Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Grunting and doe bleeting

Do you think these types of calling have much effect on bringing deer in that are not with in sight? Grunt tubes and the doe bleet can calls that you turn over...

I have no scientific proof, but have had blacktail bucks beeline to my location using a bleat.

I had a mule deer doe come in to a dying rabbit call so I would assume a bleat call would work.

Before my recent knee replacement surgery, I emptied all of the hunting gear from my Badlands pack (at least I thought I did), and put in some things I thought I might need for my hospital stay. A young nurse was searching in the pack for a pair of socks, when she got a look of disgust, and asked, "Sir, what ... what is this?", as she gingerly took something out of the pack and showed it to me. It was a grunt tube. I offered to demonstrate how it works, but she wasn't interested. LOL!

I've been using grunts, bleats, snorts-- whatever since the mid-80's.

Yes they work, but often not in the ways you want. I've learned to generally stay away from them. When I do use them, I use them sparingly.

Let me give you a theoretical example. Let's say you are trying to lure a buck out of a treeline. You grunt. There are a herd of doe that you don't see that hear this, and decide to move off to get out of the way. The buck hears or sees the doe moving off and follows them. You have no idea anything ever happened. All you know is the forest became quiet.

When grunt calls first became available, you could stop a buck for a shot, most every time. Now they act like they don't even hear them. I suspect that people are using them so much the have lost their effectiveness. miles.

No question in my mind that I have shot bucks with the aid of both. It's my opinion that they work best just before or during the rut. Seeing bits and pieces of a deer walking away from you -- grunting and turning them around . Use around bedding areas just before sunset.

When and how do you guys use doe bleeting?

JMHO- ^ ^ ^ I think this happens more
than people know.
I would guess it would vary by region.
I prefer to stay as quiet and still as possible
where I'm now hunting. I've observed deer
that were well concealed and barely visible
to me just stand as still as a statue and watch
an area they were about to move through.
If it weren't for them moving an ear there's no
way I'd have ever seen them.
There's no way to know at the deer I've probably
alerted to my presence and I never knew it

I wont go into the woods without a grunt call
Late October Ill also bring a doe bleat call.

Called in many unseen deer w both, and used to have good luck rattling too ( until people around me started doing it....starting Oct 1 ....think the deer went stone deaf from all that racket ).

Too many think they can be stinky and noisy and after 5 minutes of sitting still think a call should be expected to perform magic.

A call is a tool. You still gotta be sneaky and smart

Got a local guy that claims to use aggressive calling starting Oct 1.

I think hes FOS.

Wont get aggressive til Halloween.

Use very sparingly before then, more social and non dominance

Last year I saw the darndest thing. It was about lunch time, and I was getting ready to go back to the cabin. All the sudden, a spike appears in the field. I watch him for a bit, then as he was walking away(200 yards, or so), I decided to grunt at him. He turned around and came 100 yards closer. I got quiet and he walked away again. I grunted and he came back again. This went on for 15 minutes, then I started "playing" Happy Birthday, on my grunt tube. That spike took off and didn't look back!

Then over the rise in the field, came two bucks! A 7 and an eight point. All this while blowing like mad on my True Talker. The 7 had quite a lump, so I let the 7mm SAUM sing, and had my deer.

Do grunt tubes work? I've had mixed results over the last 15 years or so. But some ridiculous calling brought three bucks to me in the middle of the day on Nov 20!

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.
see : 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.

see: The Savage Speaks Again

Truth 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.
see: Shaman's First Deer


I'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.

I have never tried a bleat. I know people that use them and say deer come to it.
I do occasionally use a grunt. Bucks come to it under certain conditions. I have played with young bucks I didn't intend to shoot and they passed me and turned around and came back to my stand after I grunted. I have also grunted and had does jump up and run off that I wish had stayed in the field.
I have shot a couple of nice bucks that came out of the woods looking straight at me a couple of minutes after grunting.
I usually prefer to sit in a good place quietly.

RE: Bleats

I've had bleats work, but again, it's hit-or-miss. Normally, I don't go for the full-distress mode. I keep it in the light-conversational contact bleat. What I'll get is the occasional young doe coming out to see what's up.

This is generally been my thoughts about those things also. More to possibly lose than gain. But just thinking about trying something new .

I think there are better ways to pick up ladies, but I hear they sometimes work for deer hunting.

4 out the last 5 bucks I have had mounted came on a string to a grunt tube. Killed a 18” 7 pt last year that came from way out of sight at a trot. He stopped twice, one grunt got him coming again both times. I carry a can call and 2 grunts and a rattle bag and I use them all often. No scent control at all, never care about the wind but I call a lot

I had a young spike walk behind me last year and decided to give him a nice deep grunt. He stopped and went into searching for the buck that was going to give him his next life lesson. After another grunt he decided to put it in gear and got out of there double quick. I've never had much luck with calls but on slow days I'll use one to see what happens.

That goofy little Primos doe bleat " can " call.
They work.

Halloween til gun season Ill have mine w me.