Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Shooting and Hunting => Topic started by: Fox on August 28, 2020, 11:47:13 am
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Do any of you use deer calls? (I assume you do ) if so did you make them or just buy them, I know there's tones to buy but i would rather make them.... any ideas?
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Some people use predator calls, a doe comes to the call and hopefully a buck follows behind
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I carry a grunt call every time I hunt. I'm not sure of the brand but it will make a buck grunt and a doe grunt. I've called deer in with it and helped to relax deer with it. I think a grunt call is very useful. I've never tried to make one but you can make the grunt noise with your mouth with practice.
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Okay thanks guys.. I may just try to find that pat
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Our archery hunting crew has used grunt calls for over 30 years. We have tried a number of big name and custom made calls. They all have different levels of sound and volume. What we have learned is to have a call that you can "reach out" with if the buck is a ways away without the call "quacking". When you get the volume and pitch to the buck, whatever distance, and he reacts, call quietly 1 or 2 more times then wait. If he heard you he is either going to ignore you, come right away or sneak in later looking for the buck that made the call. You never know as each animal is different in the way they react. A grunt call is definitely in our reach every time we are after a buck. Does seem to shy away from a grunt call. They must think it's a horny old buck that they're not interested in just yet.
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Okay thanks jimmi! Do you have a call you would recommend?
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Deer make sounds. When you hear them it is memorable. I have always tried to mimic those sounds. Saying MEEEEEK, and adding the sheep or goat bleat as you say it; if that makes any since; I have found to be a great sound to make by mouth. Saying NEEEEEEEP with a throaty deep almost growl, I have found to be a very effective grunt. Because I don't have to pull out a call and I am always ready and I have heard these sounds in the woods I have a lot of confidence in them. Try it and always be listening for these sounds in the woods.
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Have had a lot of success calling in Bucks during the rut with bleeting. Baaaaaaaa. I only use it if a Buck is out of range, some come right in and sometimes they ignore it.
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I got a little grunt call and a fawn bleat to try with mulies. They get pretty talkative sometimes, but they're really quiet about it. You have to be in really close to hear them. Sound just like whitetail grunts. Once I saw a fawn that was goofing around and got separated from the herd. Started bleating like a lamb. I could hear it clearly from about 200 yards away.
I can do a reasonable facsimile of both sounds with my mouth, but I think I'll stick with the plastic calls until I have a better idea of how they work.
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Fawn bleats work but most deer that came to a fawn distress call will come in ready to fight so be ready for some fast action.
Years ago I was sitting on the ground with my back against a large red oak. I'd bleat for a few seconds and then wait 10 minutes or so and try again, watching and listening for anything. After about an hour or so I started to get up and move and as soon as I moved I heard her blow and felt a strong blast of air on the back of my neck. (A) I never heard her come up behind at all and I was listening.
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Fawn bleats work but most deer that came to a fawn distress call will come in ready to fight so be ready for some fast action.
Years ago I was sitting on the ground with my back against a large red oak. I'd bleat for a few seconds and then wait 10 minutes or so and try again, watching and listening for anything. After about an hour or so I started to get up and move and as soon as I moved I heard her blow and felt a strong blast of air on the back of my neck. (A) I never heard her come up behind at all and I was listening.
Wow, bet that got your heart rate up! Who's hunting whom?
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It took me a few minutes before I could get up. :o
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Haha that's a great story... So whadya recommend? A bleat can? A grunt? Something else?
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We have purchased "inexpensive" calls at local big box stores and ordered custom calls. Seems like every one has a different sound capability. We like ones that can be "tuned" by moving the rubber band holding the reed in position. You can move the band to create a deeper "old buck" sound or to a higher "young buck" sound. Again the big thing is to be able to have volume without squawking. We have called to bucks out over 100 yards with a loud noise to get their attention then use the softer call to convince them to investigate. Using game calls is another trick in the bag to get close to whatever animal you are hunting. Good luck! Watch some videos from some of the name brand manufacturers to get started.
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Okay, thanks for the good advice jimmi!
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Wish I could relate all the stories and pictures of the bucks that have been shot because of calls. We have been using "can" calls the last few years with SOME success. Not a lot but some. Every trick you can put in your bag helps for sure. Rattling is another. I haven't had a lot of luck with rattling but some of my hunting partners swear by it. And one of them swears "at" grunt calls! So again, try it all and enjoy the results!
