Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Deer hunting,....who grunts, rattles, bleats or just stays quiet?

I do all of the above.

Not big on the rattling though. I've only seen it work once when I did it. I'm sure I bust more of them from the movement of rattling than I bring in.

Grunting and doe/fawn bleats I've have work enough to keep using them.

That's all I've done, though I have to confess, I'm still trying to learn this whitetail hunting thing. It's a bit different from moose & caribou hunting.

Ed

Seems any noises I make are enough to get the after burners kicked in in short order. How did the old timers bag anything without grunts, bleats, rattles, and boomer Magnums?

I hear that Scott.

But to answer, I have always been a spot & stalk hunter.

I do all of them. Little bit different up here than whitetail hunting though.

Have a serious case of STFU when in the woods.

D

As most here already know, my wife and I go to Anticosti Island every year. We are due to leave again this November 17th.

Up there, it's a whole nother dimension of deer hunting,,,,,,,,HONEST. I would imagine deer density and buck to doe ratio are the biggest contributing factors. Both my wife and I are very successful with both. We have both rattled them in with no grunting, and grunted them in with no rattling. And we have brought deer in doing both. We have brought them in not knowing they were there before and we have brought them in seeing them before we called or rattled. Talking to folks I am of the opinion that when we grunt we grunt with a tone that is too low in pitch. Mimicking an old mature deer. I have seen deer turn and run to these calls. After I got a little experience calling, I learned that a higher pitch call has better results. It scares less deer away and if there is a big ol' bruiser nearby, he'll "generally" come in for a looksee. Rattling, I always start by just clicking the antlers together. I never "bang" them together, but rack the tines together to try to imitate pushing and shoving. I have NEVER called in or rattled in a deer in the New Hampshire woods, EVER. OTOH, I have NEVER NOT called or rattled deer in on the island. It doesn't work EVERY time but it does at least 50% of the time.

I'd be interested to try more of the rattling up here. I've heard it can work. I use a bleat pretty exclusively during the rut. Plenty of bucks come running into those. However, as Calvin says, it's a bit different up here than whitetail hunting.

When I lived in ID, I grunted in a nice buck one year. Had a pard rattle in one later that same day. Otherwise it was pretty quiet, still hunting most of the time.

I occasionally fart, cough and sneeze.

Dan

While I generally scare any deer over to the next county if I try to call them in, I once called in a beautiful 12 point with the slightest click of 2 antlers. Came crashing in and stood perfectly broadside from 25 yards away but as luck wood have it, my peep sight came off as I pulled back.



I've also been able to get a buck to turn back towards me with a light grunt. If I want a deer to stop, a light quick whistle has never failed me(Grandpa taught me that trick). Bleating has never worked for me but I hear it has for others.


I suppose it's different for us archery hunters who need a deer to get within 25+/- yrds for a shot. Frustrating seeing a nice buck off in the distance but I've got to the point I'd rather just take my chances being quiet. Hate giving away my position more than anything.

I stay quiet unless I see a buck heading the wrong way. Then I might grunt or rattle to head him my way.

Once I THOUGHT I heard another hunter grunting in the woods, I was on a pipeline in a stand, I ignored it for awhile, about 15-20 minutes later I made a few grunts, a nice 8 pt stepped out - and I am 99% sure what I had THOUGHT was a hunter blowing a call, was this deer I shot about 115 yds down the pipeline. He came out looking my direction. There was nobody hunting in the stand that was out in front where the deer obviously passed, as everyone had assigned stands and the one stand there was empty.

Had the same thing happen in a swamp back in college thinking I heard some hunters, and when I waded back towards 'them' I found Real DUCKS! They sounded worse then a good caller!

I often stay quiet awhile, and then later will use a call sparingly, just a few grunts, and silent for 20-30 minutes, then one more set. Then quiet an hour or so. Killed alot of deer when doing this......never knowingly hurt my hunting by calling, but like duck hunting, if the game is coming your way, and you know it, don't bring attention to yourself.

Another time hunting a swamp area in south LA, I ran off several deer while heading to the area I wanted to hunt, they had been feeding in a hardwood area on acorns. I got blew a doe snort/bleat 'wheeze' call a few times to try calming them into thinking I was a deer, as my sounding crunching on dry ground is what ran them off. I sat down w/in minutes and blew my deer grunt. Minutes later right at legal light, a small buck returned, I had my knees up and strained getting the eye relief on my 6x on a #1 270....dropped the deer so fast I never saw him fall during recoil - 150 BT was like a lightning bolt.

Yes, I am sold on using calls, but knowing when, and how often to call has to be thought out, not just random steady calling.

That said, if hunting pressure is steady, and esp. if you know others use calls, i.e. when after ducks, or bugling for elk, you have to be very careful not to over call.

Rattling..something I need to try more of...it seems to be pretty effective for many who do it.

While I have not tried it myself,I have been with hunters in Va,WVa and Texas who have successfully rattled in deer. I,personally,have had success with grunt calls,especially at first light. I have one of those "bleats in a can" jobs but have never used it.

If I can bring in a deer with my grunt calling,then I assure you they're effective. FWIW,and I have no stake in the company,the below is one of my favorite grunt calls and it really does sound spectacular,with little effort.

It's on sale now,too.

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Hunting/Hunting-Game-Calls/Big-Game-Calls%7C/pc/104791680/c/104725980/sc/104212980/Hunters-Specialties-True-Talker-2-Deer-Call/727882.uts?destination=%2Fcatalog%2Fbrowse%2Fhunting-hunting-game-calls-big-game-calls%2F_%2FN-1100094%2FNs-CATEGORY_SEQ_104212980%3FWTz_l%3DSBC%253Bcat104791680%253Bcat104725980

did the same thing elk hunting, this guy had a bugle and i had a cow call, my dad busted a bottle of elk urine in his coat pocket. any way, i'm calling, he's calling and finally we found each other, we started BS'ing and a group of about 6 cows came running at us and into the thick timber, and nobody got a shot off. These cows came with in 10 feet of us.

I prefer to sit quietly on the highest place I can find, behind my binos and spotter, looking into the wind, so I can spit Copenhagen all over the ground with no issues.

I grunt on occassion and use attractant scents..

Silent.

I usually just fart, that brings 'em in closer every time!

Now, when you get like me, and can do all three at exactly the same time, your sucess rate will go way up!

As of late, I make a drink, (a big one), grab a lawn chair, walk 50-100 yards from camp and sit with an unloaded Marlin. Heck, sometimes I'll even smoke a cigar. I usually see 5-7 doe's and just waive at them. They darn near walk right up to me.

Now if I really want to shoot something then I walk and walk and walk!

Best deer hunt I ever had was after a late-late morning frat party at the College of Charleston. I wore the same bright white oxford, jeans and docksiders I had on the night before and everyone made fun of me. Fell asleep in the ditch only to wake up to an 8 and 10 pointer standing darn near on top of me. I only had the heart to drop one and the other ran 25 yards and stopped. That was all it took so that one went down as well. None of the others saw anything and they weren't laughing after the hunt.

For me none of this covert stuff is worth going through. Right place, right time and God willing. Maybe that explains why I've yet to shoot a danged turkey.