Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Deer Calls [ The Can vs Grunting ]

What is you favorite deer call? Have you been more successful with bleats from a can or grunts during pre-rut & rut? I have a flex tone grunt call that I love, but I'm thinking of getting the can. Extra weight or the real deal?

Faulks D50

I have had success calling in a buck during the rut with a grunt tube. I have a can that I bought just last season, haven't had it long enough to report results. I have seen a video that an outfitter I hunted with showing him calling in a buck using the can. Worth a try, it has shown itself to be effective.

I have had some small bucks show up after using a can call. I was hunting in thick woods so I don't know if they were just headed my way on their own or responded to the call. I have grunted and can called deer I could see at a long distance and they just looked my way for a few seconds and went on doing their thing.

I suspect that like anything else, they work sometimes, and from what I can tell they don't bother or scare deer.

I know these work, but the only thing I ever succeeded in doing with a grunt call was scaring away a buck and two does that were headed my way. When I hit that grunt call they took off like someone shot them out of a cannon. Damned call's still laying on the side of the hill back there in the woods somewhere.

Much like gophergunner, I have had 0 success with a grunt tube. Mine also is somewhere on a hill. That said, my son lives in an area with a significantly higher deer density and has called in a number of bucks with a grunt tube.

I have no idea what he uses.

I carry a grunt call-- don't remember the make and model, but I use it very sparingly.

#1 I don't blind call unless I'm just about ready to call it quits and I have nothing to lose

#2 I never get into very aggressive grunts. When I do call, I use a very non-intrusive contact grunt that is in a register that is midway between a doe and a buck. The idea is to get a deer curious enough to come over.

Half the time I've grunted, the buck skedaddles. The best reason I can give is that during the rut, most bucks are not looking to fight. An aggressive grunt is analogous to walking into Appleby's on a slow night and yelling " I'll whip any man in this bar! Which one of you pansies is first?"

You might get a taker, but most guys are going put their head down and the smart ones are going for the back door.

On the other hand, I HAVE had a few really exciting hunts where the Monarch du jour was cruising through and heard me.

2007 comes to mind:

The Savage Speaks Again

I've got a can-type deer bleat. I've been moderately successful. Again, I don't overdo it. Overall, I'd say it was hard to tell if the deer came to the bleat or was coming that way anyway.

For the most part, I've had good success with a grunt tube in calling in deer that I've seen. Can, not so much, but I'm not done trying.

Last deer I shot that was grunted up is my favorite encounter. I spot a small buck across the woods on the powerline ROW, about 70yds and too thick to shoot. I have my then 6yo son with me. The deer starts walking from our left to right, then starts walking dead away from us. My son was given a grunt call the previous Xmas by Grandma and wanted to call the deer in. I gave the go ahead and he started to toot on the call. Much louder and harsher than I would have. The buck stopped on a dime and came in like he was on a string. Beings he was small I asked my son if we should shoot him and I was given the green light. I dropped him at 25yrds. I turned to my son who was just shaking and asked if he was all right. "This is the most exciting day of my life!", was the response I got back.


PS- He's the 3rd generation to don that hat for deer season!

Nice story, pointer.
I've never had any success with a can call, I just don't feel that it is loud enough for deer to hear at any distance. The grunt call is another story. I have grunted in and killed half a dozen bucks with my bow, all of which obviously changed direction and came directly to the source of the call, looking for the other buck. I've had other bucks stop and listen then go on, never spooked one with a grunt.

i have tried everything i think. the first year the can call came out i thought is was great. i must have called 50 deer right to me that season but after that it seemed to fizzle out somewhat.i've grunted in a few nice bucks,mostly bucks that i could see but were to far to shoot. i've done the same with rattling horns. nothing works all the time but when it does it sure makes for a great hunt just knowing you talked him into heading your way.

I also had great success with the can when it was new, and I've had better luck with grunt calls on a doe grunt setting than with a buck grunt.

The best luck I've had with any of the calls were in very dense cover, where the deer couldn't see where the call sound was coming from. The denser the cover the more comfortable the deer were to come over and have a look. Also they couldn't just look over and obviously see that there was no deer there making the call.

I've used both and had success with the can. I can't say I've ever called in a deer with a grunt tube. Rattling has been pretty much unsuccessful with the exception of maybe 3 times on deer and once on a bull moose.

My voice.

I grunt and use a can. I use a grunt tube at times but I have much better luck grunting without a tube.

The grunt tube for sure . I dont know how many deer I have called in with it. The can I pitched out of the tree several years ago.

I have used a grunt tube, can call and rattling to call in deer. Most of the time it doesn't work and I sit there looking at the trees but if the conditions are right they all work like a champ. I'm not big on blind calling unless I'm close to a bedding area and on the down wind side. I've had success doing this almost every year.

I use a flextone call which has to be 10 years old. I do not grunt loudly just 2 to three times and put it away for an hour. I never had any success with a can call used it for a few years and sometimes in conjunction with the grunt call.

Where I hunt there are very few hunters, a low deer population and a high mature buck to doe ratio. I have great success with the can, and some with the grunt tube, including a couple of big bucks that have charged right in.

Two years ago I had a timber wolf come in hard to the can.

I have never had a grunt tube work. I try it every year just for entertainment
value.

I usually mix both if using them. Soft grunts with can.

I know the can works as I've used it quite successfully to pull deer out of the field next to our property.