Does anyone blind call to deer.
I feel like any edge helps and also
believe I have called in deer before, not
everytime, but sometimes. I usually use
a series of grunts (2 or 3 grunts)every 15
minutes or so. It would sound like this
(grunt.....grunt, grunt) or a variation of.
I used the doe in a can last year without
success.
Does anyone else use calls?

Yes, Grunt Call, Fawn Bleat, Rattlin' Bag.

I do the same (grunt, bleat , rattle) but I haven't had any success. I think it is mainly due to not having a large population of deer in my area.

The grunt call is one of the best tools in your bag, i use it all year long. I've watched deer of both sex's travel considerable distances just to find the source.

never been a big fan of the grunt call itself, other than a tool to stop a walkin deer before you shoot him. but used in conjunction with antlers, its a great tool. i've rattled up several deer in places with low numbers and skewered sex ratios

I always call more so in pre rut, rut, post rut. But always take my calls with me. Called in my 10 pt last year with the Can Call. That thing really works on our lease for some reason, also calls in bobcats to a degree. I find that the calling works the best when hunting in the woods or an overgrown clear cut where the deer can't see other deer and have to go looking for the calling.

grunt calls, when done right, can be extremely efective, whether with rattling or not. One thing that hurts a lot of people is knowing how to use a grunt call the right way, the tone, sequence, length, time between, etc...can make a buck come runing, or run away. I always have my grunt call and horns with me, big bucks come to does, not corn, so you have to simulate somthing involving does if you want any success consistently.

A couple of years ago I was sitting in my treestand and watched two young bucks pass about 100 yards away. The biggest was a 6 point, and the smaller was maybe a 4 point, I think. As they were passing, I noticed the bigger 6 point was pretty rough on the smaller buck. He kept kicking at him, and trying to pick a fight, but without any luck. The smaller buck looked like he wanted to get away from the 6 point, and finally went into some heavy brush where the 6 point followed. As soon as both were out of sight, I hit my grunt a couple of times, and man that 6 point jumped out of that brush like he was gonna kill somebody. I had never seen anything like that before, and it was awesome. He came toward me, and then stopped to look around. After a few seconds, he took off after that smaller buck like he was gonna woop his butt. I grunted again, but this time, no luck. Up to that point, I had never had any success with grunt calls, rattling bags, horns, or doe bleat cans or anything else for that matter. But, at that moment, I had the right buck, in just the right frame of mind ready to attack whatever it was that made those grunts. It was pretty cool.

So Rowny,
Please inform me of the right way. I want to be extremely effective.

I didnt say you were doing it wrong, if you have had success there is no point in messing with it. I was simply pointing out the fact to people who posted saying they have not had any luck with calls.

whoa, there rowny, don't go off.
I was just wondering how you do it.
I would like my calling to be more productive.
As of right now, it's hit and miss (more miss
than hit) and I'm willing to try pretty much anything
except the used tampon mentioned in the SCENT
thread.

Kansas, three years ago, set up in a lock on about 18' up in a tree facing a fresh cut milo field. 500 yards across to anther fence row/tree line. 30mph wind blowin right in my eyes, tree leaning bout to throw me like a bucking bronc at times. My cousin was set up at the edge of the same field appx. 300 yards off at a 45 from me. I saw a massive 10 point bruiser walking the fence row 500 yards away, now keep in mind I have at least a 30 mph wind in my face. I start hitting the grunt call to no avail, he can't hear it due to the wind. I hankered down on the grunt tube so hard it growled and squeeled... that Buck stopped, twirled around, and muscled up and jumped the fence and came at such a gallop straight for me I thought my heart was going to jump out of my throat. I had a decoy set out at 30 yards in the field so I would know my yardage,(bow hunt) long story short he circled about 20 yards on the other side of the decoy and circled plumb around me offering no shot. As he left the area still offering no shot I grunted and rattled but he had lost interest after seeing no Buck in the area. Later that evening back at camp my cousin claims that is the greatest thing I ever witnessed, oh by the way did you see the bigger buck coming up behind you. No I was too busy working/calling the one that ran across the field. I guess the other one busted me working the rattling antlers and ducked in the hard woods. Moral of the story is when calling.....be sure and look behind you, that wasn't the first time I was busted by the Buck behind me while calling the one in front of me. Even though I didn't get that Buck that day, that hunt is one of my most memorable Bow hunts.

Social Grunts are short and soft
Tending Grunts are also short but a little louder and repetitive
Territorial Grunts are longer and louder more like a stay away or a fight is coming
Roar or Growl is suppose to be an even more aggressive type of grunt more like a shout.

each of these calls have their own time and place. It really depends on the mood of the buck.

