Having said that deer calls bring unexpected consequences, I can also say there have been some awesome successes. That still does not change my overall view.
In 2003, for instance, I blew a grunt before daylight and managed to bring in the biggest buck I had shot to date. He'd been fighting with another buck and this guy was sure the fellow was giving him lip from a safe distance after running away. It was a complicated scene and not soon to be repeated, but grunting did work.
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The Savage Spoke . . .In 2007, history sort of repeated itself. I saw a group of young males mulling about near my stand, and I blew a grunt at them, just to see what would happen. They all popped their heads up and looked my way and then ran like I'd set their tails on fire. It was until after I had settled back in to my stand, cussing my stupidity, that the real consequence happened. It turned out these guys must have been thinking I was The Big One and ran. The Big One heard my grunt and actually did make an appearance. This ended up being the camp's #1 all-time buck.
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The Savage Speaks AgainTruth is, I can even claim that my first deer was taken as the result of a grunt call. I'd just received one in the mail to test, and after seeing nothing all morning, I decided to bring it out and give it a poot. Whatever I blew, it translated to "RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!" to a herd of doe just a few yards back of the stump where I was sitting. I nearly got trampled.
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Shaman's First DeerI've had other instances where calls work really well, but as with scents and rattling horns and all the other gimmicks, the failures have all outweighed the successes.