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I am big on calling can calls, rattling antlers, and grunt call during the rut. During the rut call in areas with rubs and scrapes it’s way more effective. The rest of the season I like to carry a communication bleat. Communication bleat is good to calm a deer that startles at a distance but doesn’t know what you are. It can also cause a deer to be curious and come check you out
I know it’s an older thread but it’s still hunting season
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Thanks bad juju, that’s a good point with the bleat calming deer down a bit
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It happens often where a deer is alert knowing something is up but not knowing what. If they let out an alarm call and stay in the area or only move off a a short distance that communication bleat can bring them back. If they out and out bust you they are gone though
Works really good on mule deer because they are more curious than whitetail
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I have used just about every grunt tube sold...because I lose or misplace them all the time. Years ago, I bought the calls Roger Raglin uses...little tiny metal tubes with a foam mouthpiece. I shot at and missed the first little buck I killed with a trad bow...grunted with that thing, and he turned back around and came back to 15 yards. Later that year, I turned a group of 3 small bucks 90 degrees and had them walk right to me...only for me to learn that you shouldn't shoot an expandable from a recurve. The calls sound NOTHING like any other grunt tube I've used or heard...they are not loud, they are "clicky," but I've noticed that unless a buck is pursuing a doe and fired up and growling or nearly growling, the grunts I hear from them are very soft and "clicky" or "ticky" for lack of a better explanation. Found some again on Raglin's web site and bought three doe and three buck calls to compensate for my unique ability to lose stuff. They do not sound loud and "good to the hunter's ear," but they sound great to deers' ears.
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A buck grunt works if you see the king of the forest and he is not hot on a doe. Then he comes over to lay waste to the upstarts challenging his domain. Younger 2.5 - 3.5 year old bucks kind of respond like "Yea, don't need my ass kicked today." ;D
Now a doe grunt and done like a short plead. will lead them in like on a string. You can do that with your throat and hands. Like a high pitched cow mow. Google doe bleat. I killed an 8 this year, buck grunt and "Nope" then doe bleat and he came looking for love and died. Five point running a far scrape like and doe bleat and he was 15 yards in front of me and let him pass. Lots a 4's and spike with the same stupid look, trying to figure where the hot doe is. Doe bleats are where its at, unless you see the big daddy buck looking for a fight.
Now, if the boys are following a doe. no sense even grunting. If they are hot enough on her I think you can stand up in the stand, wave your arms and yell and the bucks wouldn't notice you. But then you'd scare off the doe they are chasing and in turn, move them with her.
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A buck grunt works if you see the king of the forest and he is not hot on a doe. Then he comes over to lay waste to the upstarts challenging his domain. Younger 2.5 - 3.5 year old bucks kind of respond like "Yea, don't need my ass kicked today." ;D
Now a doe grunt and done like a short plead. will lead them in like on a string. You can do that with your throat and hands. Like a high pitched cow mow. Google doe bleat. I killed an 8 this year, buck grunt and "Nope" then doe bleat and he came looking for love and died. Five point running a far scrape like and doe bleat and he was 15 yards in front of me and let him pass. Lots a 4's and spike with the same stupid look, trying to figure where the hot doe is. Doe bleats are where its at, unless you see the big daddy buck looking for a fight.
Now, if the boys are following a doe. no sense even grunting. If they are hot enough on her I think you can stand up in the stand, wave your arms and yell and the bucks wouldn't notice you. But then you'd scare off the doe they are chasing and in turn, move them with her.
I agree with you 100% when you are talking about all the big grunt tubes that are out there. I killed a 280lb brute of an ohio 8pt after hearing him and another buck chase a doe up one side of a draw and back down and up the other side for 10-15 minutes just out of sight. Those bucks were grunting evey 2-5 seconds, and they were not nearly as deep and loud as any of the traditional grunt tubes that are out there. The hot doe finally lost them and slipped down past my stand. That big 8 came walking and looking grunting every 3 seconds, and when he popped out around a huge boulder on that hillside at 30 yards, his grunts were soft, consistent, "clicky" grunts that I could still barely hear well.