Sorry I thought I offended you. Bucknhook is got some good points there. One thing I would add is that the dominace level of the buck along with age have a lot to do with it. FOr instance, if you hit your grunt call in a higher pitch, in threee short bursts, pause 10 sec, again, pause 5 sec, again,pause 10 sec, etc..., your are simulating a young buck chasing a doe around (tending, or as much as a young buck can do that). If you use a deeper tone with the same sequence, it simulates a larger more dominant buck. So therefor depending on what is around to listen will determine what is going to come in. If you use the tone of an older buck, you probably arent going to get any younger deer to come in, only the dominant buck in the area will, if he is close enough to listen. Same goes for using a tone of a younger buck, usually most bucks will come in to that to see whats going on.

If you are using a grunt like I have, with the plastic tubing out the end after the reed, how short or long the tube is when you blow changes the tone, which makes you simulate a different type of buck.

Here is my typical call sequence during the rut, which I have pretty good success with.

I start with a medium tone tending grunt in the above sequence, for about 5 minutes, pausing in between the set about 30 seconds. (30 seconds of calling, 30 seconds off). After the 5 minutes, I will hit a territorial grunt, same tone, but using 2 quick and one long burst, do this 5 times with a 30 second break in between, then wait 5 minutes. Then I will start to rattle, using a short, touchy feely sequence first, moving on and on until you are simulating a real fight. I will pause inbetween the escalation of the rattling to do a heavy short 5 or 6 burst of dominant buck grunt, usually about 3 different sets.

Obviously a buck can come in at any point, and after I am done, I will wait around 15 minutes, then do it again. If I have done it twice all the way through, I will get up and move about a 1000 yds or so, and try again. This has consistently produced good bucks the past 3 years I have been using this call sequence, though I havent gotten a shot at all of them. I actually brought a 5.5 yr old 6 point with about a 18-19" inside spread in from about 500 yds away in the rain, up under my stand and looking at me, about 20 feet away, however I had already shot a cull buck, so I wanted to save him, and no one has shot him yet!

p.s. unless you are trying to stop a deer, never grunt or rattle with deer in sight, you will scare them off.

This stuff is very complicated! I wanted to get into calling -- anything simple I can do that won't HURT? Something so I can get started?

Sorry, it took lots of trial and error for me to work that one out!

To keep it simple, only call when you have no deer in your sight. THen when grunting, use simple tending grunts in a soft light tone, dont be too aggresive as that will only bring in the dominant bucks, which we all know are few in far between. If you have a call like i described, bring the tube all the way in, so as to make a higher pitched grunt, then do that in a cycle like I and buck and Hook described for tending. That is the less offensive grunt to use, and you will have the most success with it numbers wise. Its a lot like predator calling, just takes a little bit of practice. I called probably 10-15 times before I figured out what would spook the deer and what would bring them in.

But, dont forget to be patient! Sometimes it takes a buck 30 minutes or more to come in, I have set up and called, left, other hunters have come by 30 minutes or so later and scared bucks off that had come in looking to see whats up.

Awesome Rowney,
That's exactly what I was looking for. South Arkansas is known for lots of deer but where they're all at I don't know.
I've been hunting up there for 10+ years now on several different places and haven't been able to pattern anything other than myself. I find prints, poop and everything else, but it's always one set of prints in one direction. Real spuradic (did I spell that right). The only good print to hunt is one with a deer in it. Usually you can catch that deer again.

I've tried different calling sequences and have rattled w/ out much success (not that I could attribute to me calling anyway). It seems your really working at it when your calling (pretty much non-stop calling), which is how I feel when I'm rattling, but feel fullish sometimes. I like it anyway, cause one day it'll work and it will be as good as calling a flock a mallards, if I get him it'll be even better.

good luck! And remember...Patience! Even more than when your predator calling. No one I know ever got it right on the first try, its taken me 4 years of trial and error, and I certainly dont say anything I have said is gospel, but its works for me!

Heck yeah calling works. A few years ago, in the last few minutes of the last day of the season I grunted a few times and a 6 pointer ran out onto the open and looked my way. Too small to shoot but no doubt it was the call.

I've used the can bleat call several times when trying to get a doe in bow season. If it's thick and you don't over-do it, sometimes they'll come sneaking through the brush looking for the source of the call.

I haven't ever tried calling on a grunt tube or doe in a can. I think I might try it if I could get a video that would show me the ropes.