the pre rut and rut.

[Dewey]

I’ve very rarely had a bad reaction from a buck (that I saw) when I grunted at him.

x2

The only few I can think of that white flagged me were called to in desperation. Either they were already on to me or they were called in and hung up. Usually if they do that (if they can see) they won’t come closer without a visual. That’s why I love hunting thick cover.

IMO the thicker the cover the better your odds of pulling one in without a decoy.

I think it’s a relative to the hunting pressure and the personality of the buck. Every buck is different. Like I mentioned in my last post 1-2 year olds are extremely easy to call. Mature bucks are a completely different story. In low pressure areas they may tolerate it and are much more curious. Try calling in an area with very high pressure and they are immediately on the edge and ready to bolt if they don’t get confirmation by sight or scent of another buck. Dumb bucks don’t live long enough to become mature.

[Lockdown]

I’ve very rarely had a bad reaction from a buck (that I saw) when I grunted at him.

x2

The only few I can think of that white flagged me were called to in desperation. Either they were already on to me or they were called in and hung up. Usually if they do that (if they can see) they won’t come closer without a visual. That’s why I love hunting thick cover.

IMO the thicker the cover the better your odds of pulling one in without a decoy.

I think it’s a relative to the hunting pressure and the personality of the buck. Every buck is different. Like I mentioned in my last post 1-2 year olds are extremely easy to call. Mature bucks are a completely different story. In low pressure areas they may tolerate it and are much more curious. Try calling in an area with very high pressure and they are immediately on the edge and ready to bolt if they don’t get confirmation by sight or scent of another buck. Dumb bucks don’t live long enough to become mature.

Agree

[tgreeno]

I wonder in pressured areas, if the bucks could become call shy, just like turkeys? When too many guys are just blindly overcalling.

I think inexperienced guys can over do scents & calling and ruin the chances of others without even knowing it.

[Bedbug]

I know of 2 now Target bucks that I personally am responsible for educating.. Making them call shy from years past.
On the contrary my two biggest kills we're result of sight calling both with a grunt tube.
For me the grunt is one of those things I don't dare hunt without. but I'm still in the stage that I have to argue without myself about using it blindly.

[Zonk54]

I've had good success using grunt tube and my voice for the doe/fawn bleat. No cold calling and no calling to non target bucks.

[Octang]

I never called in a mature buck with a grunt, but I did have a blast with a 2 1/2 year old during a doe only hunt. I called him in when I spotted him and made it a game to see how long I could keep him around my stand. Every time he walked away I called him back in. I probably called him in a dozen times over the course of a half hour before he finally gave up. I could have jumped out of my stand and killed him with a knife multiple times. It is still one of my favorite hunting memories.

[mag1]

Last year I got a 2.5 8ptr to come in, just couldn’t close the deal. He came in 2x. After that he decided to walk of, so I snort wheezed him. He took off. I think he had been wipped before. He stayed within 130 yds, so I hit him with a series of tending grunts, and can call. He kept watching, would move around, then walked off. This all took place over 45 min. Right at last light a big buck came in, but the wind shifted and off he went. True talker call.

[dan]

Ive killed a lot of bucks with the help of a grunt call... Including the 170 I shot this year on public and a giant even bigger two days prior that I blew the opportunity on... But, with that said, other people over calling in an area, or the bucks already suspecting a hunter in the area could be very alarmed to calling. I have seen grunts send deer running the other direction... So really, the way I use it is to not have it as part of my plan, but to have it as a tool to use when the plan don't go the way I expected. I never blind call... I can't tell you how many times I have heard a guy calling every 30 minutes from a stand location all evening and think, "man, if Im hearing that, so is every buck in the area and every older deer has to be weary of that... The way to use that tool for me is when a target is within sight and he is obviously not coming to me... Its a desperation call. A last chance. It works well if not abused.

Never call when one is looking your way. There hearing is so good they will pin you to exactly where you are, always wait till they look away.

When I set up. I am almost always hunting a certain bed or travel pattern I believe a certain buck will use and the last thing I want to do is alter that perceived travel or make that buck weiry of my location... I want to catch that buck by sheer and utter surprise. The call is for when things don't go as planned.

[tim]

I keep a grunt tube at the ready in case I need to grab it , it rarely gets used. It has come in clutch and cost a couple really nice bucks their lives when they tried to use the “wrong” path lol

[Groundhunter@1]

I agree with Dan, not much to add. Except, calling and rattling educate deer over time. My desperate call, is the "can" call, it has turned in my favor a few times, and I still believe it was luck.

[Grizzlyadam]

Calling has definitely hurt me way more than it has helped me.