Most of the times that I hear bucks grunt, it takes a second, and then I think "was that a grunt?" That has happened nearly every time I have heard grunting whlie hunting. I understand why loud tubes are needed when hunting Kansas and you are trying to get the attention of a big buck that is a ways away or in super windy conditions, but every time I have ever grunted with one of those big, deep tubes, the buck will whip his head in my direction (if he pays attention at all) then head off at a faster pace than he was originally moving. Either they think it is a deer that is going to beat them silly, or they don't think it sounds right. I think it might be more to do with it not sounding quite right, because think about how many times you see video of a hunter grunting at an out of range deer only for the deer to pause, look their way, and keep moving on...then finally, a snort wheeze turns them in their tracks, and they march in all bristled up right to the base of the tree. You telling me that those bucks were scared of the deep grunt but not scared of the snort wheeze? I dont think so. I think the grunt got their attention, much like a "Mehp" does when you stop them for a shot. The grunt did not sound exactly right, but they heard it and are looking to see what made the noise...then the snort wheeze, which actually does sound like a deer snort wheezing, makes them think there is a buck that needs to be dealt with or at least checked out.
I've only heard two bucks that grunted differently than the soft, short, clicky "was that a grunt" sound. One was a buck that was growling. It was from the same tree I killed that 8 out of, and about 100 yards up that same draw...and out of nowhere, I heard deer crashing and running. One was blowing like a doe that just got a whiff of hunter BO, and the other was growling like nothing I've ever heard. It was intense, and it went on for 5 minutes or more. I was tempted to get down and try to sneak up there on them, because I knew they were likey too engaged to notice me sneaking up there, but to be honest, I was a little freaked out and hesitatnt about getting near them on the ground. I wanted to KILL the buck, yet I was intimidated about approaching him...so I think about 99.9% of the bucks in that area were steering well clear of that situation. My dad was about 100 yards below me, and he could not believe it either. I told him it sounded like the buck was flat raping that doe and she was blowing and freaking out. Now that I have seen videos of locked bucks that were near death before getting their horns shot or cut off to free them, I'm convinced that what I heard was two bucks that crashed hard once and locked up and were trying to get separated. It was definitely not normal, as I've heard it once in my lifetime of hunting.
The other different grunt I heard, I was sitting in my stand as daylight broke, and I heard what I thought was a 4 wheeler or ATV that someone cranked maybe a mile or two away. The woods were ultra quiet, and it was like the put-put-put-put of a 4 wheeler exhaust if you just cranked it and did not give it gas. It went for a good 10-12 seconds and I literally thought "I didn't know there was a house in that direction...4 wheeler." Then it stopped, and I thought someone turned it off or it choked out. Then it cranked back up...and I thought, "that is one odd sounding 4 wheeler...is that a 4 wheeler? WTH is that? then off again. A couple of minutes later, I hear deer walking, and I hear it again, and this time I know it is a deer grunting, and again it is a long, fairly soft, continuous grunt that sounds like an ATV ehaust, but this time he ended it with a "rev up" with some authority at the end. I then saw the doe ears back sneaking thru trying to stay away from him, but not hauling ass. He finally stepped out at 30 yards looking for her, looked directly toward me standing broadside, and he was a solid 20+ inches inside, had an old, grey face, and droopy donky ears. This was in SC where big bucks are relatively small, but this guy at least had serious width and good mass (never saw tine length or number well), and he was THE MAN of those woods. Unfortunately, my great looking shot found solid shoulder bone, and the "CRACK" let me know I had blown it...and blown it I had.
So...to make a long story longer, out of 40+ years of serious deer hunting, I've heard exactly 2 bucks make sounds that can be made with 99% of the grunt tubes on the market today. One was either the biggest, baddest buck in Ohio, or was one of two locked up bucks; one was the largest, oldest deer any of us have ever seen on my buddy's 1200 acres of prime SC buck woods.
So why blow a call to mimic that? I won't anymore. I'll take a regular grunt tube in to mimic that second SC buck when rut is kicking in OH or somewhere where the rut is defined and big bucks are there, otherwise, I won't blow one. I will use those little soft-sounding "clicky" tubes Raglin uses (Ill post the name of the things when I dig one out of my gear bag), because they do actually sound just like every one of the 50+ different bucks I've heard grunting while hunting. I only used them for a couple of years a long time ago, but I actually caused deer, albiet small bucks, to completely change their course and come to me with those tubes, so I know they attract, and I know they don't intimidate or sound "off" to the deer. Unfortunately, I lost them at a time when there was no internet shopping and searching, and I did not know what they were called. I also fell into the trap of buying calls that are meant to attract hunters more than deer, all of which I have used for 20 years now with little to no success. I'm glad I googled "roger raglin deer calls" and eventually found, and was able to purchase them again, and I'm looking forward to putting this theory of mine thru some serious testing next fall.
So, I think grunts can work more than they are currently working for people...if they just sound more like what real deer do. Deer aren't hollering across 20 acres at other deer...they usually grunt softly to communicate with deer that are near them...us trying to call at and make a deer hear us that is 100 yards away isn't realistic.
Thats where my head is on this subject at this time FWIW.
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https://www.rogerraglin.com/category-s/165.htm
They are called “whitetail maniac hands free calls”
Stupid name...should be called realistic, non-threatening hands-free calls.”
They sound like deer sound.
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So, is it worth carrying around the doe and buck call both, or will one suffice? The times I've heard deer talking, the bucks and does don't sound that different. So, do you really need separate calls, or can you make one work for both?
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Back when I used the calls, the buck that I shot at and missed and ran off came back to the doe call. You are correct about the sound differece not being much, but there is a difference, so I trusted what I saw Roger instructing about using them and blew the doe call a steady one second call. The deer did a 180 and came right back in looking for the deer he heard, and I got my first trad kill. Would it have come to the buck call? Probably. They aren't expensive, so I figure why not have both. I never used a bleat can before 5 or so years ago, as I had never heard (or never noticed) a deer make that noise in the woods. One early season sit in Ohio, I heard it very loud and thought someone may have been hunting near me...until the deer did it over and over and over walking back and forth about 50 yards in both directions. I figured it was a late fawn that had lost mama. I know a lot of folks who wont go in the woods in November without one.
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Back when I used the calls, the buck that I shot at and missed and ran off came back to the doe call. You are correct about the sound differece not being much, but there is a difference, so I trusted what I saw Roger instructing about using them and blew the doe call a steady one second call. The deer did a 180 and came right back in looking for the deer he heard, and I got my first trad kill. Would it have come to the buck call? Probably. They aren't expensive, so I figure why not have both. I never used a bleat can before 5 or so years ago, as I had never heard (or never noticed) a deer make that noise in the woods. One early season sit in Ohio, I heard it very loud and thought someone may have been hunting near me...until the deer did it over and over and over walking back and forth about 50 yards in both directions. I figured it was a late fawn that had lost mama. I know a lot of folks who wont go in the woods in November without one.
Yeah, I was watching a heard of mulie does and fawns one time from a couple hundred yards away. One of the fawns was goofing around and got lost, and starting bleating like a lamb. Pretty easy sound to replicate with the voice in a pinch. I suspect it would get a doe's attention early in the season. Never tried it on a buck.
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Been years since I posted here, but hoping to be back.
Anyway... I did some historical call building a number of years ago and had some fun... https://docs.google.com/document/d/14gMffzrN9p8Ocektaw-NYv-vQAanY5mumWDUTfwuvLA/edit?usp=sharing
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So, I think grunts can work more than they are currently working for people...if they just sound more like what real deer do. Deer aren't hollering across 20 acres at other deer...they usually grunt softly to communicate with deer that are near them...us trying to call at and make a deer hear us that is 100 yards away isn't realistic.
Thats where my head is on this subject at this time FWIW.
I grunted a 5 point up early November that was trying to slip through the bottom. He got 20 yards in front of me and grunted trying to find where that doe was. It was light enough it was hardly audible on my iPhone as I was recording it and people didn't notice it until I pointed it out.
The loudest grunts I ever heard were bucks right on a does tail trotting so he's breathing harder. It is still not quite as loud a the YT video show you to do.
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Dang guys I’m glad this conversation picked up again... I really appreciate all the great responses! I’m going to have to try the calls you were all talking about!